I wish a right-wing supporter of U.S. involvement in the Iraqi Civil War would answer this:

[hiaasenrocks]

How many other failed government initiatives that cost $8 billion/month do you want to keep funding?

[Marr]

1. THAT is an excellent question.

I can't wait to pose it.

[hiaasenrocks]

2. I asked it on another board...

12 hours later, no response from the RW'er I was talking with, and he's posted in a number of other threads since. Haha. He can't answer it.

:)

[wolf66]

3. Like this maybe: ?

Well I am a Libertarian but what "they" might say is the "war on poverty" launched in 1965 by Lyndon Johnson costs us 31 billion a month (total federal and state spending on welfare programs was $434 billion in FY 2000. Of that total, $313 billion came from federal funding and $121 billion came from state or local funds.) and seems to have been a failure so far or we wouldn't still need the programs or have poor people...

Between 1965 and 2000 welfare spending cost taxpayers $8.29 trillion (in constant 2000 dollars). By contrast, the cost to the United States of fighting World War II was $3.3 trillion (expressed in 2000 dollars). Thus, the cost of the War on Poverty has been more than twice the price tag for defeating Germany and Japan in World War II, after adjusting for inflation.

In constant dollars, welfare spending has risen every year but four since the beginning of the War on Poverty in 1965;
As a nation, we now spend ten times as much on welfare, after adjusting for inflation, as was spent when Lyndon Johnson launched the War on Poverty. We spend twice as much as when Ronald Reagan was first elected.
Cash, food, housing, and energy aid alone are nearly seven times greater today than in 1965, after adjusting for inflation;
As a percentage of Gross Domestic Product, welfare spending has grown from 1.2 percent in 1965 to 4.4 percent today.

Maybe something like that?

[newyawker99]

4. Hi wolf66!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[MonkeyFunk]

5. So you're

saying Right Wingers would like to continue the war on poverty that you depict as a waste?

[wolf66]

6. Howdy!

.........no, i am saying most RW'ers are anit-welfare and might say that was a waste of money in a larger amount then the Iraq war, per the original question in this post.

[MonkeyFunk]

8. That's not what the original post

asked.

[butterfly77]

7. These are the same people who...

would rather see their own citizens living in the streets than provide affordable housing,and other things that would better our society...They continue to start wars and they want others to fight and they want all of the benefits of this country...