March 19th, 2008 marked the 5 year anniversary of the Iraq war. According to CNN, the total cost of war is estimated to be around $500,000,000,000.
The worst part is that America alone has lost over 4,000 men and women and over 30,000 have been injured. Before we begin this top ten, those numbers and people are real and my heart goes out to each and every one them and their families!
#10 – Post Secondary Education
Free College!
America could have provided 80 million young Americans with scholarships to fund their College/University educations!
#9 – The Arts
America could have employed nearly 9 million music and art teachers.
Now wouldn’t the world be a better place if we had more singing and dancing? That’s a tough one to argue especially when compared to say...WAR!
#8 – Investing
A plain old savings account!
America could have put this money into the same bank account that my daughter has, that currently pays a modest 2.5% per annum. The interest would be $1,250,000,000. Yes that’s $1.25 Billion dollars a year or $3.4 million a day on interest.
#7 – Treating HIV/AIDS in Africa.
A global problem.
America could provide treatment of HIV/AIDS to all of the 24 million Africans that are currently infected with the disease for over 135 years. As most know, there is an epidemic in Africa and it costs less than $30 dollars a year to treat the disease, however is not an option for most Africans due to the lack of money. Just imagine what that money could do for education and prevention of the disease!
#6 – Health Care
Shouldn’t we focus on improving our own country?
We could have eliminated health care costs for over 154 million Americans – that’s half of our population!
#5 – Google
The US government could have purchased Google three times over.
Google is one of the most profitable companies on the planet, as they are currently worth $137 Billion. If the US bought Google in 2004 (the year they went public), the US would have had to pay $2.7 billion. Imagine the returns on that baby!
#4 – Microsoft & Apple
Staying with the tech world for 500 Billion dollars we could have purchased Microsoft and Apple.
According to Forbes.com numbers, we could have thrown in Google again and still come under budget, 484,000,000,000. I could have cut the deal made the government billions in annual revenue and pocketed the remaining 16 Billion for say... my children’s education fund!
#3 – Digg
We could have purchased Digg.com!
Digg.com is currently on sale for a fantastically low 300 million, but hey we could afford to pay 500 million right? With the 499.5 Billion left over we could throw a seriously bitchin’ party!
#2 – Affordable Housing
Over 4 million affordable homes could have been constructed.
Imagine 4 million homes, with on average 4 people living in each home that’s 16 million peoples live that could have been dramatically changed!
#1 – Oil
We could have purchased the largest company on the planet, Exxon Mobil!
This war was about oil wasn’t it!? Well Exxon pumps oil and lots of it. They happen to pump over 6.5 million barrels of oil PER DAY! That’s over a third of America’s rather thirsty daily oil consumption from one company and best of all, Exxon is worth 'only' 410 Billion. We would have 90 Billion left over!
What do you think we could have done with the money? Let us know with a comment!
Hot-Flash
51 / Female
Comments: 13
Posted on March 24, 2008, 12:03 pm
A staggering amount of money, made even more so when put into context as you have done.
Raithe
117 / Male
Comments: 2
Posted on March 24, 2008, 3:22 pm
You could always divide it by 300 million people and send everyone in the United States a paycheck for gasoline.
