Contemplating Budget cuts? The Barry Bonds trial has cost $55M; Libya $600M

[CreekDog]

Mind you, Barry Bonds is not being tried for steroid use, he's being tried for perjury --because he *said* he *didn't use* steroids. They can't seem to get him on actually using them, so they're going after him because he was stupid enough to talk to them and they can make him out to be a liar. They did it to Martha Stewart didn't they?

And Libya, well that ain't free but it's the cheapest of our wars.

Between these two things, a whole lot of LIHEAP and Pell Grants could be funded.

But that's not how it works.

(source of $55M estimate: Business Insider 4/4/11)
(source of $600M for Libya, the kind poster who corrected me, and ABC News 3/28/11 --so it's probably more now)

so old folks --turn down the heat! we need to fill up those planes with money!

[kirby]

1. Libya cost was $600 mil so far

"One week after an international military coalition intervened in Libya, the cost to U.S. taxpayers has reached at least $600 million, according figures provided by the Pentagon."

[Donald Ian Rankin]

2. Not prosecuting someone because they can make it expensive would be a catastrophic precedent.

I can at least in principle sympathise with opposing the invasion of Libya on grounds of cost (although I note that the cost you cite is about two dollars per person in the USA; I think there are stronger arguments both for and against).

But the idea that anyone, ever, should be not prosecuted because they can afford to make doing so expensive scares the hell out of me.

[CreekDog]

3. if you think they don't have budgets and discretion to take on certain cases

and pursue some boldly and some less-so, you are dreaming.

[IrishBuckeye]

4. $55 million to prosecute someone is a catastrophe

Why the fk is the Gov. wasting money on this???

[Bake]

5. Why in the hell does it cost $55 MILLION to prosecute Bonds???

What was it, a two-week trial??? Holy shit, that figure shocks me, and I'M A LAWYER!!!!!!

Bake

[Ikonoklast]

6. That $55 million figure is a complete fabrication.

The real figure is around 2-3 million dollars...at the very most.



Internet memes are put out there with people who have a certain agenda...such as Business Week.

[bigwillq]

7. This article says best reports put it at $6 mill

http://www.sfexaminer.com/sports/teams/giants/2011/02/bonds-trial-has-finally-reached-point-exhaustion

That is too much for my tastes.