what are the real cost's of war?

Question

Bush first said $60 billion, that was a lie. Congress has already spent $ 357 billion in Iraq and Afghanistan. IN addition to the defense spending of $400 billion a year. Nobel Prize winner and economist, Joseph Stiglitz projects war cost at $1 to $2 trillion. We spent $800 billion in Viet-Nam. We had $1 trillion in VA benefits in addition for the Viet-Nam war. We as a nation learned nothing. It is fact that Guerrilla warfare can not be won. It is also fact that "democracy" is not a gift to be given by our 2587 dead service men. We have 15,000 wounded. The 300,000 dead civilians in Iraq are in fact "liberated" from Saddams rule. That number will go to 500,000 dead in the civil war in Iraq over 5 years.

BTW, war will cost working class tax payers $19,600 per household over the next 5 years.

Women report that their rights have been rolled back by extremist Muslim groups — both Shiite and Sunni. While under Saddam Hussein's largely secular regime, women faced few social restrictions, they say they are now barred from going to market alone, wearing pants or driving cars.
And children are frequently victims, perishing in large crowds or sometimes even targeted themselves, the report said.
"Violence, corruption, inefficiency of state organs to exert control over security, establish the rule of law and protect individual and collective rights all lead to inability of both the state and the family to meet the needs of children," it said.

Answer 1

The real costs of this war are staggering.
1.Medicare, homeland security, education, national parks and any other program which benefits our citizens....all receiving humongous cuts to finance the war.
2.We are so far in the hole financially that our great grandchildren will still be paying off this fiasco.
3.Our former friendly nations around the world have definitely cooled because of this senseless war.
4. We have become a rallying point for arab zealots.
5. We have lost, maimed, and mentally distroyed our own soldiers, as well as tens of thousands of Iraqis..and so,.families in both countries.
6. We destroyed the Iraqi infrastructure and haven't rebuilt it.
Today only 40% of electricity has been restored to where it was before we arrived, amd much of that is sporatic.

This war was badly thought out, executed with too few troops, and still has no exit plan.We have unleashed an unwinable religious war in Iraq that was help in check by Saddam Hussain.
Are we saviors of Iraq...judge for yourself.

Answer 2

I don't know, but I do know that if the US spends the same money actually helping poorer developing nations, rather than fighting wars....we would have no wars! Oh wait, but then the defence companies wouldn't make any money from the taxpayers...it would never work...

Answer 3

The cost of anwar is life and humanity. war changes who we are, not better or worse, just different. People/nation reprioritze and often take a survivalist stance.

Answer 4

Human life

Answer 5

I think the "real" costs of war are embedded in the faces of the dead, maimed and dying.

Answer 6

the real cost of war are innocent lives. Babies and children that have nothing to do with this.

Answer 7

Ask this question to the people who re-elected Bush. Please!