Adding Afghanistan troops could cost $500,000 per person

[Hubert Flottz]

Washington (CNN) -- If President Obama decides to send the 40,000 additional forces to Afghanistan as requested by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, a rough estimate by the Pentagon projects the cost could be an additional $20 billion a year, according to a senior Pentagon official.

The official said the Defense Department comptrollers office has told Congress that based on rough estimates, the total cost of keeping an individual service member in the war zone is now about $500,000 a year.

That includes the costs of personnel operations and maintenance costs, some equipment and hazardous duty pay.

The actual costs could be higher, because the estimate does not include the cost of constructing additional facilities, providing support forces such as military intelligence assets that may be based outside Afghanistan or replacing damaged weapons or equipment. The official emphasized that until there is a formal troop plan, the costs are just estimated. Read More...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/30/afghanistan.cost...

No wonder we can't afford health care...

[gratuitous]

1. And the newborn deficit hawks' reaction

[FiveGoodMen]

2. "No wonder we can't afford health care" is right!

[Hubert Flottz]

4. The US is being bled to death in Afghanistan just like the

USSR was.

No Osama in sight!

[KansDem]

3. No, but apparently we can afford "war care"

As the world's pariah, our raison d'etre is solely war for war's sake...

[Hubert Flottz]

6. Can't afford to extend unemployment compensation or a

cost of living raise for folks on Social Security but we can always afford to buy more bombs and bullets from Bush's daddy and his partners in the weapons racket.

[KansDem]

10. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

If anything, this whole health-care debate has revealed just how beholden our "elected" officials are to monied interests.

The term "Corporate Communism" has risen of late and it pretty well describes what's going on:

MSNBC host: Congress defends ‘corporate communism’ in health care

MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan says the efforts of some congresspeople to kill the public health care option and limit access to the proposed health care exchange system is a sign that Congress is defending the "corporate communism" of the health care industry.

On MSNBC's Morning Meeting, Ratigan pointed to the fact that health insurers are exempt from anti-trust laws as proof of the "communist" nature of the health care industry.

Anti-trust laws were enacted to prevent companies from forming market monopolies. Health care companies are exempt from these laws, which is why, for example, BlueCross BlueShield is able to control 83 percent of Alabama's health insurance market, and why WellPoint is able to control 78 percent of the market in Maine. (See the complete chart here.)

"If you're looking for choice in your own health care or competition to break up the corporate communism that burdens our country at this point and prevents any of us from finding work -- no no, your Senate is not working for you, there will be no competition, nor will there be any choice," Ratigan said.

Ratigan said the interplay between the health industry near-monopolies and their protectors in Congress amounts to "a cancer on our nation."

http://rawstory.com/2009/10/corporate-communism-health-... /

So it looks like the cold war since WWII was directed toward just one type of communism; the "Marxist" kind. I guess we were just making the world safe for America's "communists": the "Corporate Communists."

[Hubert Flottz]

11. We pick up the tab for the corporation's security around the globe.

And we get the shaft in return.

[BeHereNow]

5. Wonder what percentage of that goes into the private companies, like Kellog,B&R?

I would guess 90%, since everything has been privatized.
Got to keep those share holders happy.
Send more troops!

"Go USA!
We're number ONE, We're number One!"

On the passenger list to ruination and hell, that is.

BHN
in case any one missed it.

[Hubert Flottz]

8. KB&R and the Carlyle Group stock should be going up soon.

Meet The Carlyle Group

Former World Leaders and Washington Insiders Making Billions in the War on Terrorism

http://www.hereinreality.com/carlyle.html

[BeHereNow]

9. Good old Frank Carlucci- the invisible criminal.

Amazing how his name and the BFEE connection is never exposed, isn't it?

BHN

[Andy823]

7. The main reason

Republicans in congress are mostly pushing for more troops, so we don't have the money for health insurance reform, which benefits the health insurance companies, and it also helps the war industry make huge profits, and it keeps president Obama from doing anything at all that he wanted to do during the elections. The right wing knew a democrat was doing to get elected last year, and they do everything in their power to make sure there would be no money to do any kind of reforms, and they could use the war in Afghanistan against president Obama, no matter what he does there, they will use it against him in 2012!