$75 BILLION? GOT ANY SPARE CHANGE, GEORGE?

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday March 26, 2003 01:35 by Stephen Wynne Jones stephen_wynne_jones at hotmail dot com 17 seafort villas. sandymount 0876411307

Hang on, are we reading that right? Ol’ Dubya asks the Congress for some $75 billion for the war effort? Congrats, George, now you can afford to get that new tie you’ve always wanted- hell; get a couple of hundred million of them.

While Bush’s tabled figure for the cost of the war effort in Iraq seems astonishing, the truth, it seems, kicks it right into touch. Despite the rapidly slipping economy, the rapidly rising price of oil, and the rapid failure of the Iraqis to stick their hands up in surrender, Congress will ‘more than likely’ pass the bill when it comes to a vote on April 11th- throwing a few trillion at the current crisis and hoping it will all melt away. In fact, the financial problems for the US look like slipping further into the doldrums- when you consider that some $30 billion of the requested funding is to cover the cost of the ‘build up’ to the war- before even a shot has been fired, then the chances of a long drawn out campaign surviving on a funding of $13 billion seems improbable, if not impossible. And we’re only getting started.....

Rebuilding Iraq, the apparent goal of the whole sorry exercise is sure to cost billions more, pushing the state of the US economy into freefall, as the budget struggles to maintain a current deficit of some $400 billion this year in the hands of a president who has pledged to cut taxes by an inconceivable $726 billion. And we mustn’t forget the ol’ ‘tyrant’ himself. Provided Saddam behaves himself and forgets to torch the oil wells which provide some 11% of the world’s fuel, which is looking increasingly unlikely as the campaign drags on, then another few billion may have been saved, and a global oil shortage may have been prevented! “America will prevail.” But will its economy? The sweat sodden traders on Wall Street are smiling through gritted teeth.

Of course, ol’ George wouldn’t think of spending all that cash on nothing less. And what of them thar starvin’ folks of Af-ree-caw? It is believed that less than $200 billion would be enough for all of the poorest nations of the world to gradually build a lasting route out of poverty through debt relief- $222 billion would almost completely wipe out the entire debt of Sub-Saharan Africa. But then, we need to save a few pence to take care of North Korea/ Iran/ Yemen/ France (delete where applicable), don’t we George?

Hell, why not just head down to your local Wal-Mart, K-Mart or RandomChildExploitation-Mart and get yourself a few goodies- GI Joe $29.96, Command and Conquer- $49.99, Apocalypse Now DVD- $25.49, a bottle of Just for Men- $19.99. You might see how far $75 billion can get you. Round up a couple of hundred Action Men and have your own war right there in the Oval Office. Just don’t come round asking if we want to play - although I might join in for a couple of billion.....