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How would you spend $611 billion
If the Bush administration succeeds in its latest request for funding for the war in Iraq, the total cost would rise to $611.5 billion, according to the National Priorities Project, a nonprofit research group.
The amount got us wondering: What would $611 billion buy? 1) Nearly 4,000 Newton North High Schools
Tagged as the most expensive high school in Massachusetts, at $154.6 million, the construction design for the new Newton North High School could be replicated almost 4,000 times using the money spent on the war.
2)Almost 18 months' worth of free gas for everyone
US drivers consume approximately 384.7 million gallons of gasoline a day. Retail prices averaged $3.00 a gallon in early November. Breaking it down, $611 billion could buy gasoline for everybody in the United States, for about 530 days.
3)Many, many environment-friendly cars on the road
With $611 billion, you could convert all cars in America to run on ethanol nine times over.
TheBudgetGraph.com estimates that converting the 136,568,083 registered cars in the United States to ethanol (conversion kits at $500) would cost $68.2 billion. 4)Nearly 14 million years' worth of tuition, room, and board at Harvard
At published rates for this year, $611 billion translates into almost 14 million free rides for a year at Harvard University. 5)More than a year's worth of Medicare benefits for everyone
In fiscal 2008, Medicare benefits will total $454 billion, according to a Heritage Foundation summary. The $611 billion in war costs is 17 times the amount vetoed by the president for a $35 billion health benefit program for poor children.
6)A looong contract for Dice-K
The Red Sox and Daisuke Matsuzaka agreed on a six-year, $52 million contract. The war cost could be enough to have Dice-K mania for more than 70,000-some years at this year's rate.
7)A real war on poverty
According to World Bank estimates, $54 billion a year would eliminate starvation and malnutrition globally by 2015, while $30 billion would provide a year of primary education for every child on earth.
At the upper range of those estimates, the $611 billion cost of the war could have fed and educated the world's poor for seven years. 8)152.7 million people in the USA will own a Xbox360, PS3, and Nintendo Wii with a bunch of games an a couple years worth of internet service 9)Tehachapi can own thier own fire dept, have a 200,000 seat stadium for the warriors football, may build that road to Arvin from stallion springs Do you have any other ideas on how to spend $611 billion – or comparisons for what that money could have bought? SIGH.... 27 comments from 8 users
posted by
olivia
on Nov 14, 2007 at 12:29 PM
Starbucks, generally I am a nice person. (depends on how annoyed I am getting) I refer to oohchild as a "link freak" because some of her posts have multiple links with explanations behind every one of them. I don't mean anything "terrible" by it. I call my daughter a "peta freak". I call my husband a "freak". I guess freak is a daily part of my "not so intelligent" vocabulary. Oohchild I hope you don't take my comment too personally, (you don't seem like the type who would) you are very intelligent. For those of us "not so intelligent", the links only confuse the sh*t out of me. The same with "Sam" I think he is also a very intelligent person. A lot of things I read from him I find very interesting. He makes me wish that I had grown up during his era. Other stuff, I'm wondering....what the hell is he talking about. Everyone has their own style of writing. A lot of personality can show through. Hence the reason for me only using one screen name. (People who know my style would be able to pick me out easily). Now, from what I pick up from your style, is since you "know" me, I feel you are trying to say something to me. I almost feel some kind a passive agressive thing going on with you. You pop out of nowhere....you ask me where I live. You jump on "bigdog abuse" thing like we were serious. You described our "eyesore" of a yard almost to a tee, and now you choose Bigdog and I both to say "educate yourself". Maybe I am reading more into these...what I would call strange comments. Not sure....it's hard to tell when you are just typing back and forth to each other. Why would you ask me where I live? Does anyone else find that kind of creepy or is it just me? posted by
oohchild
on Nov 14, 2007 at 08:35 AM
*blushing* Thank you, Starbucks1. I respect your POV, too. posted by
Starbucks1
on Nov 14, 2007 at 08:04 AM
Olivia, relax, no, I am not your neightbor, but yes, I do know who you are,and you seem like a nice person, as far as research, I was just suggesting that Big dog or yourself look up all the grants that are availble to poor kids for college, you know like how oohchild who you refer to as the "link freak",post links for others to research topics, which I think is good,I was just saying to research it yourself, and oohchild, which I dont agree with on many issues, I believe is one of most intelligent people on this blog.
posted by
olivia
on Nov 14, 2007 at 05:39 AM
Starbucks, how many soldiers have you talked to? You state that 99% want to finish the job. posted by Starbucks1 on Nov 13, 2007 at 11:52 AM how many of you have talked to soldiers that have been there?, I have, 99% want to finish the job, Just wondering? Why have you singled bigdog and myself out on doing some research? bigdog, do a little research on where money goes to our military and you might learn something, Olivia, it is easier for poor kids to go to college than middle class kids, do some research You are kind of freaking me out! On an earlier blog you asked me where I live? Where do you live? I really only know one neighbor well on this street. So....Not really sure what your issue is. Don't really care....You are just getting on my nerves is all. posted by
madkow2747
on Nov 13, 2007 at 09:28 PM
""Even with this change, there will be more Pell Grant recipients and the federal government will spend more money on Pell than it did this year," Flanagan said." Flanagan being Sarah Flanagan, vice president for government relations of the National Association of Independent Universities and Colleges.I couldn't agree more Bigdog! And Oohchild, I also agree that those in support of the war should serve in the military if they can. I wouldn't object to a system like Israel has, where everyone is required to serve a portion of time in the military. I also don't object to including women in the draft. I thought of signing up when I was younger, but I probably would have been disowned by my father. He was in the military, for heaven's sake, I don't understand his objection to his daughters serving... posted by
oohchild
on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:38 PM
madkow, how can a reduction of 81,000 students be an increase of students? Who's claiming that increase; the administration, right? Why on earth do you believe anything they say? BTW, check the dates of our two links. IAC, there were several other calculations that could have had a much smaller effect on recipients. Why did the administration make it seem their hands were tied on this one? Another lie? So yeah, after several years of ethnic cleansing & millions of Iraqis displaced from their homes, the violence is going down. Surprise, surprise. Those living in Baghdad are partitioned behind concrete barriers. They live in segregated communities. The whole country is dividing up along religious/ethnic lines. The Kurds have basically formed their own mini-state already. What Joe Biden predicted several years ago is now coming true. Nothing shocking here. And yeah, some troops will be coming home next year, unless Dubya can figure out a way to extend their tours again. It went from 12 months to 15, remember? And why was that? Because they are running out of service people. They'll have to reduce the troop size deployed in Iraq, regardless of what's going on at the time. So, how many chickenhawks here are going to sign up? If not, you'd better rethink your support of this "war." (Not that I'm calling you a chickenhawk, madkow. They know who they are.) posted by
bigdog
on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:22 PM
Madkow that is good news coming out of Iraq and i certainly hope it continues to get better. But my fear is that once we pull out all hell well brake out. There are to many radical to have peace. The bottom line is it is time for Iraq to stand or fall. we have killed Saddam, put our form of government in place and have spent billion on training the Iraqis to defend their country. Its time to start to withdraw our troops.
posted by
madkow2747
on Nov 13, 2007 at 03:00 PM
Pell grants are based on income tax tables that hadn't been updated in 15 years, when it's supposed to be updated regularly. According to CNN, there will still be an increase in Pell Grants recepients and it will still cost the government more than in previous years. They also write that 1/3 of college students receive some money from Pell grants, half of them getting the maximum value. http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDU...
posted by
madkow2747
on Nov 13, 2007 at 02:42 PM
Yeah, that's what I thought when I read that number, Countygirl. What's even scarier is that technically, that means that 20% of people are living off less than 20,000. I think that's a skewed number... something doesn't seem right with it. Like if you aren't middle class you're in poverty? I met a guy from Missouri that owned 5 acres, two houses, and toys galore, free and clear, all off a single salary. My husband and I were making twice as much, and we had a crummy little apartment. But we were also bogged down my those pesky student loans... And everything is so much more expensive out here.There is some good news coming out Iraq. This is from the BBC: "Over the past three months, there has been a sharp and sustained drop in all forms of violence. The figures for dead and wounded, military and civilian, have also greatly improved. All across Baghdad, which has seen the worst of the violence, streets are springing back to life. Shops and restaurants which closed down are back in business. People walk in crowded streets in the evening, when just a few months ago they would have been huddled behind locked doors in their homes. Everybody agrees that things are much better." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/... So maybe something is finally turning for the better. Same article also says that we're planning to begin downsizing troop presence next year. I obviously don't know if the current plan is going to work, but maybe it has as much a chance as any other plan. posted by
oohchild
on Nov 13, 2007 at 02:28 PM
madkow, you said: "The war has nothing to do with college grants... they were the same before the war..." My point was that maybe Bush would be more inclined to free up more grant money for students if he weren't so convinced to throw good money after bad, chasing some kind of elusive victory in Iraq. He's also vetoing spending bills claiming they have too much pork. Just today, he vetoed a bill that increased spending only 1% over the previous year! He wants to spend billions of dollars for this occupation that your little boy will end up paying for, and yet he continues to veto bi-partisan spending bills that benefit our own country! Don't you see the irony of that? He continues to short-change our very own citizens all in the name of this "war." Grant availability was different before the occupation... http://insidehighered.com/n... "A few days before Christmas, the Bush administration announced changes in the formulas used to determine eligibility for Pell Grants — changes that resulted in tends of thousands of people losing their eligibility for grants and many more seeing their grants reduced in size. The administration has said ever since that the changes were needed for fairness — to make sure that students with the greatest need receive the awards and to reflect changes in state tax policies. But a Government Accountability Office report released Friday portrays a very different picture: First, the report backs up the statements of higher education lobbying groups that the change in the formula will have a broad and negative impact on the availability of funds for students to pay for college. Second, the report suggests that the Bush administration could have dealt with the need to update the formula in other ways that would not have hurt nearly as many students or families." countygirl, I think you meant $20-30 grand per year. $20-30 grand a month is quite a bit! posted by
countygirl
on Nov 13, 2007 at 01:49 PM
OK, there is no way in my opinion that someone that makes 20-30 grand a month is middle class. Not here in Ca anyway. I mean lets say someone is paying $450 a month for rent for a one bedroom apt. That's $5,400 right there, and that's not including the quarters needed for laundry. :) Then let's say they are spending $350 on their car and insurance. That's $4,200 right there. Then give them $25 dollars in gas twice a month that's $600. So we've just spent $10200 and we haven't eaten yet, paid for gas electricity or our phone bill or heaven forbid day care. posted by
oohchild
on Nov 13, 2007 at 12:37 PM
There's no "Iraq War" to debate, Starbucks1. Call it what it is: an occupation. Troops are over there trying to keep the peace & rebuild all the stuff we destroyed. That's an occupation, not a war. If was truly a war, we would have had a war declaration. We don't, & never did. The surge was supposed to give the Iraqis breathing space in order to get their house in order. Now Starbucks1, please show me where there's "good news" to report about that? None, you say? You mean to say that there's been no advancement in the Iraqi parliament to pass the laws that Bush demands they pass? You mean their idea of democracy is different than ours? Imagine that... Let's deal with the news of today, not the news of the past century. Who cares that Bush the First or Bill Clinton didn't take out Hussein? What difference does that make, today? He's gone now, so let's get the heck out of Dodge while we still can. Let's save some of that money your kids & grandkids are going to have to pay, eventually. How do your children feel about the tens of thousands of dollars they will have to pay for this debacle you call the Iraq War? posted by
madkow2747
on Nov 13, 2007 at 12:35 PM
Middle class is tricky, because cost-of-living in California is way higher than the national average. (Here's a good article on it (hehe): http://www.taxfoundation.or... ) Basically it says that the middle 60% in terms of income comprise the middle class. And it also says that 80% of people consider themselves middle class, with only 2% of people considering themselves upper class. It's all about perception, keeping up with the Jones' and whatnot. It does have a chart that defines the middle 60% range for all households as $20,036 - $97,032. If you're in a married household, it goes to $35,476 - $121,842.The war has nothing to do with college grants... they were the same before the war, and the government isn't going to throw money into it anytime soon, even when state college tuitions rose. (I was stuck in the same situation... my parents made too much- which was barely enough for themselves- and it didn't matter that they weren't paying for me to go to college. That's why most students have to work full time, usually well over full time, to make ends meet. It's a fact of college life these days. I had some scholarships, but it was tough making them go through. That's why everyone I know my age has loans, both subsidized and unsubsidized, that they struggle with.) posted by
Starbucks1
on Nov 13, 2007 at 11:52 AM
I stopped trying to debate the Iraq war with liberals long ago, Liberals are too much in denial of the facts that led to the war. Facts like it was Clinton, British and other intelligence that told Bush that WMD's were there, so he went with what people told him, he didn't lie. Also,, Iraq was in violation of the cease fire agreement from the first Gulf war, that gave us the Legal right to go in,and they had terrorist training camps, something else the liberals forget about, anyway, bigdog, do a little research on where money goes to our military and you might learn something, I just happen to believe we should be on the offensive against terrorist's, and there is alot of good news happening in Iraq now, you just wont hear about it in the liberal media, they have a vested interest in our defeat there, if we fail there, then the democrats win here, there is some backwards logic for you, how many of you have talked to soldiers that have been there?, I have, 99% want to finish the job, they don't want to cut and run, lets give them what they need to do it.if Bush wont , then I hope the next president will, and oohchild, my son is doing just fine in college, he did get some small scholarships to begin with and he also works part time, he were raised to understand that you must work hard to be successful, dont depend on the government to give you free health care, section 8 housing, and take care of you. take care of yourself, and try not to waste the money that you have, like on cigarettes, that will just lead to heart disease and lung cancer that taxpayers have to pay for to treat you.
posted by
bigdog
on Nov 13, 2007 at 11:12 AM
Countygirl Ditto.. Now on to middle class. I really don't know. It seams like we work and work but never get ahead. I have great respect for one income family's. We are a two income family and do alright. I think that there is a upper and lower middle class and we fall in the lower. After bills and feeding a army we don't have much left to waste. Now that I'm on disability we make even less and we have a hard time making ends meet. There is a lot of stealing from peter to pay Paul. But I'll be back to work soon so things will get better. Every thing is so expensive now, a trip to the grocery store to pick up a few things can easily cost a hundred dollars. Filling up my gas tank is another fifty bucks. I'm happy that we make enough to pay our bills and feed us. But i do wish that every thing wasn't so damn expensive. |
