I am going to be debating the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but I am not discussing the reasons for fighting. What I am questioning is: are the wars worth the price we are paying? Obviously we are paying for the wars with the blood of American soldiers, but what I am talking about is the monetary cost of the wars. What I am suggesting is that the money that is spent on the wars could be better spent on other things to help improve the country. For instance; we could use the money spent on the wars to improve schools and better education or build infrastructure, which would create jobs and improve the economy. Now, I am not suggesting this because I do not support the troops, my dad was in the military for over two decades, and I do not want less money spent on the war if it means fewer supplies for the military personnel in the Middle East. What I am saying is that we are fighting a losing battle and it is time for the troops to come home. Then we could spend the money that would have gone towards the fighting on something that could improve American lives, and not take them. We have helped Iraq and Afghanistan by trying to help stabilize the countries, but there is not much more we can do. It is similar to the Vietnam War, it is difficult for us to tell who the enemy is and who our allies are, and we are not getting much accomplished. Of course I appreciate the sacrifice the soldiers make, therefore I think it is time to let them come back home.Then we can use the money that would be spent on war on projects to improve our country, which according to the first link since the wars started in 2001 we have spent over a trillion dollars in the Middle East.
www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home http://education-portal.com/articles/Iraq_War_Spending_vs._Education_Spending.html
If the war ended, ofcourse we would have more money at our disposal. However, don't you think it'd be a good idea if we started paying back a few of our debts. The further we slip in to debt, the more reliant we become on other countries such as China that have already taken a multitude of jobs and other sources of revenue from us. Once we get a more firm economic standing, then I feel like that is when we should begin to make substantial improvements to our country. Until then, I think our country will survive how it is now.
ReplyDeleteEducation and other projects were just examples of what we could be spending the money on. And if we weren't using so much money on the wars then we could start paying off our debts sooner rather than later, but I think that improving the country should be a priority.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Jessica H. and URB. I think that we do need begin paying back our debts, but I also think that the US government needs to focus more on how it can help its citizens right now. The unemployment rates are extremely high, which is having a negative effect on our economy. If the government spent money to create jobs, then more people would be able to go out and spend money, which would have a positive effect on the economy. The government would then have more money to use to take care of its debts.
ReplyDeleteYes, if we pulled out of Iraq and Afghanistan we would have more money that could be used for all sorts of things. But you need to ask yourself is having extra money worth the risk we would be taking by not finishing the war. The risk I’m talking about is giving wiggle room for terrorist groups to rebuild and regain strength. Since the war began in 2001, we have obliterated terrorist influence in Afghanistan and we are still working in Iraq. Al-Qaeda is just about non-existent now. We captured and killed a primary leader in the terrorist realm - Saddam Hussein. Bottom line is we have made substantial progress in reducing the number of terrorists in the world. When you say, “we could spend the money that would have gone towards the fighting on something that could improve American lives, and not take them” I would respectfully argue quite the opposite. If we pull out of this war too early we would be sending a message to the terrorist organizations world wide that America gives up with time and resilience. This would undoubtedly lead to more terrorist attacks on Americans both domestically and internationally. The war is hard, and we have lost money, time and valuable American lives. However, I believe it would be best to stick out the war until all of our interests have been absolved and terrorism no longer presents a threat to America and her people, despite the monetary drain on the economy.
ReplyDeleteYes, fighting in the Middle East has to some extent weakened terrorist cells existing in this area. However, I do not believe that continued intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan would necessarily decrease terrorism stemming from this area. In fact, I would argue that American involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan actually could be creating just as many enemies as it eliminates. What about all of the children whose fathers have died in this conflict. Do you expect them to just forget that and support the US? Such prolonged intervention in the politics of these nations is not likely to make us many friends out of the citizens there. In effect we may be creating our own problems for the future. I think our troops have done an admirable job of stabilizing the political systems of these countries. But I also do not think much good could come out of continuing this war. I must agree with Jessica H., withdrawing from the war is the best course of action and funds would be best used to improve Our nation, not someone else's.
ReplyDeleteTo jqadams, I think that we have done about as much as we can in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I do not think that we can ever officially "win" the war. And, the same goes for terrorist groups, I don't think that we could get rid of terrorism completely. So, I think we should just get out of the war sooner rather than later.
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