economy of America during war time

I believe that people's life and the world is developing while the war happen. Because of the technology, people's life become more and more easier, and got lots of help. But as the life change, is the economic of our society become better than before or worst than before? The folloowing, i would compare the economic of America during World War II and Iraq War.

World War II
"By the end of the war, the economy had a more highly skilled labour force, as well as institutions that were more conducive to sustained economic growth..." The unemployment problem ended in the United States with the beginning of World War II, when stepped up wartime production created millions of new jobs. Therefore, most of the women could get the full employment during the WWII. During the war, agriculture became increasingly mechanized, manufacturing showed unprecedented growth, exports jumped, government spending increased substantially, unemployment virtually disappeared. The economy not only recovered from the Great Depression, which had preceded the war, but also gained the momentum that would lead to rapid postwar prosperity. When the men returned home from the war, women backed to their traditional position. Cause of this, it created lots of job opportunities for men. From World War II, we can see that not all of the wars are causing the bad influence on the economic. (source: http://www.canadianeconomy.gc.ca/English/economy/1939ww2.html)

Iraq War
Spending on Iraq is also a job killer. According to the New York Times, "Every $1 billion spent on a combination of education, healthcare, energy conservation and infrastructure investments creates between 50 and 100 percent more jobs than the same money going to Iraq..." Taking the 2007 Iraq budget might be able to upward of 1 millions of jobs but the Bush Administration chose the Iraq sinkhole over public investment. And most of the people think the situation of the economic is bad now because people become harder and harder to find the job. Also, the medicare budget is cutted by the the government; there are limited scholarship to help poor students to graduate from college; when the diseater happen, the government could not provide enough help for the people from the other countries...

US Military Spending vs. The World, 2008

According to the pie chart, we can summarize out the following information about the military spending of US and compare it with the other countries in the world:

• US military spending almost half 48%, of the world’s total military spending.


• US military spending is more than the next 46 highest spending countries in the world combined.


• US military spending is 5.8 times more than China, 10.2 times more than Russia, and 98.6 times more than Iran.


• US military spending is almost 55 times the spending on the six “rogue” states whose spending amounts to around $13 billion, maximum.


• US spending is more than the combined spending of the next 45 countries.


• The United States and its strongest allies spend $1.1 trillion on their militaries combined, representing 72 percent of the world’s total.


• The six potential “enemies,” Russia, and China together account for about $205 billion or 29% of the US military budget.

The above information outline are from source web site. From those outline, we can figure out that the US government have become the greatest military spender in the world. But no one could sure if those money is worth enough to spend on that field. Also, because of the hugh amount spending only in one part of the government plan. I think the government should give out the detail plan on how the money use in the beginning of the year or the end of year. In this way, people could give out their opinion. Also, the government could work on the better way base on people's opinion.

(Source: http://www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/ArmsTrade/Spending.asp#InContextUSmilitarybudgetvsotherUSprioritieses.org/Geopolitics/ArmsTrade/Spending.asp#InContextUSmilitarybudgetvsotherUSprioritieses.org/Geopolitics/ArmsTrade/Spending.asp#InContextUSmilitarybudgetvsotherUSpriorities)

US military budget vs. other US priorities

"The United States must not compound one strategic mistake--invading Iraq and breaking the Iraqi state--with another, funding an intensified civil war and a corrupt Iraqi government. " I strong agree with this statement because no matter how the other country's government does not good at rule the country, others countries do not have right to paticipant in that political. The only thing could do is try the best to give the global help, but not start the war or put the military into the other's country. I think that action means invade. And the war looks like the US want to expand the military and get control of the oil...

"This year spending will easily top $160 billion...Ongoing veterans' health costs, debt payments and the cost of re-equipping the military are some of the reasons for this outrageous $3 trillion bill. At the same time that the war has imposed a huge burden on taxpayers, it has precipitated one of the largest transfers of wealth and power in modern history. By helping to drive up world oil prices, it has produced a massive redistribution of wealth from working Americans and other oil and gas consumers to a handful of oil producers...Redirecting Iraq War funds to education, healthcare, renewable energy and infrastructure would create up to twice as many jobs...All the candidates, meanwhile, want to increase the already enormous military budget..." To my opinion, money could help people do so many stuff and change people's life. But the government choose to use those money to fight the war but not improve the quality of people's life. In the Iraq war, as the money spend in the war increase, the more livies will be lost. So, is that the stupid thing to start the war? Most of the people think, the government only care the profit of oil which they can make, they never care about the public vision.
According to the pie chart, we can see that 43% of the taxes, the US government spend it on the Military and the post wars. But the health services and the social programs only use 23% of the taxes. To my own opinion, some part of the taxes should use to support the military, but the major percentage of taxes should the government use it to make people's life better, not to ruin the other's livies.
(Source: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080331/editors20080331/editors
http://www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/ArmsTrade/Spending.asp#InContextUSmilitarybudgetvsotherUSprioritieses.org/Geopolitics/ArmsTrade/Spending.asp#InContextUSmilitarybudgetvsotherUSpriorities )

Don't blame the war for the economy

This is the opinion article of the relation between the Iraq war and US economy. The writer think that "The war in Iraq and the poor state of the U.S. economy are often viewed as cause and effect...they are two very different messes..." I am no fan of the war in Iraq, but it simply has not been a major contributor to the financial. The high price of oil is largely the result of strong demand, and this has affect all over the world with the pressing against a limited supply. I still remember that there are long lines in the gas stations where the drivers wait for the gas. Also, the price of the gas is going crazy. The global oil supply is growing more slowly than it could because of politics and policies in many places. Fears that the turmoil in Iraq might spread have probably given a boost to oil prices, but nowhere near enough to account for the huge price surge.

The war in Iraq has been much more costly than anyone expected, both in lives and money, and it is tempting to wrap it into a single package with our current economic, and I think that the policy mistakes had contributed to it. But blaiming those messes does not help to change anything.

Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/21/opinion/edbailey.php

Public's view of Economy and Iraq War

The Economy is bad, and if people aren't losing their jobs, they're getting so few hours they can't survive. Would it be nice to have our billions taxpayer dollars back from the Iraq war right now? Think it might pay some bills, reduce your mortgage, cover retirement expenses, pay for medicine, send the kid to college, pay for your expensive gasoline, ... on the other hand, the war then caused oil/gas prices to go up, up, up, and rising.

I think John McCain is the weakest in this election because his lack of knowledge on the economy is the killing point, and i don't think he understand the global economy. Also, he says in his speech that he support the Iraq war--"the war might be still last for a hundred years..." He is also what appears to be ignorant of the fact that the war in Iran is a hugh economic drain on our economy and detracts us from our quest against the terrorists. By consentraiting on Iraq we have not had the needed time and resorces to take on terrorist in other country's.

Some people might even think: thank God daily G. W. Bush will soon be leaving his throne at our beautiful white house and crawling back to Texas. From here, we can see that how Bush's decision ruin people's life and make people feel bad about him...

(Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/17/AR2008041703769_pf.html)

The Iraq War Is Killing Our Economy

"Recognizing the costs of the Iraq War is even more crucial now that the economy is facing recession."

There is no longer any doubt that the Iraq War is a moral and strategic disaster for the United States. But what has not yet been fully recognized is that it has also been an economic disaster. According to the news, the government has spent more than $522 billion on the war, and the amount is still increasing date after date. I think that the government should use the money which spend in the war to have provided Medicaid-level health insurance for all 45 million Americans who are uninsured. What's more, we could have added more elementary and secondary schoolteachers. And we could have provided basic home weatherization for millions of existing homes, reducing energy consumption in these homes.


Spending on Iraq is also a job killer. According to the New York Times, "Every $1 billion spent on a combination of education, healthcare, energy conservation and infrastructure investments creates between 50 and 100 percent more jobs than the same money going to Iraq..." Taking the 2007 Iraq budget might be able to upward of 1 millions of jobs but the Bush Administration chose the Iraq sinkhole over public investment. Recognizing these costs of the Iraq War is even more crucial now that the economy is facing recession.


I think there are three important factors that help to create more job opportunites,
1. More jobs but lower-paying jobs.
2. More money stays within the US economy.
3. Stop the war immediately.
It is important to know which of these three factors is relatively more important in generating the overall increase in jobs.

Source: http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/79988/

Pay for Peace--Withhold from War

The federal government had spent greatest amount on the Iraq War, and those money comes from our taxes. Otherwise, some people would think, are we supporting the war through this way and destorying others' homeland, also take away the others' lives...Because of the religion, they do not want this situation continues, so they find out their own way to take action--refuse to pay federal taxes. (Source:http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=4734449)

They calculate the part from the federal taxes which support the war, so they refuse to pay that part. But some people are put into prison because they do not pay the taxes. Later on, the government also find out the way which respect their religion and freedom. The government step up the form for the people to register the 2008 taxes boycott...

(Source:http://www.wartaxboycott.org/gettingstarted.htm)