Obama: "Oil wars have cost us $1Trillion" -- he's off by about $3Trillion

[txlibdem]

The cost of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan have been grossly underestimated by politicians on both sides, including the President.

# The human and economic costs of these wars will continue for decades, some costs not peaking until mid-century. Many of the wars’ costs are invisible to Americans, buried in a variety of budgets, and so have not been counted or assessed. For example, while most people think the Pentagon war appropriations are equivalent to the wars’ budgetary costs, the true numbers are twice that, and the full economic cost of the wars much larger yet. Conservatively estimated, the war bills already paid and obligated to be paid are $3.2 trillion in constant dollars. A more reasonable estimate puts the number at nearly $4 trillion.

# As with former US wars, the costs of paying for veterans’ care into the future will be a sizable portion of the full costs of the war.

# The ripple effects on the U.S. economy have also been significant, including job loss and interest rate increases, and those effects have been underappreciated.

# Putting together the conservative numbers of war dead, in uniform and out, brings the total to 225,000.

http://costsofwar.org/

This Brown University Study tells the truth about the full cost of the Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan wars:

By Daniel Trotta, NEW YORK, June 29
When President Barack Obama cited cost as a reason to bring troops home from Afghanistan, he referred to a $1 trillion price tag for America’s wars.

Staggering as it is, that figure grossly underestimates the total cost of wars in june 2011 Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the U.S. Treasury and ignores more imposing costs yet to come, according to a study released on Wednesday.

The final bill will run at least $3.7 trillion and could reach as high as $4.4 trillion, according to the research project “Costs of War” by Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies.

graphics.thomsonreuters.com/11/06/CostofWar.pdf

Now we've added Libya, Yemen... any more that just started up?

[xchrom]

1. recommend -- now why would they underestimate?

or send out 'surprised' experts?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

3. Don't forget the main problem. For the past 31 years, our nation's trend has been rightwingerism

That includes the media, which twists everything every Democrat says or does. As a result, Democrats feel defeated, and every attempt to do anything, is met with attacks, insults, degradation, and the zillion right wing extremist blogs on the Internet attacking all Democrats.

Unless we grow a pair of huge collective balls (pardon the French), and go after the assholes, all of them, right wingers, the media, the rich, and corporations, in every possible way we know how, this shit will continue.

[txlibdem]

6. They want us to think they are geniuses while also believing that they saw none of this coming

How stupid do they think we are???

[Uncle Joe]

2. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, txlibdem.

[ProSense]

4. Maybe the President

was referring to the appropriations. From the OP link:



"The final bill will run at least $3.7 trillion and could reach as high as $4.4 trillion, according to the research project “Costs of War” by Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies."

The clock has it at $1.2 trillion and climbing.

[txlibdem]

5. I think the politicians are low-balling the estimate on purpose - to save their own asses/jobs

If the American people put 2 and 2 together and realized that these bastards are trying to hack Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and all other programs that benefit the people and not the rich while they all voted so happily to push us into $4 Trillion for these damn oil wars... I think the people will flip their freakin' lids. And the politicians will not like the outcome if that ever happens.

Fortunately for them, the great majority are terrible at putting 2 and 2 together...

[slipslidingaway]

7. knr nt

[juajen]

8. Why not let the people that caused this catastrophe pay for it,

you know like Bush and his minions, Cheney, Rumsfield, the list is endless. If we did make them answer the charges, most particularly the "oil war" moniker, we would have much better government. I am so disappointed that they weren't held accountable. These people are criminals of the worst order.

[txlibdem]

11. We could only wish for that to happen

But it won't. That is why I think Pres. Obama hasn't met an opponent that he won't bend over backwards for. He's shown zero willingness to fight for any Democratic principles. Do you think the Repukes would be letting Dem criminals off scott free when they took office?

[banned from Kos]

9. I seriously doubt Obama has said "oil wars" since Afghanistan

has very little oil and is his justifiable war.

[July16th-20th]

10. Wasteful

Just think of what that money could have done. Constructive (not destructive) things. Very sad.

[txlibdem]

13. Totally agree

But living in denial is so much more comforting to me.

Consider that a $50,000/yr wage earner actually costs a business $75,000/yr due to taxes, health care, etc. Now take that $3 Trillion and divide by $75,000... the government could have given the economy the best shot in the arm in history by hiring 40 million people with a salary of $50,000 per year. Those people would be consumers and would spend in their communities. That would stimulate more jobs in the retail and service sectors, etc. We would have been out of the recession within 6 months and into a booming economy again. But that didn't happen. Instead we got... well you know.

[Fuddnik]

12. Hey Mr. Prez. Pull the fuck out.

Close down the whole fucking Empire. We'll save a lot of money, and maybe be able to expand Medicare to everyone.

[OwnedByFerrets]

14. You are most correct

[txlibdem]

15. You are most welcome

Just imagine what we could have done with that money instead of pouring it down a rat hole.

By the way, those are the total cost outlays and the obligations up to June 2011, we aren't out of Iraq/Afghanistan/Libya/Yemen, etc., before 2014 so that could be as much as another 30% increase over the total so far.

:patriot:

[tekisui]

16. We have also carried out drone strikes in Somalia.

In addition to a CIA black site prison, with renditions and interrogations.

[txlibdem]

17. That's just peachy. Throw another one onto the pile, why the hell not?

Thanks for reminding me!
:hi:

[blkmusclmachine]

18. I'm pretty sure he knows 1 Trillion is a joke.

It's not the 1st time he's come up with a doozey. And won't be the last. He's just reading the prepared statement of lies handed to him by The Masters Of The Universe, a.k.a. "Big Oil."

[txlibdem]

19. It does seem that way sometimes

I wonder who's really pulling his strings. He tossed out Single Payer before even beginning debate on HCR. Gave tax cuts to the rich under the guise of The Stimulus Bill. Said he'd never back down on extending tax cuts to the rich... then he extended tax cuts to the rich.

I don't know which side that guy's on half the time.