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The war in Iraq has cost Fayetteville almost $86 million dollars so far. The tally for Rogers is almost $74 million; Bentonville,
$37 million; Fort Smith, nearly $121 million. Wait. I'm writing on Thursday. These are old numbers. They'll be bigger
by Monday when you read this.
Fayetteville's share of the war costs is $56,880 a day, $398,160 a week, $4,777,920 a month and $20,761,200 a year. That
seems like a lot to me. It doesn't seem worth it. This is a stupid, expensive war.
These numbers are courtesy of the National Priorities Project and their fascinating web site costofwar.com. They take
the cost of the Iraq invasion and pro-rate it throughout the country. They also let you see how that money might be spent
on some alternatives.
It's hard to get your mind around numbers this big. What do these numbers compare to?
Most of the estimates for the cost of a new high school or upgrading our current Fayetteville High are in the $87 million
ballpark. That's our share of Iraq, so far.
Fayetteville has a Transportation Improvement Plan that includes adding a fifth lane on Crossover from Mission to the
city limits and fourteen other major projects that would address most of our major traffic issues. Along with the waste water
facility, it is the top priority for city development. Cost: $87 million -- equal to what our share of the war will have
become in a couple of weeks.
Rogers has a similar priority list for transportation infrastructure that is estimated to be $74-80 million in the next
three to five years and some exciting parks improvements that would be a mere $13-15 million. Iraq-style money would build
their roads too.
Mayor McCaslin of Bentonville has called for a far reaching $110 million bond issue that would underwrite major streets,
parks, airport and police/fire needs. It's an impressive plan. That city's share of the Iraq tab would cover the parks,
airport and police/fire part of the plan and a 15% jump start on the transportation infrastructure.
Fort Smith could take care of some major wet water drainage issues, Garrison Avenue's streetscape, and a new sports complex
if they had $121 million.
I'm hoping it helps to focus on the money this war is costing us because money tends to get people's attention in our
culture. Some say it's our real god.
When the administration started promoting the invasion, the late Pope John Paul II and every Christian denomination that
spoke to the issue opposed the invasion, except the Southern Baptist Convention. This war simply didn't come close to meeting
the traditional tenets describing a just war. But the moral argument didn't work.
Our military had little enthusiasm for starting this conflict. And when it became clear they would be ordered into battle,
their recommendations for adequate troop strength got ignored as Secretary Rumsfeld pursued his "war on the cheap"
idea. Listening to the military didn't work.
There was no connection between the attacks of September 11 and Iraq. Osama bin Laden called Saddam Hussein an infidel.
He regards secular Moslems like Saddam as enemies. When he was in power, Saddam didn't give rivals like al-Qaeda space to
operate in his Iraq. Today, Iraq is the recruiting poster for al-Qaeda and the training ground for their new generation of
battle hardened terrorists. Pretending we were attacking al-Qaeda terrorists didn't work.
Before the invasion, Iraq was completely deterred and contained. There was an effective no-fly zone and weapons inspectors
crawling all over the country. Saddam was not a threat.
Now we are stuck in a sectarian civil war where we get attacked from both sides. Our soldiers are getting killed in increasing
numbers. The support for our solders who are physically injured or mentally damaged is suspect. Polls show the Iraqis want
us out and our soldiers want us out. Support for the war and for the President's policies is abysmally low. Doing the will
of the people isn't working.
But maybe if we realize it costs too much money we'll work up the corporate will to stop the foolishness and get out.
God save us if President Bush's exit strategy is to leave Iraq in order to attack Iran. He has been raising fears and
making justifications about Iran much like he did about Iraq. Let's don't get fooled again. Even if people neglect the moral,
strategic, and military arguments against another war, they might just think about how much it would cost! Maybe that would
be enough to shake us to our senses.
[Addendum: A helpful resource for exit strategies is hosted by the Project on Defense Alternatives at http://www.comw.org/pda/0512exitplans.html]
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