War costs are up for American operations in Iraq -- way up, more than a third higher than last year. In the first half of this fiscal year, the Defense Department's "average monthly obligations for contracts and pay is running about $12 billion per month, well above the $8.7 billion in FY2006," says a new report, obtained by DANGER ROOM, from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service.
Additional war costs for the next 10 years could total about $472 billion if troop levels fall to 30,000 by 2010, or $919 billion if troop levels fall to 70,000 by about 2013. If these estimates are added to already appropriated amounts, total funding about $980 billion to $1.4 trillion by 2017.
This figure, of course does not take into account the amount of money we will spend on our injured troops - or their incomes lost due to a disablity or injury which prevents them from working. While I believe the troops lives are the highest price we pay for this war : I also believe the American people are being taken for a ride on the costs of war in Iraq by many of the private corporations whom outnumber the actual troops. This war has been about one thing from the get-go: grabbing your tax dollars for a top teir of the elite doing the subcontracting jobs for the government , and controlling the Iraqi oil reserves.
