The Cost of War

At the beginning and at the end of love, the two lovers are embarrassed to find themselves alone. -Jean de la Bruyere, essayist and moralist (1645-1696)

Robyn Blumner wrote in the Saint Petersburg Times on Oct 1, 2006 about the huge cost of the Iraq war. One of the cost was care for veterans. More veterans now survive battlefield wounds that leave them alive, but dependent of full time care. This cost is skyrocketing. Whenever a nation enters a war three things happen; death, debt, and destruction. One may be declared the winner but they both are economic losers. Even in a draw between two nations at war, both are losers.

Many people have written about how wars were financed before the United States Federal Reserve System was created in 1913, which allowed the Federal Reserve to print money. The fiat paper money system became a way for the country to pay for wars and other federal programs. If the fiat paper money system was eliminated and the government had to pay with real money there would be fewer wars and government programs.

The best was to help veterans is to not create veterans. Free trade with all and alliance with none will go a long way towards reducing the number of wounded veterans, not to mention reducing the three Ds of war; death, debt, and destruction.

Bilbo Baggins