Imagine if the $500 billion went to developing alternative energy instead?

[GOPBasher]

Just imagine this -- $500 billion for an alternative energy development rather than the Iraq war. It would have made us much, much safer than the Iraq war did -- if anything, that war has made us less safe -- by putting less money in the hands of the radical Islamic theocracies that breed terrorism. Another advantage, of course, is the environmental benefits. It also would have spurred economic growth, by creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and helping the American consumer with energy costs, which are now skyrocketing out of control. That's a double-dip benefit to the economy. The advantages are endless.

[rainy]

1. all the things they could have spent the money on they

never would have nor will.

[GOPBasher]

11. I know, it's depressing. n/t

[madeline_con]

2. Or, using it to BUY oil....

from Saddam. All we needed was a little spin, lift the "sanctions" that didn't apply to Halliburton or the rest of the world, and start pumping.

DUH-bya runs another business deal into the ground, like his little oil company he and the Bin Ladens invested in.

[stop the bleeding]

3. Roads, Electrical grid, universal Healthcare, sounds like nation

building to me - just not our nation

[GOPBasher]

7. LOL Good point. n/t

[Jackpine Radical]

4. How 'bout 20% of it (a lousy hunnerd bil) for a Cadillac health care

plan for everyone?

[GOPBasher]

10. Yeah, that too. n/t

[Golden Raisin]

14. You mean like the gold-plated

medical insurance plan which covers our congresspeople? Fat chance. Congress takes real good care of themselves and the rest of us can cut pills in half. As long as we're on medical topics I wouldn't mind if they had spent $100 billion to help find a cure for cancer.

[A Simple Game]

17. I have always felt that the war against Iraq was much ado

about very little and a complete waste of money. I also thought the war in Afghanistan was unnecessary, but I know I am in the minority on that one. Guess I'm not much of a revenge type person.

After first making sure that the person knows no Iraqi's were involved in 9/11, I ask people if they knew anyone who was killed by an Iraqi terrorist before we attacked Iraq. No one has ever said yes. I then ask them if they know anyone who has died from cancer or heart disease, every one has said yes. I then ask them why we are spending money in Iraq and not on cancer and heart disease. No one knows why.

[jayctravis]

20. Or if they'd divided evenly, give everyone in the country

1.6 million and let them buy their own health care.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. Take that 500 billion, add it to the monies spent to reshape central

and south America, Vietnam, the overthrowing of many many governments worldwide and so forth. Imagine where we could be if our prime mover was applying intelligent thought rather than the selling of fear adorned fabrications.

[GOPBasher]

8. You're right. It's depressing to think about. n/t

[johnnybaseball]

6. and imagine if ...

... all that money spent on the "war on drugs" went toward health care.

And, heck, while we're living in fantasy world, imagine if I had a new sports car. I'd get the girls then, I would!

[GOPBasher]

9. LOL Good thinking!

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[HysteryDiagnosis]

12. Hey johnnybaseball.... your name is definitive, much better than

justjohnny as in Johnny Mnemonic (that was a scene) welcome to DU, I hope you hit it out of the park now and again.... :)

[Tactical Progressive]

13. Oh no, that's 'big government'

and big government is bad. I heard it on the news. Government should be small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Here's a simple rule of thumb you can use to figure things like this out:
1) progressive causes and social programs are stealing from you
2) regressive tax cuts and phony wars, costing a hundred or even a thousand times as much, are patriotism

Just listen to the media; they explain it all every day.

[GOPBasher]

15. Yes, I get it now! Thanks! Also, can I say that...

Fighting a war based on lies is good, Christian moral values? And tax cuts for billionaires is what God is totally down with. And any attempt to help the middle class is aiding Satan?

[Talismom]

16. This should be one of the talking points coming out of the democratic

party!

[Tactical Progressive]

23. Absolutely

Everyone will understand it. It even cuts across party lines.

[havocmom]

18. Maybe one reason for the invasion was to prevent that very thing

Too many oil men in power.

[jayctravis]

19. Or they could have given every person $1,678,535.33

Based on if the population of the US is 297,878,746.

How'd that be for a tax cut!

[thedude]

21. solar power calculation

For around $20,000, you can put a solar panel array on your roof that could provide a decent chunk of your household electrical needs (I think somewhere around 40%). $500 billion divided by 20,000 is 25 million. That means we could have provided 25 million homes with solar power generation.

Think about what this would do to cut our energy needs and to boost our economy (you'd generate a heck of lot of jobs manufacturing and installing all of those solar panels). The price per household would probably drop by quite a bit as you developed economies of scale, so that 25 million figure would almost certainly increase substantially.

But no, we blow that money (and countless lives) in a useless war.

[Strelnikov_]

22. What Would You Do With The Other $600 B

since, with current and future sunk costs (equipment replacement, medical care for disabled, etc.) we have spent over $1.1 Trillion to date.

Here is my back of the envelope estimate on what the $1.1T could have bought energy wise.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1985501&mesg_id=1986727