Bill for Afghan War Could Run into the Trillions

Source: Inter Press Service

Bill for Afghan War Could Run into the Trillions

Eli Clifton

WASHINGTON, May 17 (IPS) - The U.S. Senate is moving forward with a 59-billion-dollar spending bill, of which 33.5 billion dollars would be allocated for the war in Afghanistan.

However, some experts here in Washington are raising concerns that the war may be unwinnable and that the money being spent on military operations in Afghanistan could be better spent.

"We're making all of the same mistakes the Soviets made during their time in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989, and they left in defeat having accomplished none of their purposes," Michael Intriligator, a senior fellow at the Milken Institute, said Monday at a half-day conference hosted by the New America Foundation and Economists for Peace and Security.

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"Why are we putting money into Afghanistan to fight a losing war and following the Soviet example rather than putting money into local communities?" he asked.



Read more: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51468

"What's that peons!? You have no more money with which to keeping propping up our economy!!?"

That is the percentage of Afghanistan's GDP that this spending represents. If we just bought the entire output of the country, it would only cost $22 billion.

eyeballs.

Let's face it, if the same companies were building a road in your town, you'd expect it to be level, not full of holes and so forth and subject to competitive bidding. Avoid ALL that in a war zone. Surely people must think there's a reason why we haven't won a war since WWII.

It's because when the war is over, the money dries up, so keep it going, at all costs. (To someone else.)

all across this country, today and tomorrow we are to call or go to the offices of our Representatives and till them to vote NO on the supplemental.

But we don't have jobs for the returning service men and women and we are a nation that produces only one thing enmasse: weapons

If McCain/Palin had won in 2008 we'd be borrowing money for the fighting in Iran by now too.

We should put our money on the war making trillions. :eyes:

Only when we agree with them.

A bill in the House of Representatives, H.R. 5015, would require the administration provide a timetable for ending the disastrous, costly Afghanistan war. Unfortunately, Members of Congress have told us they aren't hearing from their constituents about Afghanistan.

You can change that.

Please send your congressperson a message that you want them to co-sponsor H.R. 5015.

http://rethinkafghanistan.com/

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waiting for the moment to say,

YA SHOULDA LEARNED FROM OUR MISTAKE!

on another tack,

if the World reduces financial support and or oil to the USA,

The USA war-machine dies;

and with it,

the USA.

When the USA loses it's "superpower" status, and it will; nothing lasts forever,

USA will have to rely on friendship from other countries -

NOW

ponder this

HOW MANY COUNTRIES ARE REALLY HAPPY ABOUT HAVING USA BASES ON THEIR SOIL??

How many countries are happy with their trade "agreements" with the USA?

USA will find out:

not too many . . .

And yet will have sustained less than one-tenth the casualties the Soviets did.

Something seems to have been learned.

Money...............