Projected US Federal Deficit for Fiscal 2004: $475 Billion (does not include expenses for security and reconstruction in Iraq)
2003 US expenditures on Iraq war, post-war security and reconstruction: $80 Billion
2004 US expenditures on Iraq war, post-war security and reconstruction: $110 Billion
How much is $80 Billion? Let's take a look at some other causes that aren't nearly as important as war...
Total Amount Spent on HIV/AIDS research, cancer research, alcohol and drug abuse research, cardiovascular disease research and child abuse research in 2000: $8.1 Billion Source
Cumulative US Federal Spending on Cancer Research, 1971 through Present: $40 Billion Source: NIH
"This nation has got a deficit because we have been through a war."
President George W. Bush, April 24, 2003
Bush tax cuts in 2003: $205 Billion
Projected Bush tax cuts in 2004: $310 Billion
Uhh, how's that, Mr. President? Tax cuts caused the deficit. See, the figures above that show roughly half of the 2003 deficit was accounted for by tax cuts. War expenditures made up just 25% of the deficit.
Sources:
Christian Science Monitor, Opinion section
Outstanding article called WAR, TAX CUTS, AND THE DEFICIT
By Richard Kogan
Number of Iraqi co-conspirators discovered to be involved with 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon: 0
Weapons of Mass Destruction Found in Iraq: 0
Number of US soldiers killed in Iraq war and security operations: 423
Number of US soldiers wounded Iraq war and security operations: 1,967
May all of our fine men and women come home safely as quickly as possible. I feel terrible for these hundreds of thousands of pawns who put their lives at risk in a land on the other side of the globe for... for what? For their country? For the safety of democracy everywhere? For the freedom and human rights of oppressed people everywhere? For some nebulous economic dividend yielded by the ability to dictate favorable US trade policies with lesser nations? For the trickle-down economic benefits from the next generation of military-industrial complex designed to combat terrorism in the absence of a Communist threat? For what?
Why are our friends, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons dying? Because the US, the UK and Australia were afraid of a dictator whose army it demolished and country it occupied in less than a week? Or because our nations' people and elected representatives were manipulated by a focused group of neo-conservatives intent to establish a new new world order?
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