Tasini: A vote for war is a vote for higher taxes (Thanks, Hillary!) [View All]

[BurtWorm]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-tasini/hillary-thanks-for-raisi_b_27844.html

Jonathan Tasini
Hillary, Thanks For Raising Our Taxes

Here’s something Hillary Clinton and other pro-war Democrats won’t tell Democratic voters: by voting for the war, pro-war Democrats have imposed higher taxes or cuts in social programs on every American for years to come.

That painful point is underscored in my economic plan, which I’m releasing today. A New Deal For New Yorkers (catchy title, huh?) points out these facts: The Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz estimates the conservative cost of the war and occupation at more than $1 trillion—assuming there are no U.S. troops in Iraq after 2010.

If troops stay in Iraq as long as 2015—a reasonable scenario given the current situation—the cost could potentially reach as high as $2 trillion. By supporting the war and occupation, Hillary Clinton has saddled every New Yorker with higher taxes and a lower standard of living.

Here are just a few examples of the costs of the war/occupation:

• $300 billion for direct war-fighting costs—money we won’t have to pay for housing, health-care and to bolster Medicare.

• $200 billion for disability payments to our men and women in uniform and to care for the thousands of horribly wounded military personnel, many of who will require life-long treatment for amputations and injuries to the brain, spine, mind and other severe injuries.

• $380 billion added interest on the national debt—our country had to borrow money to finance the war.

• Pushed up the price of oil which has meant higher gasoline prices for average Americans. The war and occupation may add a minimum of $5-$10 per barrel to the price of oil—a cost of as much as $300 billion over the next five years. That comes right out of the pockets of average Americans.

• Lost economic value of $750 billion because monetary costs of the war/occupation do not add to national income in the way public investments do.

The war cost us jobs and hurt our economy because the increased defense spending has to be financed by either higher taxes or increased borrowing. If our country raises taxes, the increased defense spending reduces the after-tax wages of workers. If we have to borrow to cover the defense spending, then, eventually, the increased borrowing will lead to higher interest rates—and, of course, that will reduce investment, cost jobs and, then, push taxes higher because we will have to pay off the higher debt at some point.

To be clear, I believe taxes are part of the dues we pay to live in our society. But, no American should praise the dollars they have shell out to finance this illegal and immoral war. And every American should be outraged about the cuts in critical societal programs that will inevitably come to pay for the cost of the war.