No one seems to be writing opinion pieces quite the way I would, so I decided to do it myself.

The name? Taverns are places where one goes to discuss the interesting events and things in the world, so this is my tavern.

I will offer my views on politics, economics, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
I will occasionally publish the entire article from another journal for purposes of causing discussion.

 

What will Iraq cost the US?

The Administration estimates the current cost of the military forces in Iraq is about $4 billion a month. This does not include the cost of rebuilding things like the electric system, the water system, etc.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram today offered an Associated Press story by Alan Fram that gives so rather scary estimates of the cost.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. bill for rebuilding Iraq and maintaining security there is widely expected to far exceed the war's price tag, and some private analysts estimate it could reach as high as $600 billion.

The closest the administration has come to estimating America's postwar burden was when L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator of occupied Iraq, said last month that "getting the country up and running again" could cost $100 billion and take three years.

These are just sample paragraphs. Read the full story.

The administration needs to come up with an estimate pretty soon, or Congress needs to start demanding it. Either way, the people who got their tax cuts need to begin to look for the bill. They weren't worth it.


posted by Richard at 5:54 AM