Are the hundreds of millions of US tax dollars spent by George Bush in his Afghan drug war worth it?

Question

Afghanistan's massive drug trade is hitting record levels this year with a possible 40 percent increase in lands under opium poppy cultivation.

After a couple of years of being under US control Afghanistan now produces more than 90 percent of the world's opium and heroin supply.

Bush’s counternarcotics strategies in Afghanistan have been completely unsuccessful in stemming opium cultivation by US funded and armed Warlords and this drug trade is having a corrosive effect on President Hamid Karzai's struggling government.

It is apparent that like everything else handled by lil bushy and his pie in the sky neo-con government is that they do not have a clue in what they are doing and the only things they are good at is throwing borrowed money at problems and dropping a lot of bombs on people.

The best rule of thumb for anything "Is Does it work?"

Answer 1

No. It has nothing to do with being a pacifist. It's called being wise with your country's money. He's quite a spendthrift for supposedly being a conservative. It doesn't take a PhD in Economics to realize it is a waste of money.

(EDIT): It is true Congress has the power of the purse. However, Republicans in Congress listen to Bush and his committees' proposals when it comes time to write checks. He signs the spending bills and he employs them. He is also Commander in Chief and once Congress gives the Military Branch the money, he and his generals have broad discretion in how to spend money in international conflicts. Yeah, we shouldn't just blame Bush. Considering Congress has Republican majority, we could blame them just as much.

Diegobass, you make valid points, but calling people an idiot is not a very credible way to state your case. RCAbrave I do not see where you got those high numbers. I read those reports, and while the total hectares has decreased, it seems that production has only shifted to other parts of the country and may rise to 2004 levels in 2007 once production picks up in those areas.

Just another arm of the "War on Drugs". It has always been a large waste of money. Education and fighting poverty are the only real solutions to drug use in this country. Trying to burn fields in other countries doesn't appear to be effective. One must solve the underlying problems that make drugs so attractive in the first place.

Answer 2

First of all, YOU IDIOT, CONGRESS has the power to tax and SPEND... not the President. One of the problems with our budget is that people don't understand that basic fact - they always blame the President but it's CONGRESS, not the President.

Second, your figures sound odd. The war in Afghanistan is about terrorism and radical Islam, not just drugs. Drugs are an aspect of the war but the bulk of the money spent in Afghanistan goes to other things, not the drug aspects.

You are the poster child for the left - you don't have a clue. All you can do is regurgitate what the loony lying left's spin-meisters spoon feed you. You can't think for yourself, have no idea how to check & verify things before you spew them carelessly.

Though the UN is pretty much a waste of time and money, they do give useful facts once in a while. Despite your claims to the contrary, opium cultivation is DOWN significantly, not up as you claim. The only things that are going up are the price & the profit as always happens when the supply of a commodity decreases.

Despite your claims, Afghanistan's contribution to the world opium market is not changing all that much - reflection that anti-opium efforts in Afghanistan are roughly as successful as in other source countries.

Also, despite your desire to blame Afghanistan opium on Bush and the neo-cons, opium has been a problem in Afghanistan probbly since before you were born and certainly since before George Bush ever ran for any public office.

You just showed the world what an idiot you are - care to try again? YOU CAN DO IT!

Answer 3

I think Bush is doing the best job that he can. As for people who decide to take opium or heroine, that is an indivual choice. I honestly think people have to be responsible for their own actions, you cant blame the government for everything that is going wrong in an indivuals own personal level. I personally would not spend a dime on war on drugs, because we cant police every single person. I also dont want to spend money on drug rehabilitation. Bad choices means bad consequences and its about time people take responsibility for their own actions. Its too easy to screw up and then let someone else try to pick up the pieces for you. supply and demand , if there was no demand there would be no supply.

Answer 4

I have preached.. I have yelled.... I have written letters to the editor LONG ago that the war in Afghanistan will NEVER NEVER be won as long as the provincial war lords are allowed to continue to live.. I suggested that the capital in Kabul hold a meeting of all the provincial war lords(actually, they are raising millions and millions dollars in drugs the drug trade) and when they are all together for a meeting at the capitol.. NUKE the place to get rid of them... the war in Afghanistan will NEVER be won...

Answer 5

So I suppose your a pacifist. Clinton is as well and his policies got us 911. I'll take a man of action over a deadbeat, manipulating, lying, stealing cheat any day. Though the Bush policy hasn't solved all the problems, atleast he did something. Clinton just tried to ignore the problems in hopes they would go away. Bullies don't go away, they become emboldened.

Answer 6

No the money is not worth it. Because like every thing else Bush does, It is not working and just causing the tax payers more money.

Answer 7

noooooooooooooooo

George W. Bush is a moran. He should be impeached, and tried, and convicted of high treason of the United States of America.

Answer 8

ofcourse it is worth it for the bilderberg group,and the illuminati
.for everyone else it is money down the bloody drain.

Answer 9

there was a drug war?

Answer 10

in my opinion, no