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Politics : The Obama - Clinton Disaster -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (5292)	1/22/2009 7:59:09 AM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 103300

The numbers are 'wonky'. For the 'bailout' numbers they are adding together ALL of the potential worst-case OBLIGATIONS (the vast majority of which have not been spent, nor appropriated... and may never be). That is to say: if the economy regains it's footing most of the government's assumed losses may never exist... and the actual CASH appropriated thus far is but a tiny sliver of that total, (& humongous) "$8.5 Trillion" figure. Whereas, over on the "war" side of the ledger, (and unlike the bailout side), I'd argue that only direct expenditures have been counted (for example, the chart shows just $648 Billion for Iraq...), but total costs to society (including such things - let's just stick with Iraq for now - as the life-long medical care the Veteran's system must bear, the cost of replacing all of that worn-out military equipment, etc., and also the fact that the war itself is not over). Apples and oranges. (PS ---- I had already come across the pie chart Casey produced... and, I've read many of his books over the decades. But, ya need to realize: he's a hard asset advocate... and here, he is comparing apples to oranges.)