Authored by: soildork on Wednesday, April 09 2003

I guess if we evaluate the war in purely economic terms, I can see why you feel you lost in the \"cost of war\" equation. I mean, you don\'t get to blow things up or drive a tank through a building, so the least they can do is let you \"rent\" some of the equipment you\'ve paid for. In fact, I believe the $560 they earmarked from the families in your neighborhood were earmarked for use as medical supplies to help the human shields used by the Hussein Regime. Or was it the bomb used to smash that T-72 tank that guarded a bridge on the approach to Baghdad? In fact, if you complain loudly enough, maybe the government will give you a tax write-off for those medical supplies, because apparently you didn\'t feel as though you \"donated\" the money.

Do you get my point? Freedom is not free, and it is remiss for you to assume that there has to be something in it for you. We have had more toxic chemicals traveling the highways 20 years ago than we do now, so that shouldn\'t change your outlook, were you afraid then? Gas prices went up. So? Maybe the freedom to move about and do as we please should be more expensive, maybe it would be appreciated then. Airfares and foreign travel? Blame the fanatical terrorists that want you dead becasue you don\'t live in the 14th century Middle East.

Don\'t take something as amazing as Freedom for granted, I would pay the ultimate price for mine, if need be. I would give my life to protect the freedom of those that I love. And I won\'t even make the government reimburse my fiancee.

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Authored by: dbsmall on Monday, April 14 2003

Immediate attention needed: highly confidential
>
>
>
> from: George Walker Bush
>
>
>
> dear sir / madam,
>
>
>
> I am George Walker Bush, son of the former president of the
>
> United States of America, George Herbert Walker Bush, and
>
> currently serving as president of the United States of America.
>
>
>
> This letter might surprise you because we have not met neither
>
> in person nor by correspondence. I came to know of you in my
>
> search for a reliable and reputable person to handle a very
>
> confidential business transaction, which involves the transfer
>
> of a huge sum of money to an account requiring maximum
>
> confidence.
>
>
>
> I am writing you in absolute confidence primarily to seek your
>
> assistance in acquiring oil funds that are presently trapped in
>
> the republic of Iraq. My partners and I solicit your assistance
>
> in completing a transaction begun by my father, who has long
>
> been actively engaged in the extraction of petroleum in the
>
> United States of America, and bravely served his country as
>
> director of the united states central intelligence agency.
>
>
>
> In the decade of the nineteen-eighties, my father, then vice-
>
> president of the United States of America, sought to work with
>
> the good offices of the president of the Republic of Iraq to
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> regain lost oil revenue sources in the neighboring Islamic
>
> Republic of Iran. This unsuccessful venture was soon followed by
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> a falling out with his Iraqi partner, who sought to acquire
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> additional oil revenue sources in the neighboring emirate of
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> Kuwait, a wholly-owned U.S.-British subsidiary.
>
>
>
> My father re-secured the petroleum assets of Kuwait in 1991 at a
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> cost of sixty-one billion U.S. Dollars ($61,000,000,000). Out of
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> that cost, thirty-six billion dollars ($36,000,000,000) were
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> supplied by his partners
>
>
>
> In the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf
>
> monarchies, and sixteen billion dollars ($16,000,000,000) by
>
> German and Japanese partners. But my father\'s former Iraqi
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> business partner remained in control of the republic of Iraq and
>
> its petroleum reserves.
>
>
>
> My family is calling for your urgent assistance in funding the
>
> removal of the president of the republic of Iraq and acquiring
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> the petroleum assets of his country, as compensation for the
>
> costs of removing him from power. Unfortunately, our partners
>
> from 1991 are not willing to shoulder the burden of this new
>
> venture, which in its upcoming phase may cost the sum of 100
>
> billion to 200 billion dollars ($100,000,000,000 -
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> $200,000,000,000), both in the initial acquisition and in long-
>
> term management.
>
>
>
> Without the funds from our 1991 partners, we would not be able
>
> to acquire the oil revenue trapped within Iraq. That is why my
>
> family and our colleagues are urgently seeking your gracious
>
> assistance. Our distinguished Colleagues in this business transaction
>
> include the sitting vice-president of the United States of America,
> Richard
>
> Cheney, who is an original partner in the Iraq venture and former head
>
> of the Halliburton Oil Company, and Condoleeza Rice, whose
>
> professional dedication to the venture was demonstrated in the
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> naming of a chevron oil tanker after her.
>
>
>
> I would beseech you to transfer a sum equaling ten to twenty-
>
> five percent (10-25 %) of your yearly income to our account to
>
> aid in this important venture. The internal revenue service of
>
> the United States of America will function as our trusted
>
> intermediary. I propose that you make this transfer before the
>
> fifteenth (15th) of the month of april.
>
>
>
> I know that a transaction of this magnitude would make anyone
>
> apprehensive and worried. But I am assuring you that all will be
>
> well at the end of the day. A bold step taken shall not be
>
> regretted, I assure you. Please do be informed that this
>
> business transaction is 100% legal. If you do not wish to
>
>
>
> Co-operate in this transaction, please contact our intermediary
>
> representatives to further discuss the matter.
>
>
>
> I pray that you understand our plight. My family and our
>
> colleagues will be forever grateful. Please reply in strict
>
> confidence to the contact numbers below.
>
>
>
> Sincerely with warm regards,
>
>
>
> George Walker Bush
>
>
>
> switchboard: 202.456.1414
>
>
>
> comments: 202.456.1111
>
>
>
> fax: 202.456.2461
>
>
>
> e-mail: president@whitehouse.gov

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Authored by: dbsmall on Monday, April 14 2003

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Authored by: futurenow on Thursday, June 26 2003

Tommy Franks' replacement in hearings this week said the Most recent official report on the cost so far is $30B (or $10 B spent in the last two months.) No estimate of full long term costs. With daily bombings of oil pipelines, american convoy's, and now even companies hired for reconstructure, not likely any of the remaining 130K troops will be coming home soon.

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Authored by: futurenow on Friday, July 11 2003

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36302-2003Jul10.html

Latest estimates are the war is over budget and now running at $4B/month until at least the end of the fiscal year.

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Authored by: futurenow on Wednesday, September 10 2003

Bush proposes additional $87B to fight terrorism. What is interesting is that only $21B is going to reconstruction effort while $66 B is going to support military costs (including significant funds to restock weapon supplies). One wonders if instead of spending $100B+ on the war itself and only $25 B on reconstruction if there would have been a way to win over people in the middle east by giving $100 B to all our enemies if they were willing to do certain things first (worked in Serbia but Iran, Iraq probably harder.) We give a few billion per year to Egypt and Jordan to keep them on our side imagine what $100 B over two years could have bought us. Instead we have spent $100B creating ill-will for the most part and are hoping that the $25B will turn that around.

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Authored by: dbsmall on Wednesday, July 28 2004

How much has the war on peace cost us? Fortunately, Saddam's no longer in power---we have another bad guy in power, trying to recover from the images we put in folks' heads about how things are run over there (Abu Ghraib). How much is a dismal failure worth to you?

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Authored by: futurenow on Tuesday, January 25 2005

Today Whitehouse asked for another $80B for the war on terror bringing the total to be spent by Oct 05 to $300B.

Before the invasion, then-White House budget director Mitch Daniels predicted Iraq would be "an affordable endeavor," and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz assured Congress: "We are dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon."

When then-White House economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey estimated Iraq costs at $100 billion to $200 billion, he was derided by administration colleagues and later lost his job, I guess for underestimating the cost!!

Also scarry is that in 2005 dollars the Vietnam war cost $600B. War is sure a lot more expensive than it used to be especially in a country we claim to control the vast majority of.

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