The Opportunity Costs of War

Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI), the chair of the Appropriations Committee, has put out a nice list of what economists refer to as opportunity costs of the United States war in Iraq.

WASHINGTON - The war in Iraq is costing our country $339 million every day.
Every day we spend in Iraq means missed opportunities to invest in important priorities here at home.

For $339 million:

• 2.6 million Americans without adequate health insurance could have access to medical and dental care at community health centers.
• 955,000 families could get help with their energy bills through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
• Nearly 480,000 women, infants and children could receive nutritional help with the WIC program.
• 48,000 homeless veterans could be provided with a place to live.
• 130,000 low-income families could conserve energy and reduce their energy bills with help weatherizing their homes.
• Over 100 communities could make improvements to their drinking water and waste water systems with help from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund
• 937 grants for research into diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer, and diabetes could be provided by the National Institutes of Health.
• 4,400 more “COPS on the beat” could be hired and kept on the beat for the next three years.
• 2,060 more Border Patrol Agents could be hired to protect our borders.
• 18,000 more students could receive Pell Grants to help them attend college.
• 317,000 kids could receive every recommended vaccination.

The original post (a pdf) can be found here.

For D&S coverage of these issues, see this analysis of the true cost of the war, Arthur MacEwan's discussion of the role of oil at the start of the war, and Monique Morrissey's comparison of military and non-military spending as a share of GDP.

How would you spend the estimated $3 trillion that the United States will spend on the war? Fill up your shopping cart at 3trillion.org.