The Cost to Grand Rapids of the US Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for 2011

The National Priorities Project (NPP) just released data on the cost of the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan based upon the Obama administration’s 2011 defense budget.

The NPP database allows you do determine how much money has left your community, your Congressional District and your State. The total amount of tax dollars leaving Grand Rapids to fund the war in Iraq and Afghanistan for 2011 is $83.9 Million.

Their database also allows you to determine what that kind of money could be spent on if it stayed in Garand Rapids. Here are some examples:

12,703 People Receiving Low-Income Healthcare for One Year – OR

74,470 Households with Renewable Electricity-Wind Power for One Year – OR

1,700 Firefighters for One Year – OR

7,657 Scholarships for University Students for One Year – OR

16,086 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5550 – OR

26,898 Children Receiving Low-Income Healthcare for One Year – OR

12,572 Head Start Slots for Children for One Year – OR

27,926 Households with Renewable Electricity – Solar Photovoltaic for One Year – OR

1,249 Elementary School Teachers for One Year – OR

11,651 Military Veterans Receiving VA Medical Care for One Year

The brutal and bloody reality of the US occupations of both Iraq and Afghanistan are reason enough to oppose such imperialist endeavors, but looking at the cost of these wars can be a useful educational and organizing tool.

For information on people organizing locally around this issue see the Facebook group Grand Rapids for Justice & Peace in Afghanistan.