|
NORTHAMPTON, MA - September 24 - The human and financial costs of the Iraq War continue to climb, with no end in sight. Every day on average, two U. S. soldiers are killed and 30 wounded. More than 1,000 U. S. troops have already been killed in Iraq, three times the number that died in the first Persian Gulf War. Meanwhile, the cost of the war to taxpayers has eclipsed $150 billion, according to National Priorities Project.
Information about the cost of the Iraq War for each of the 50 states can be found in the publication Americans Pay High Cost for War, on the National Priorities Project web page, www.nationalpriorities.org/highcostofwar. The non-partisan National Priorities Project creates reliable estimates using data from various sources, primarily the federal government.
In addition to the number of troops killed in Iraq, more than 7,000 have been wounded to date, 15 times the number wounded in the first Gulf War. Nearly 170,000 Reservists and National Guard troops are currently on active duty, compared to 50,000 prior to the beginning of the Iraq War.
It is estimated that $50 billion will be needed for each year the U. S. remains in Iraq beyond 2004, adding to the $152.6 billion Congress has allocated so far. One result has been a neglect of homeland security. The $474 billion spent on the military in Fiscal Year 2005, for example, amounts to seven times the amount spent on homeland and all other non-military security combined.
“We’re quantifying the costs and bringing them down to a local level so that we can all better understand the enormity of this war,” said Greg Speeter, Executive Director of the National Priorities Project. “With the situation appearing to worsen every day, hopefully this information will challenge us to explore options that can provide real security.”
The publication discusses critiques of U.S. security policy as well as alternatives, including shifting billions of dollars from military spending to non-military security tools such as increased funding for port container inspection, nonproliferation, and international intelligence sharing.
####
|
Printer Friendly Version
E-Mail This Article
