simpson - what we could have done with the money; 50 ways to spend the trillion dollars we've spent on iraq (2008)

[...]... start-ups close during their first year of existence.28 12 WHAT WE COULD HAVE DONE WITH THE MONEY 13 So what have we got? A sector of the economy that accounts for half of our wealth and most of job growth Due to the challenges and opportunities in the modern world, our economy will need this sector to expand, despite the fact that it’s subject to a high rate of failure With a trillion dollars, we could. .. forced on the VA and other care systems for veterans There’s a sort of Mad Hatter logic to the thought that we re spending so much on a war that we don’t have enough money to care for our veterans So let’s apply the same mad logic in the opposite direction: if we weren’t spending all this money on the war, we could afford to give our veterans the care they deserve First, a quick look at the disgraceful... earmarked for rebuilding the Gulf Coast Sadly, two years after the storm, only 42 percent of that money had been spent WHAT WE COULD HAVE DONE WITH THE MONEY 7 away with less than $5 billion Add in some skilled tradespeople, who will earn more—maybe kick the total up to $6 billion Throw in half a billion for supplies and we ve probably covered the costs of getting power lines, water, and sewers working again... like too much to thank someone for risking life and limb on our behalf Surely anyone with a “Support Our Troops” ribbon magnet on their car would agree construction of extended care facilities.56 Crazy, wasteful stuff, huh? What to do with all the money left over? The simplest thing would be just to give it to the veterans Let them make their own decisions about whether they’d like a new car, or to go... them Looking beyond buildings, the area’s economy is going to need a leg up Maybe subsidies for opening new businesses on the Gulf Coast Let’s pluck a number out of the sky and dedicate $10 billion to that No, $20 billion Then let’s spend $100 million on a business -to- business ad campaign to let people know about it Speaking of advertising, how about another $100 million to encourage the tourists to. .. interest alone would finance more campaigning than most of us can endure (If we re covering the cost, we can set the limits, right?) So let’s cover the cost of all election campaigning Forever Suddenly, the people who are elected aren’t beholden to big corporations or to big unions or to lobbyists—they’re beholden to us! It’s a wacky idea, but it just might work WHAT WE COULD HAVE DONE WITH THE MONEY Invest... a third of them actually get the help they need Section 8 vouchers provide F 2 Rob Simpson Invest $1 trillion in the stock market $1,000,000,000,000 X Growth per year (Ibbotson forecast) 9% = Total to be dispersed each year $90,000,000,000 — Cost of housing vouchers for 10 million families $68, 050, 000,000 = $21, 950, 000,000 Maybe we could use some of the leftover money to help those men on the street... Houses brings seven to ten seniors together in a home that combines privacy O WHAT WE COULD HAVE DONE WITH THE MONEY 15 and independence with visiting medical and custodial care Boston’s Beacon Hill Village has created community concierge service that helps seniors stay in their homes longer, with contracted caterers, house cleaners, drivers, plumbers, and other services—plus benefits like weekly lectures... And we re only spending $31.24 billion a year to do all that If we ve invested the trillion dollars intelligently, we should be earning three times that much on it every year,38 leaving us plenty of money to make things better for all the other seniors and caregivers across the country But that’s another story for another day Right now, it’s time to take my pills and have my nap -8 Air Security The. .. police officers nationwide.20 With a trillion dollars, we could have thirtytwo times that many Nothing scientific here, but I’m guessing that if your town had thirty-two times as many cops, you might see a decrease in crime And yes, there would almost certainly be more donut shops Looking at it from a slightly more sensible side, we could dou- I 8 WHAT WE COULD HAVE DONE WITH THE MONEY New police hires . alt="" What We Could Have Done with the Money u 50 Ways to Spend the Trillion Dollars We ve Spent on Iraq Rob Simpson This book is dedicated to love of my life, my wife, Donna. Also to my. rebuilding the Gulf Coast. Sadly, two years after the storm, only 42 percent of that money had been spent. 7 WHAT WE COULD HAVE DONE WITH THE MONEY away with less than $5 billion. Add in some. billion to that. No, $20 billion. Then let’s spend $100 mil- lion on a business -to- business ad campaign to let people know about it. Speaking of advertising, how about another $100 mil- lion to