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LINK The true costs of the War in Afghanistan

It's time to bring ALL the troops home. (the time was actually 10 years ago.....but our leaders failed to act)

As things stand, the Pentagon announced that in 2018, that the war in Afghanistan will cost the taxpayers $45 billion just this year alone. The amount includes about $13 billion for U.S. forces in the country, $5 billion for Afghan forces, $780 million for economic aid and the remaining $26.22 billion for logistical support. If you want to add the costs up, to arrive at some overall figure for the war, estimates range from $841 billion to trillions, depending on the number of factors counted.

SkotlandSkye 8 Aug 24
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11 comments

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0

not to mention the loass of life for all concerned except the pentagon who is orchistrating all this death. Military complex+ terrorist organization

0

Morphine from poppies costs a lot.

what does that mean? it is my feeling that another country Afghanistan and Bolivia. who told the US DEA to shove it. They use it as it should be. because the USA is the biggest consumer of these things is not their fault. It is my feeling the USA has brought crime and drugs to Mexico not the other way around. if we do not want drugs stop buying them

2

Why don't we ever learn from history. Nobody has ever won a war in Afganastan.

0

The question you really need to ask is who and how much profit has been created from this and the other wars in the past 150 years ?

1

Oh it's trillions alright. You betcha.

1

Good read, thank you for sharing, and looked like that article was published on my birthday no less.

happy belated 🙂

@SkotlandSkye Thank you.

0

Let's give Osama Bin Laden his due. He was the most brilliant terrorist ever to attack the US. He baited the US to become involved in a protracted unwinable war in Afghanistan, like the Russians before them, and the English before them, and they fell for it, squandering their treasure and reputation, just as OBL wanted. The definition of madness is to repeat the same thing over and over and expect a different result. As long as the US continues to fool itself that the war there is about terrorism -- which is hasn't been since OBLs boys fled soon after the US arrived -- and acknowledge that it is a war of nationalism against a divided country, then the madness will continue. You would think Vietnam would have taught them this lesson. The US Establishment, which thinks it knows everything, seems to know nothing, including how to learn from the mistakes of history. I just feel terribly sorry for the innocents killed, and the US personnel killed or maimed, sacrificed on this altar of American obstinance.

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The idea of universal income is gaining traction for a number of reasons. In the next 20 years 30% or more of current jobs will be lost to automation through the use of robotics and AI. [bigthink.com]

I find it interesting the argument against it as a socialist issue interesting considering that everything we as citizens benefit from outside of our own effort; public utilities, public education, emergency services to name two comes from taxes paid by all. So should we get to pick and choose what we pay for? If you are healthy should you be able to decline to pay for ambulence services? Is there benefit to helping others within a society based on the idea of unity? More and more people in our nation seem to want to only live within their own little bubble. The media supports this by reporting with bias towards their market or demographic. Medicare for example helps elderly people while medicaid helps people with limited financial resources both are a form of socialism. But many people who benefit from medicare would consider themselves very anti socialist and anti medicaid even as the benefit from the similar programs. As for the benefit of some of these "socialist" policies? Simple put the more you help others the greater benefit to the whole of our society. It is disgusting to me that a nation as wealthy as America has people living in the streets many who are veterans and/or mentally ill, victims of abuse etc. Yet we hero worship people who's only real achievement is their wealth.

Quarm Level 6 Aug 24, 2018
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So, another vet speaks out. Please, pay close attention: Patriotism is worth everything. It fills the graves and empties the coffers. Let's do all we can to make sure we have more enduring and endearing wars for god and country.

2

Let's see who was it that said the war was going to be a cheap war? Oh yeah the preview tRump. Hell, we are still paying for the Viet Nm war and I have benefits to prove this.

Agreed and much thanks for your sacrifice. I have an honest question though, would you still receive benefits if you had the same military career without going to war?

@indirect76 Yes and no. Viet Nam was a declared war (I did no go there - I was in military intelligence??). But it was a time of war so the benefits kicked in. A friend was injured before war was declared and he got a pension. I get both. Actually, I should be thanking you - the American tax payer.

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I agree. Our government is pissing away the wealth of this nation. "Defense" spending is only the tip of the iceberg. We're teetering on the precipice of socialism now and things may get much worse.

@LimitedLight Not what? Not pissing away our wealth? I disagree. Not on the precipice? Again, I disagree. There are initiatives for "universal basic income." Sorry, that's clear-cut socialism. Any scheme that takes tax dollars (money taken by threat of force from US citizens) and then "gives it" to those who didn't earn it is theft, and socialism. Reducing our military role to its only justifiable purpose; that of protecting US Citizens would largely limit it to protecting US territorial borders, airspace, and maritime zones as well as citizens working in US embassies around the world. This would certainly free up money to be spent on infrastructure, etc. However, I am not in favor of any program that just gives people money for nothing.

@LimitedLight Good!

@IAMGROOT I agree wholeheartedly.

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