What Do People Fear, Survey Said; Iraq War, Global Warming and Disappearing Middle Class
Well the results are in for the annual Online Think Tank survey of what people fear most and not surprisingly the amount of air-time in the media once again has dictated what people fear most.
Iraq War:
Indeed, well I guess I cannot blame people for fearing this one, as my brother was on the Border of Syria and Iraq for two months, I hear you there and he has a flight contract, but they needed more USMC folks there for the elections; remember the “Purple Fingers” when the Iraqis voted? They wanted to keep out the flow of folks trying to disrupt it all.
Dwindling Middle Class:
I believe part of the Middle Class issue is truly due to consumer debt. Where the standard of living that folks came accustomed too and their lifestyles could only be kept up by credit card charging. If folks would live within their means this might not be such a huge problem. The average (actually 68%) American Worker is over 150% annual income in short term debt.
Many say debt is a choice. Others point to the credit cards as their only option to survive. That is an issue too. As I watch Lou Dobbs and his comments I often yell; OVER REGULATION, that is causing the Off-Shoring and Out-Sourcing. The closing of our mines and raw materials and thus the cost to import materials adds again to the cost of production. Over regulation, over-lawyering all means less ability for the company to remain viable, profitable and therefore cuts are made in production and personnel and that kills the middle class, especially some good paying jobs.
Global Warming:
Well you must admit that the media is in full-swing on the Global Warming and CO2 emissions issues. Everyday in every newspaper you see a story that relates something to climate change.
And there you have it, what people fear the most. I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.
War in Iraq Games Have Been Developed With the Help of Veterans
War in Iraq Games
There are quite a lot of games which focus on the war in Iraq, and this is unusual as the war in Iraq is still being fought. Most online games do not have as their focus an ongoing situation. The problems surrounding these particular games may not be obvious at first sight, but one father of a US soldier who lost his life in Iraq has slammed the games as insensitive and crass. That there is controversy surrounding these games was clearly expected by the makers, but any kind of publicity is good for them. They rightly point out that war in Iraq games are just that: – games.
There are different types of War in Iraq games, one actually tries to simulate the battle for Falludah in detail and used journals of Marines who fought there to help recreate their games so that they are as true to life as a game can be. In fact a lot of the “War in Iraq” games have been made with the help of soldiers who fought there. The cynical may think that these soldiers were just out to make a fast buck, but they are on record as saying that the games show the situation as it was in Iraq and might help people to realize what was and is happening to American troops who are still fighting in Iraq.
The games are both first person games, where the player is the shooter, and games in which the player sees events unfold at a distance from the shooters, rather as a journalist embedded with the troops in Iraq would have viewed the action.
“War in Iraq” games are intense and graphically very good. You certainly get the feel for the war situation. The games get your adrenalin flowing and you have to think fast and make decisions in an instant. Whatever the ethics behind the creation of such games, there is no denying that they are exciting and they clearly hone skills. That is perhaps the best part of playing these games and others like them. You develop your cognitive abilities and your decision-making processes as well as hand-eye coordination, which you do playing most online video games. You also have to analyze your situation carefully and critically as your decisions will mean life or death within the framework of the game. They are much more than just “kill the Iraqi insurgents/terrorists”. You have to develop strategies to ‘win’ the game.
Naturally enough there are not, as yet games which can be played from the Iraqi insurgents’ points of view. However there may be some in the pipeline if rumors in the games industry are true.
At the moment though these games are about how the Americans can win the war in Iraq. This might irk some players, but if you just play the game without thinking about the ideologies behind them, then there is no doubt that they are good value entertainment. Try one and find out for yourself. As you can play for free, at least you won’t have wasted money on the game of your choice.
How Much Are We Spending on the War in Iraq?
With the presidential election a mere thirty days away, an economy in crisis, and personal finance woes, international engagement fades in the background. The Iraq war, still a huge portion of the U.S. budget, takes a backseat to financial woes and the economy in current polls. Still, inquiring minds wonder, how much are we spending on the war in Iraq?
Answering a question such as how much are we spending on the war in Iraq requires sifting through dozens of supplemental funding bills passed over the past five years. Most of the money used to fund the wary comes from U.S. taxpayers. U.S. citizens contributed approximately $600 billion to the war effort as of June 2008. This breaks down to $12 billion dollars a month and a whopping $5,000 per second.
Deployment of one U.S. soldier for one year costs taxpayers near $390,000. The average U.S. soldier earns a salary of $54,000 per year. Although we are entering the sixth year of the Iraq war, costs continue to rise, with a $12.5 billion per month cost in 2008 as compared to a $4.4 billion per month cost in 2003. This gap may prove staggering, but the Washington continues to state a need for further spending, with President Bush requesting an additional $200 billion in supplemental funding to cover the war through the rest of this year.
Some may want further answers, such as how much are we spending on the war in Iraq for weapons, parts, and security? Much of the spending in Iraq, especially in 2008, is allocated to private security contractors. Once the U.S. removes its soldiers from the area, these contractors move in to support diplomats and agencies continuing the rebuilding effort. As the combat portion of the war drew to a close, the amount of funding to these organizations increased dramatically, to a total of $85 billion from 2003 to 2007, with the majority funded by the State Department.
Those that cite the Iraqi surplus now approaching $79 billion question the amount that the U.S. is spending for rebuilding and security in the country, especially when Iraq allocates a fraction of its budget to redevelopment.
Not all of taxpayer money is actually accounted for in the results of the war. Many machine parts, weapons, and other equipment never find their way to battle, grossing to about $1 billion in 2007. According to the Pentagon Inspector General, the majority of this loss is attributed to mismanagement of funds allocated to Iraqi security forces. Similarly, the Pentagon also reported that Haliburton overcharged the government approximately $1.4 billion during the same year, after receiving a total of $20 billion.
Asking responsible questions like how much are we spending on the war in Iraq is essential during an election year. As the contest for the presidency draws to a close, we must remember to demand answers to the tough questions.