In my post this past Wednesday, I admitted my lack of knowledge of economics. I still don't understand much about the topic (and I'm sure our financial advisor hopes it stays that way), but I do understand the concept of spending money.

With that in mind, I would call your attention to an interesting website I found this morning - the National Priorities Project (http://nationalpriorities.org), which is "...a 501(c)3 nonpartisan education and advocacy organization that makes its tools, resources, and data available to the general public. NPP does not support any candidate or political party" (quoted from the site). NPP attempts to present economic data in terms even an economic illiterate like myself can understand.

One part of the website calculates the running cost of the war in Iraq by "...analyzing the legislation appropriating money for the Iraq War and Congressional Research Service reports. The CRS reports were based not just on Congressional appropriations, but on the Department of Defense's (DOD) DFAS monthly obligations reports indicating funds transferred from other functions to the Iraq War" (quoted from the site). It also provides estimates of what this sum might fund were we not at war. As I write this (at about 4:50 AM), the running total is just passing through $357,647,660,000.00.

Yes, you read that correctly - more than three hundred fifty-seven billion dollars, much of which appears to have been spent to no purpose.

You can see this running total here: http://costofwar.com/index.html, and can also see it expressed in terms of various types of public programs, or as a function of your state or locality (if it has been calculated for your locality yet).

As the nation debates the President's new plan for salvaging something from the Iraq adventure, consider these numbers as you decide whether the war is worth it and how we should proceed. I've already decided where I stand, as you know if you've been reading this blog regularly...study the issue, look at the numbers and make up your own mind.

By the way, the total is now just passing through $357,649,200,000.00. The time as I write this is 5:00 AM. It took ten minutes to grow by just over $1,500,000.00.

Think about it.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo