Any idea how many jobs the war in Iraq is creating?

[Onlooker]

When National Guardsmen and others are called to duty, I presume their civilian jobs are filled by temp workers. Is that correct? Any idea how many jobs have been created by sending our soldiers to Iraq?

[BlueEyedSon]

1. Not to mention all the "civilian contractors"....

[fishnfla]

2. 20,000

there are 20k of 'emm in Iraq

[wiggs]

3. Important question

This is an important question. The number of jobs created by the war goes far beyond the actual bodies sent to Iraq and those who replace them here. Deployment and military action overseas generates increased demand for supplies, equipment, services, and support, leading to a ripple of increased production back home. The money being spent on American corportations for rebuilding, security, base building, governing and more comes back home, to be spent.

In general, war heats up the economy. We have spent, what, close to 150 billion? This must be contributing to economic upswing. But we are using money we don't have, increasing the deficit. When he came to office, Clinton commented on the general health of the economy under Reagan, saying that its easy to get a hot economy by writing bad checks.

Also, it is frustrating that tax cuts are being touted as the sole reason for the economic upswing, when the war, gutting of environmental protections, corporate welfare, energy policy giveways, etc.. should be given some air time as well. We need a big picture, sober discussion of the economy and implications for the future. How many of the jobs in the job gain numbers are part time, without benefits? How many jobs gained are because of re-classification of manufacturing jobs?