The War In Afghanistan: How Much Are You Paying?

The War In Afghanistan: How Much Are You Paying?

WASHINGTON -- As Americans breathe a sigh of relief over finally filing the returns on what they owe (or are owed from) Uncle Sam this Tax Day, the progressive group Rethink Afghanistan wants them to consider how much of their money is funding the war in Afghanistan, now in its 10th year.

The group, a project of the Brave New Foundation, has created a Cost of War calculator, allowing Americans to figure out how much of their tax dollars are going toward the war, based on their income and filing status.

For example, a single person making $40,000 in 2010 essentially paid $1,694 for the war. A married couple filing jointly and earning a combined $100,000 has $4,757 of their tax dollars going toward the effort.

The United States is spending more than $100 billion a year in Afghanistan, amounting to about $2 billion a week.

The Defense Department received $513 billion in funding in the FY 2011 continuing resolution, approximately $5 billion above last year's level. Another $158 billion is provided for overseas contingency operations (emergency funding). The war in Afghanistan will receive $108 billion of that funding, while the war in Iraq will receive $50 billion.

Last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, along with groups like the Liberty Coalition and Sojourners, participated in an event hosted by Rethink Afghanistan on Capitol Hill highlighting the cost of war.

"We can't pay our bills here, yet we're spending $8 billion a month in Afghanistan," Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), one of the event's panelists, recently told The New York Times. "I don't know what our country is trying to accomplish. History says Afghanistan will never be a nation. It will be a country of tribes. We're wearing out the troops and spending money we don't have."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/1 ... 50293.html

And every time they try to cut off the funds and bring the troops home from Bush's unnecessary war--(that Obama continued by sending MORE troops there)--they crank up the "cut & run" parrots from neo-con/pro-war machine...

$TWO BILLION A WEEK!?!?!?!? For an UNWINNABLE WAR?!?! This is nuts...

LadyJazzer wrote:

The War In Afghanistan: How Much Are You Paying?

WASHINGTON -- As Americans breathe a sigh of relief over finally filing the returns on what they owe (or are owed from) Uncle Sam this Tax Day, the progressive group Rethink Afghanistan wants them to consider how much of their money is funding the war in Afghanistan, now in its 10th year.

The group, a project of the Brave New Foundation, has created a Cost of War calculator, allowing Americans to figure out how much of their tax dollars are going toward the war, based on their income and filing status.

For example, a single person making $40,000 in 2010 essentially paid $1,694 for the war. A married couple filing jointly and earning a combined $100,000 has $4,757 of their tax dollars going toward the effort.

The United States is spending more than $100 billion a year in Afghanistan, amounting to about $2 billion a week.

The Defense Department received $513 billion in funding in the FY 2011 continuing resolution, approximately $5 billion above last year's level. Another $158 billion is provided for overseas contingency operations (emergency funding). The war in Afghanistan will receive $108 billion of that funding, while the war in Iraq will receive $50 billion.

Last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, along with groups like the Liberty Coalition and Sojourners, participated in an event hosted by Rethink Afghanistan on Capitol Hill highlighting the cost of war.

"We can't pay our bills here, yet we're spending $8 billion a month in Afghanistan," Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), one of the event's panelists, recently told The New York Times. "I don't know what our country is trying to accomplish. History says Afghanistan will never be a nation. It will be a country of tribes. We're wearing out the troops and spending money we don't have."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/1 ... 50293.html

And every time they try to cut off the funds and bring the troops home from Bush's unnecessary war--(that Obama continued by sending MORE troops there)--they crank up the "cut & run" parrots from neo-con/pro-war machine...

$TWO BILLION A WEEK!?!?!?!? This is nuts...

Seriously, you are not THAT naive are you? Still claiming this is the Bush, Cheney unnecessary war? Really? People who say that always look so foolish! The Dems voted for this war back then. Most all of America supported this war. Obama and the Dems had total control of the White House, the House and the Senate for 2 years and still voted to fund it and keep it going and you still blame Bush for alll of it? Come on LJ, you know how that is making you look right?

I didn't support the war. Afghanistan throughout history has been a meatgrinder for invaders. Now it is a money pit. And sad to say, much of this money is being spent building infrastructure and lining the pockets of tribal leaders.

Foreign Aid: Taking money from the poor of developed nations and giving it to the rich of developing nations. It behooves those corrupt leaders to keep thier people poor so they can continue to siphon off aid percentages.

Hate to nitpick, but that tax calculator doesn't work. A married couple filing jointly making $18,000 doesn't owe any federal income tax after exemptions and the standard deduction. That site says they paid $510 for the war (and I think it includes the Iraq war).

Good thing I didn't use that tax calculator to do my income tax...

http://rethinkafghanistan.com/iou/

http://www.bravenewfoundation.org/

Now I'm confused LJ, didn't Obama say something about the Afghan war being the good war? And why haven't Obama and all the other liberals been busy getting the troops out of there? Why do we keep putting in more troops and money that was all Bush's doing? Seems like the messiah is coming up a bit short for you folks but I don't see any war protests for some reason. Where did Cindy Sheehan go?

I think it's sad that the bleeding heart liberals will hold huge rallies to protest anything that could cost union workers a cent, but when it comes to the men and women dying for nothing (according to the left) there are nothing but crickets. Priorities maybe?

I thought Bush had already touted BOTH Iraq and Afghanistan as "good wars"?....Even with the lies and cooked intelligence, he can't sell that. (Current polls show that 81% of Americans are against the Afghanistan war and want us OUT... )

As for Obama, I believe I mentioned in my first post that he had added to the insanity by putting more troops in there... I'm AGAINST THE FRIGGIN' WARS... BUSH started them; Obama continue them; at TWO BILLION DOLLARS A WEEK, I want to see us out of there... Was there some part of that you're having trouble with?

Obama and Hill love the Afgan war, it is considered the Democratic thing.

Osama doesn't have to kill us with weapons merely bankrupt the country as he is doing now.

Martin Ent Inc wrote: Obama and Hill love the Afgan war, it is considered the Democratic thing.

Osama doesn't have to kill us with weapons merely bankrupt the country as he is doing now.

Which he had 7 years to do under Bush, since Bush never caught him in 7 years either...

Yeah but we did have him under Clintons watch but a little palm grease went a Long way there.

Since the 9/11 attack didn't happen until Bush's term in 2001, so what? God, you are obtuse...