Hidden costs 'raise US war price'

[Praxius]

BBC NEWS | Americas | Hidden costs 'raise US war price'

The US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are costing nearly double the amount previously thought, according to a report set to be released by Congress. Democrats say the wars have cost $1.5 trillion - almost twice the requested $804bn (£402bn) - because of "hidden costs", the Washington Post reports. That figure would amount to $20,000 for an average US family of four, it adds. And some of the figures cited in the report were labelled speculative by funding experts, the Post says. Among the indicators contributing to the higher cost of the conflicts are higher oil costs and payments to war veterans. 'Lost earnings' The report is expected to be presented to Congress later on Tuesday. The Democratic authors included the costs of treating wounded veterans and mounting interest payments on money borrowed to finance the wars. The report calculates that the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost the average US family of four more than $20,000. It adds that the amount could rise to $46,300 over the next decade, the Washington Post says. The committee's Democrats estimate that treating veterans could add more than $30bn to war costs, including disability payments and lost earnings for veterans affected by post-traumatic stress disorder. Republicans have not yet commented officially on the report.

Some food for thought.

[Dieval]

Quote by: article Among the indicators contributing to the higher cost of the conflicts are higher oil costs

Ummm..if the war is about oil, as some like to point out, why is the cost going higher?

[Praxius]

Seems like a loose loose situation in that aspect.... it was to obtain decent oil reserves, by the time they do get anything out of them... I mean if... then will it counter the cost of the oil which was spent trying to get it?

[Milton Bradley]

Quote by: Dieval Ummm..if the war is about oil, as some like to point out, why is the cost going higher?

What, you expect everybody to profit off of the actions of a few?

[Dieval]

Quote by: Milton Bradley What, you expect everybody to profit off of the actions of a few?

I expect that if this was a war to steal oil that our oil prices would come down.

[Milton Bradley]

Quote by: Dieval I expect that if this was a war to steal oil that our oil prices would come down.

Well that only proves that you don't understand how this whole "theft" thing works.

[Zeebadee]

I'd say one reason the cost of oil is going up is because the dollar is at record lows against all other currencies and is still going down.

[Dieval]

Quote by: Milton Bradley Well that only proves that you don't understand how this whole "theft" thing works.

So they steal it from the people that have it(Iraqi's) and sell it to the people that want it(us), right Master Theif?

[Milton Bradley]

Quote by: Dieval So they steal it from the people that have it(Iraqi's) and sell it to the people that want it(us), right Master Theif?

Correct, they sell it, not give it away.

[Dieval]

Quote by: Milton Bradley Correct, they sell it, not give it away.

I wasn't asking that they give it away....that's why I said "I expect" "our oil prices would come down", not "where's my free gas?".

So, any proof about your whole oil stealing scenario?

[Milton Bradley]

Quote by: Dieval I wasn't asking that they give it away....that's why I said "I expect" "our oil prices would come down", not "where's my free gas?". So, any proof about your whole oil stealing scenario?

Only the reality that surrounds us.


Just like the story we're hearing in the news now, about oil prices being expected the jump this Winter because of "supplies", like the refineries didn't see Winter coming again this year. ( ...and nevermind that cold weather is late getting here...) :rolleyes:


Are you so condtioned that scrutinizing the message is a foreign concept to you? Oh, wait, you go scrutinize Left wing rhetoric...

[thx1138]

Quote by: Dieval I wasn't asking that they give it away....that's why I said "I expect" "our oil prices would come down", not "where's my free gas?". So, any proof about your whole oil stealing scenario?

The point is not to supply cheap oil, it is to control the supply and not export too much. All an oil supplying country has to do to qualify for an invasion is to open the pumps and flood the market or to switch the currency (from USD to Euro,Yen, Yuan, or what ever) used to sell and buy oil.

Flooding the market kills the profits of oil companies and switching the currency kills the petrodollar cycle.