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14-10-2014, 18:11

Is America's Military Too Small for Obama's New War on Terror?

Should Americans have to pay for the wars our soldiers fight across the Middle East? More specifically, should Americans be taxed now to pay for these wars—or can they be fought on a credit card that leaves the bill to the next generation?

The bill for the next year in the counterterrorism war against the Islamic State has been estimated from $2.4 to $22 billion, depending on the way the campaign expands. In the bigger picture of America’s $3 trillion federal budget and $17 trillion economy, even this high-end estimate might appear to be small change. And it pales in comparison to the $4 trillion the United States has spent in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11.

Yet the numbers are striking. When we bomb targets in Iraq and Syria, each cruise missile costs over $1 million. When soldiers are deployed abroad—such as the 1,200 troops President Obama recently sent to Iraq—we could spend an additional $1 million per soldier per year, based on past estimates. Merely flying American warplanes over ISIL territory costs tens of thousands of dollars an hour.

The billions of dollars required to fight ISIL have not been tucked away for a rainy day: This money must either be redirected from other U.S. commitments or added to next year’s 12-figure deficit.

But here’s an idea: Imagine if members of Congress had to vote on a tax surcharge to pay for this war. What would this accomplish? America’s Founding Fathers believed that sending fellow citizens to kill, and risk being killed, was a choice of such consequence that, if made, should be “all in”—that is, a decision made not just by a president and his advisers, but also by citizens’ representatives in Congress. Indeed, our Constitution could not be clearer in assigning to Congress, not to the president, the “power to declare war.”

Notwithstanding the practical difficulties of returning to our Founding Fathers’ original intentions, a requirement that Congress vote for a specific tax to pay for whatever wars our nation chooses to fight would be a step in the right direction. Voting on a war tax would require Americans beyond the executive branch to make a clear-eyed assessment of whether military engagement is worth U.S. dollars—and US lives. It’s win-win: A war tax would still finance American military engagements, while also providing public affirmation for the decision to go to war.


Bron

14-10-2014, 18:15


Een kruisraket van 1 miljoen euro, om een tweedehands toyota van 3 duizend dollar uit te schakelen. Dit hou je niet lang vol, tenzij de Saudis gaan betalen.