Let's see where all this money REALLY goes. Money doesn't get buried into the Iraqi desert and we certainly aren't handing out twenty dollar bills to passing Iraqis.

War Costs:

Biggest single cost is shipping tanks, equipment, etc. Ship lines have made much money. Most are US owned but others are from other nations. Money to help the poor and oppressed throughout the world and in Europe ;-)

Second largest cost is petrol or refined fuels and oil. US companies have reaped the largest share here as well and the money is staying in US hands.

Soldiers salaries. Active and reserves activated get paid a good portion of the war costs. However, this money stays in the US as well.

Munitions, parts, etc. These are all primarily US owned firms for US weaponry. All this money too stays in the US.

So we see that most of the billions of dollars being spent is really staying in US hands. So what exactly is going into Iraq? Iraq is getting structures and infrastructure rebuilt and the people are getting medicines and services free of charge. That's but a tiny portion of the major war expenses. Not really that big a dollar figure of the whole war pie is leaving US soil.

Money shifting hands is not money lost. Those soldiers and those firms will spend money and spend much of it in the US. As Buck mentioned the money we are saving by not flying fuel thirsty Jets around the clock over Iraq easily offsets much of the expenses.

As for the tax cut - that money too only returns to US citizens hands. This democratic misconception that taxpayers money is somehow the governments money is ridiculous. Cutting taxes is like reducing prices at the grocery store - they are not giving other peoples money away when you pay less, but simply are reducing the cost of goods and services.

That democrats believe they somehow Taxcuts are taking from the poor and giving to the rich is preposterous. Everyone who shops gets the same reduction. Just because rich folks earn more and therefore keep more does not justify the proletariat type class envy they so successfully stir up to get votes from the undereducated have-nots.

By making the lower classes jealous of the amounts the rich save - they convince them to ignore and diminish the amounts they save. If they can convince their loyal stooges to forfeit any tax cuts they will gladly spend their hard earned dollars for them.

It's truly sad that capitalism isn't a course all by itself on college campuses and has to share space with the teachers favored Marxist principles taught in Economics 101. So many have so little idea of how money circulation fosters growth, investment, R&D and progress. Capitalism is all about keeping money circulating. Capitalism is like a cyclotron and the faster money circulates the more efficient it becomes and the better the results.

Wars don't impoverish a capitalistic nation - only Marxist states sucking up the people's money and controlling wages does that.

SDAI-Tech1