Prez Obama- Get Us The HELL Out Of Afghanistan!!

Your "point" keeps shifting as you're presented with facts.

What wars before 9/11 are you talking about now? What war were we in during 2001?

It seems to me that my point is well made. These contractors made $billions whether there was wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or not. They did not need the wars to profiteer because their revenues are a function of defense dollars spent, and defense spending more than doubled NOT COUNTING THE WARS.

You do realize that we have to pay our 1M soldiers whether they are stationed at fort hood or in Iraq, right? We have to pay to keep the jeeps and tanks and airplanes well maintained whether they're parked here or over there, right? The only cost difference is in getting the supplies from here to there, or from somewhere closer than here to there. That kind of cost doesn't prevent Walmart from importing and selling cheap goods, so why do you think there would be that much more expense (and thus profit) due to the wars?

 

You outlined nothing of the sort.

I have not shifted my point in the least. See post 31. You attributing me saying anything else is you making shit up. Get it?

And there is no profit to be had from afghanistan. It is an incremental expense compared to the DoD budget, and there's nothing of value we're getting back on that "investment" (expense).

 

Here you go:

http://www.govexec.com/defense/2010/07/obama-signs-supplemental-war-funding-bill/32030/

Congress passed a $59B bill to pay for both wars. Included in that $59B was $33B to cover the entire cost of the military operations including Obama's surge strategy in Afghanistan. Also included was $5.1B for FEMA, $6.2B for foreign aid (to rebuild Haiti), and $13.4B for Vietnam vets exposed to agent orange.

So what profits are these companies getting from the actual war expenses? $33B pays for the soldiers' salaries, the cost to move them and their geer to Afghanistan, the fuel to run their vehicles, etc.

The companies you cited make their profits off the DoD budget, which is HUGE in comparison, and would be huge with or without the wars.

End of story.

 

I see you're being obtuse, but is it on purpose?

Dept. of Defense spending is $300B, they make $127B.

Dept. of Defense spending increases to near $800B, they make $350B.

The war spending was supplemental spending bills, like that $59B.

Without the wars, they don't spend the $59B, no troops over there, etc. Defense spending is still $800B, they still make $350B.

Got it? The companies don't need us to be at war to make many $billions. In fact, it's probably not so much in their interests since it's not really safe to be over there where you get shot at.

Compare to the conspiracy theories about Iraq. The govt. takes over the govt. there and hands over the oil fields to the big oil companies and there's profit from selling the oil.

There's no oil fields in Afghanistan. Get it? All they have is heroin crops.

 

DynCorp is one of those mercenary companies. It's revenues for last year were ~$3.4B, with EBITDA of about $200M. However, they are not solely from mercenary type services, nor is the US govt. and servicing the two wars their only business (source of income).

So let me get your argument straight. The US govt. spends $6T over 10 years on defense, another $1T on the wars, so some mercenary company can profit $200M.

 

I think they make some money over there, but it's a small increment over what they'd make in peacetime. Like doing work for NASA (which they do), or working near military bases within the continental USA (which they do).

It is no reason to go fight in Afghanistan so they can profit by so little. I'm still looking for where you get your $billions in war profiteering from. It ain't there. It's a figment of your imagination.

That's what I thought.

 

Put up or shut up.

Exactly how much profit is to be had from Afghanistan? Show me some numbers from a reputable source. Otherwise you're you're talking out your ass.

 

Already proven. You can't refute it.

I accept your surrender.

 

Do the math.

$100B in, $1B out. No profit, just a HUGE loss.

There is no profit to be had there, period.