SPDR S&P 500 (SPY)

[leftyg]

"I'm sure we all appreciate these guys, accepting and doing their jobs, but $10 billon a month indefinitely is a big price for it."

I am always amused when I see a comment like this.....we have a standing military..what would be the cost if they were not in Iraq, but training in the U.S., or elsewhere?? Certainly the salaries would be the same, or nearly so, allowing for combat pay...training costs (arms, fuel, etc.) would be nearly the cost of war expenditures. I doubt there would be a huge difference in costs.

To imply that if our military were removed from Iraq, that the costs would be saved is disengenuous. The bottom line is that freedom is not FREE. We pay dearly with treasure and lives so that terrorists are fought on their ground, rather than ours.

I rue the costs..but in this dangerous world, the alternative is much worse.