Can someone explain exactly what costs so much?

[dickthegrouch]

Why does a war, in a third world country, cost $250,000,000,000+?

The costs of the <insert category from below here> had already been paid
Vehicles
bombs
weapons
ships
surveillance equipment
heaters and air conditioners
etc. etc. etc

The incremental costs are
Food, "Housing", bullets and bombs, health care and transportation for the military

Even if anything was actually being rebuilt, it shouldn't cost the obscene amount of money that * is claiming is being spent.

Where is the money (really) going?

Elliott Spitzer needs to ask for an accounting.

[MadisonProgressive]

1. The things that have already been payed for need to be replaced

as they are destroyed or used.

[Atman]

2. Rummy and Cheney like nice things!

(Edited to add link)

Did you know Rummy started this war with a $9 BILLION "slush fund," with absolutely no restriction on what he spent it on?

True. Cheney, he just writes himself checks whenever he feels like it, made out to Halliburton. It's called "one party government." And the American people are to blame for allowing to happen.

[hfojvt]

3. usually most of the costs are personnel

All of those guard units called up have to be paid combat pay. How many is that 30,000 times $1000 per week is $30,000,000 per week. All of the regular soldiers are also getting extra combat pay they were not previously getting. Plus there are costs with feeding and housing them and the transportation involved in shipping supplies and food halfway around the world, keeping gas in the tanks, etc.

[FloridaPat]

4. The guards units aren't making $1000 a week extra. Now 30,000

hired contractors making that I think would be about right. Then there's the jet and plane fuel, the planes. guarding all the oil wells and pipelines, pouring money into Halliburton and Brechtel.

The better things get in Iraq (according to *) the more the price goes up every week.

[Katherine Brengle]

7. Actually --

My husband makes about $800-1000 a week, active duty in Iraq. Now multiply that by the number of military personnel overseas...

[FloridaPat]

9. Sorry - first I heard of this. That's great! As much as possible. At

lest he's getting some decent money for being over there. Best of luck to you both.

[FloridaPat]

10. I heard all the salaries were coming out of the DOD budget, not

the extra that * keeps asking for.

[zeemike]

5. It is not your fathers army

In his army the soldiers were drafted and paid $10 dollars a month and they were self sufficient where ever they went. They had there own cook and chow hall There own trucks and drivers who were all military. Not a contractor among them.
The all volunteer military is expensive to operate and run especially in a drawn out war. which is only one of the reasons we need to consider going back to conscription and a all military military.

[FloridaPat]

12. One of the first things * did when he got in office was turn everything

over to Halliburton - food, cooking, movement of troops. He was setting up everything for the most profit to private industry for his war plans.

[Katherine Brengle]

6. You do know that soldiers get paid, right?

100,000+ active duty salaries have to come from somewhere.

Just a thought...

[FloridaPat]

13. DOD budget - not counted in the $2 billion a weeks.

[Warpy]

8. Did you know they're keeping the Cold War up and running?

That's right, they're still procuring equipment to stop the Russkies as they charge at us through the Fulda Gap.

Did you know they were still supplying WWII operating theaters? That's right, they've got a warehouse full of white cotton tie back surgical gowns, latex IV tubing, and antiquated gas anesthesia setups.

The waste the Pentagon engages in to use up its lavish budget every year is obscene, then we all get stuck footing the bill to store all their crap. Under guard, of course.

We could cut their budget in half, force them to sell off the warehouses full of outmoded bullshit, and they'd still be overfunded.

Look at that five sided building in Washington. That building is why it takes 2 paychecks to support a family, why we have to scramble for healthcare (if we can get it at all), why college tuition starts a kid off with a crippling debt load, and why social security COLAs are lagging at leat 40% behind reality.

And neither party is courageous enough to address it.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. It's all that paint for Iraqi schools.

[alphafemale]

14. H-A-L-L-I-B-U-R-T-O-N

And all those other war profiteers.

[SPKrazy]

15. For The High Costs Of Paying Contractors

to provide food
security for Generals (they don't trust their own military?)
I'm sure the $90 dollar hammers, and all that are there too.

It's a racket!

The military industrial complex makes a killing off war (no pun intended, well maybe)

Bush has called himself a "war president", what he meant was a military industrial complex president.