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March 22, 2008

Casualties of War
By Daniel Pourkesali

Yesterday President Bush marked the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq
with a speech at the Pentagon [1] claiming that "The world is better, and the United
States is safer" as result of a war that has claimed nearly 4000 American lives,
wounded 30,000 [2] and cost well over $500 billion and counting.
But is the world and the United States in particular, really better off today? Well the
answer depends on whom you ask. This writer makes no claims of expertise but as
someone employed in the aerospace industry know that the war has been very good
for the weapons and defense contractors who have seen their profits soar as a result
of billions of dollars worth of military goods and equipment orders. Big money for
them is in the annual Pentagon budget which rose from $294 billion in 2000 to its
proposed $515 billion in 2009 [3] not including the cost of the ongoing military
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan which are funded through separate supplemental
budget requests.
The Defense Department does not keep an exact number [4] of the contractors it
employs, but according to the latest report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics [5] on
American Workforce the total is still considered to be a fraction of the total 150
million labor pool which is getting older, increasingly female, more white-collar and
as of late more unemployed, uninsured, and less well off.
An analysis conducted by McClatchy Newspapers [6] in 2007 found that the number
of severely poor Americans grew by 26 percent from 2000 to 2005. In the meantime,
the average price [7] for a gallon of gasoline has increased from $1.25 in January
2000 to $3.25 today with many analysts predicting $4.00 by early summer.
And those lucky enough to be excluded from the 47 million medically uninsured,
insurance premiums have increased [8] by $1,400 for family coverage in 2007 versus
what they paid in 2000. Employment-based health insurance premiums have also
increased by 100 percent, compared to cumulative inflation of 24 percent and
cumulative wage growth of 21 percent during the same period.
Income gaps have reached unprecedented historic levels [9] between the richest
Americans receiving the biggest tax breaks passed by the this administration, and
those at the middle who shoulder a larger tax burden and whose paychecks buys less
and less as result of soaring health care, tuition, gas, and food prices.
So how can Mr. Bush openly defend this costly debacle as a smashing success in face
of such pervasive dire outcome? The answer may come from a survey conducted by
Pew Research Center [10] last week that found public awareness of the American
military fatalities in Iraq has declined sharply since last August. Only 28% of those
surveyed were able to approximate the correct number of Americans that have lost
their lives in the Iraq war.
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Sadly, the prevailing apathy toward those who govern us through fear and neglecting
the idea of holding power to account as informed members of civil society has been
the greatest casualty of this war.
[1 ] http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080319/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_iraq
[2] http://icasualties.org/oif/
[3] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/washington/03cnd-military.html?
partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
[4] http://www.startribune.com/nation/16457991.html
[5] http://www.bls.gov/opub/rtaw/rtawhome.htm
[6] http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003589318_poverty26.html
[7] http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/ftparea/wogirs/xls/pswrgvwnus.xls
[8] http://www.kff.org/insurance/7672/index.cfm
[9] http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/29/business/income.4.php
[10] http://pewresearch.org/pubs/762/political-knowledge-update
Authors Website: http://www.campaigniran.org
Authors Bio: Daniel M Pourkesali is an Aeronautical Engineer and serves as US Board
Member for the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran