Re: Where 3.4 billion dollars would be better spent.
The current annual cost of Afghanistan floats somewhere around $107 billion a year. This is less than ten days worth of the 2012 Federal budget or about 3 percent. Iraq is currently down at about $11 billion, which is almost lost in the noise. Of course, every bit counts, but the two wars aren't where most of the Federal budget is going. A nice interactive display here.
I notice nobody wails about "lost government jobs" when we talk about military cuts. :)