Afghan War Draining U.S. Tax Dollars, Yet Republicans Want to Spend More

Americans still aren't feeling the cost of war. Republicans need to get the message, and Obama should send it. According to the NY Times;

The latest internal government estimates place the cost of adding 40,000 American troops and sharply expanding the Afghan security forces, at $40 billion to $54 billion a year, the officials said. Even if fewer troops are sent … about $1 million per soldier per year, appears almost constant.

Afghanistan’s new costs could wash out the projected $26 billion expected to be saved in 2010 from withdrawing troops from Iraq. And the overall military budget could rise 10 percent more than… under the Bush administration.

I just love this, from the fiscal (war) hawks:

Several leading Republicans have criticized Mr. Obama’s willingness to spend more freely on domestic programs and urged him to provide General McChrystal with the resources he is seeking in Afghanistan. “Keeping our country safe: Isn’t that the first job of government?” said Senator Christopher S. Bond, Republican of Missouri and vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Lets make it simple; Bush kept the war money off the books so his budget deficits looked smaller. He left office with a $1.2 trillion deficit. It's now $1.4 trillion.

Obama should challenge the Republicans, conservatives and tea baggers with a "WAR TAX," and see how the party of NO deals with that during a recession. If they like war that much, fear terrorists and lack faith in Homeland Security's ability to keep us "safe," pay for it.

I thought it was odd how the story above never mentioned a tax increase to pay for the war. It's a tax that should have been in place for the last 6 years.
Obama finally put the war on the books. I have a feeling the WAR TAX will turn out chicken hawks into budget hawks. Funny how that works.