Outrageous Spending, Debts, Unemployment, Poor Education, Crumbling Bridges, Can We Afford War?

With the Wikileaks articles in the news lately, some old news is back in the news: U.S. can't account for $8.7 billion in Iraqi cash.  This cash came up missing between 2003 and 2007.  Many who follow the war in the news knew about this outrage of waste!  Not to mention the fact that every 48 hours we fight over there it cost $1 Billion. 
I am sick to think of how we could have spent all the $1 Trillion we have spent so far on those Middle-East wars.  Instead of making those palaces of Saddam into US forts, we should have made them into schools for women and girls.  By educating the women, and empowering them, this is how we would truley win the hearts and minds of the people over time, rather than come in there blazing guns and bombs and destroying bridges, we should have used much of that money to build them American made solar power plants, and given the country what Saddam could never deliver: Electricity.  Today, they still don't have it.  And those solar panels could employ Americans in solar manufacturing plants.  We could have bought all new government vehicles that run on some non-oil based products, and employed people in the auto plants.  This would lessen polution here in America, and make us less dependent upon oil.  We could have placed a couple of solar panels on every house in the US with that money!  Many complain about the cost of 'social programs' and fail to see how much money is dumped into 'anti-social' programs like wars and such, oftentimes making those war profiteers rich off the blood of war.  Disgusting!  But somebody's got to buy all those military stocks, I suppose.  It just doesn't look good when it's the military generals who profit.
And the scary thought about it is this: What could just that 'missing money' buy?  Three times the amount to purchase all the global black market firearms!  Let's hope they didn't use it for that, though, right?

Meanwhile, the chance that any one of us reading this article will be hit by a terrorist attack is highly unlikely.  More unlikely than getting hit by lightning actually.  See link: Your real chances of being harmed by a terrorist attack.  So, is it really worth the cost?  If our country goes bankrupt, do the terrorists win?  Could we do better if we used the money at home?  Leave comments below...

Here are some more interesting articles...

What $1.2 Trillion Can Buy

$611 billion could have fed and educated the world's poor for seven years

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Despite WikiLeaks Revelations, Congress Votes for War Funding

How To Profit From the War in Afghanistan: Military Contractors