How Much Is Too Much To Spend On a Preemptive War?

 

 As of this third week in March 2008, the wars in the Mideast (Afghanistan and Iraq) have cost us $538.6 Billion.  That is $5,686 per U.S. family. Let’s see if we can wrap our minds around the numbers. 

·         $538.6 Billion dollars would buy ALL the fuel for ALL the commuters in Minnesota for 116 years and four months.  (At 12,000 miles per year, 20 mpg, $3.10 per gallon) 

·         $538.6 Billion dollars would pay a year of premiums on a $955 per month health insurance policy for EVERY uninsured person in the United States.  (46,995,000 as of August, 2007) 

·         At $250 Million per bridge, $538.6 Billion dollars would replace 2,154 bridges 

·         $538.6 Billion dollars is a LOT of money. My $5,686 could have been spent in many better ways. At the risk of sounding naïve, why don’t we just buy the oil, instead of trying to control it? 

Dan Martin