COW Talking points
3 Main Points to Make:
- The $410 billion in supplemental funding that has been approved for the war only represents 40% of the actual cost. The economic costs are far greater than most people imagine, with over 1 trillion dollars spent in the first four years of the war, or $720 million per day.
- We believe this money should be spent not on war and occupation, but on funding critical human needs here in the US, such as education, healthcare and housing. (or fill in local hot topic)
- We need to tell Congress to stop funding this misguided war, to spend that money meeting human needs at home and to support reconciliation and reconstruction in Iraq to build peace instead of this destructive occupation.
FYI – Questions you may be asked, and you can always refer people to the FAQ
Q. How did you come up with $720 million for one day of the Iraq war?
The Iraq War supplemental funding bills passed by Congress do not include the costs already incurred but not yet paid for such as paying the interest on the war debt, caring for the wounded, replenishing military equipment and rebuilding Iraq. These future costs are based upon the work of Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Stiglitz and Bilmes estimate around 1 Trillion dollars have been spent on the first four years of the war, which comes out to $720 million per day.
Q. Where did you get the numbers for the human needs costs?
The National Priorities Project.
Q. If this money weren’t spent on the Iraq War, can we be sure that it would have been spent on human needs?
No. But it is our duty as citizens to let our government know what our priorities are for the Federal budget and for the direction of our country. Join us in advocating for an end to the Iraq war, rescinding tax cuts for the wealthy, and a commitment to meeting human needs both here and in Iraq
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