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Lion of Babylon -> RE: Away from the laughter (11/12/2007 12:12:09 AM)
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According to various sources the Iraq war costs American taxpayers $195 million per day. Here is how the money could be better spent:
- One day in Iraq could provide 3.97 million households with an emergency readiness kit.
- One day in Iraq could close the financing gap for interoperable communications in 41 small cities, 36 mid-sized cities, or 6 large cities so that federal, state and local first responders can talk to one another during an emergency.
- One day in Iraq could purchase 780 fire trucks for improving local emergency response capabilities.
- One day in Iraq could employ 4,919 fire fighters, 4,222 police patrol officers, or 7,052 paramedics and emergency medical technicians for one year each.
- One day in Iraq could double the federal budget for nuclear reactor safety and security inspections to ensure that these potential terrorist targets are adequately protected.
- One day in Iraq could pay for 1,101 additional border patrol agents to better guard our borders against potential terrorists.
- One day in Iraq could provide 9,750 port container inspection units to detect hazardous materials being trafficked into the country.
- One day in Iraq could provide 1,332 explosive trace detection portals for airport screening of passengers, as recommended by the 9/11 Commission.
- One day in Iraq could provide 6,290 local law enforcement agencies a bomb-detecting robot.
- One day in Iraq could provide 4,875 narcotics vapor and particle detectors.
EDUCATION
- One day in Iraq could cover the full cost of attendance for one year at a public college for more than 17,100 students.
- One day in Iraq could provide more than 79,000 needy college students with a Pell grant.
- One day in Iraq could enroll 27,000 more children in Head Start.
- One day in Iraq could employ 4,269 elementary school teachers or 4,027 secondary school teachers for one year.
HEALTH CARE
- One day in Iraq could provide health insurance coverage to 344,500 working Americans to give them a break from the rising cost of coverage.
- One day in Iraq could provide health insurance coverage for one year to 380,900 uninsured children in America.
- One day in Iraq could employ 3,597 additional registered nurses for one year.
- One day in Iraq could immunize every person over 65 in the U.S. against influenza 4.6 times over.
- One day in Iraq could immunize every baby born in the U.S. last year against measles, mumps, and rubella 14.2 times.
LABOR
- One day in Iraq could provide unemployment benefits for almost 722,000 unemployed Americans for one week.
- One day in Iraq could fund Social Security retirement benefits for one day for over 6.75 million Americans.
- One day in Iraq could provide comprehensive safety and health training to 121,875 workers.
- One day in Iraq could pay for an increase of $3.34 per hour in the wages of every minimum wage worker in the country.
- One day in Iraq could provide paid sick leave to half a million workers for an entire year.
BASIC NEEDS
- One day in Iraq could buy 71.55 million gallons of unleaded regular gasolin.
- One day in Iraq could pay for one year’s gasoline consumption for 97,500 Americans, even at today’s elevated prices.
- One day in Iraq could buy 63.1 million gallons of fortified whole milk.
- One day in Iraq could buy 166.6 million cartons of large Grade A Eggs sold by the dozen.
INTERNATIONAL
- One day in Iraq is equivalent to half of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country of East Timor.
- One day in Iraq could feed all of the starving children in the world today almost four and a half times over.
- One day in Iraq could vaccinate three-quarters of the children in Africa for measles and give millions a lifetime protection from the disease.
- One day in Iraq could build 5,571 AIDS clinics in Africa.
- One day in Iraq could provide 650,000 women in Africa living with HIV/AIDS antiretroviral treatment for one year to extend their lives and improve the lives of their children.
- One day in Iraq could provide one third of the aid needed for earthquake relief for the four million people affected in South Asia.
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