War or Car?

Buy enough sugar to reach from Earth to the farthest star of the Big Dipper

2008-12-01T23:00:00.000-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought enough confectioners' sugar to reach from Earth to Alpha Ursae Majoris (also called Dubhe), the farthest star of the Big Dipper.

A grain of confectioners' sugar, called icing sugar in the UK, is around 24 micrometers in each direction. Sucrose has a density of 1.587 grams per cubic centimeter, so the mass of a grain of powdered sugar is 21.9 nanograms. Dubhe, the star that stands at the end of the Big Dipper's scoop, is 124 light years or 1173 trillion kilometers away. Reaching Dubhe would require 48.9 billion trillion grains of confectioners' sugar. Since 25 pounds, or 11.34 kg, of Domino 10x confectioners' sugar can be bought for $27.48, buying enough sugar to reach the farthest star of the Big Dipper would cost $2.59 trillion, or $410 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Thanks you all for reading War or Car. This will be the final post at this site. From now on, my political blogging will be at Donkeylicious with Nicholas Beaudrot. Let's work together to make sure our leaders make wiser decisions in the years to come.

Make each panda the CEO of its own regional airline

2008-11-30T00:01:00.001-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've made each of the world's pandas the CEO of its own regional airline.

Using the highest estimates, there are 3000 giant pandas in the wild, and 266 in captivity. The average regional airline is worth $465 million. Making each panda the CEO of its own regional airline would cost $1.52 trillion, or $1.48 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Give every HIV-positive person a lifetime supply of drugs

2008-11-29T00:01:00.002-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've given everyone with HIV a lifetime supply of AIDS drugs.

There are 33.2 million HIV positive people in the world. About 1.2 million of them are in the United States and 2.2 million are in Europe and Central Asia. Merck has offered to cut the price of its protease inhibitor, Crixivan, to $600 per year for third world use, one tenth of what it costs in the United States. The current global average life expectancy is 66.2 years. Assuming full prices for the 3.4 million people in the US, Europe, and Central Asia, and discounted prices for everyone else, we could've given every HIV-positive person a lifetime supply of AIDS drugs for $2.53 trillion, which is $470 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons license from World Bank Photo Collection

Buy a hot air balloon for every Obama voter, so they can watch his inauguration from the sky

2008-11-28T00:26:00.008-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could buy everyone who voted for Barack Obama a hot air balloon from which to watch his inauguration from the sky.

According to current estimates, Obama received 68,953,645 votes in the 2008 Presidential election. A new, commercially made hot air balloon costs $20,000 to $30,000. Buying everyone who voted for Obama a hot air balloon from the top end of that price range would cost $2.07 trillion, or $930 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons license from a4gpa.

Buy enough pecans for a pie the size of West Virginia

2008-11-27T00:01:00.000-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought enough pecans for a pecan pie the size of West Virginia.

About 5 ounces of pecans are necessary for a 9-inch pie. A 9-inch pie is about 64 square inches in area, so each ounce of pecans is worth about 12.7 square inches of pie. (There are about 4 billion square inches in a square mile.) West Virginia is 24,230 square miles, or 96.9 trillion square inches. At Surratt Farms, 30 pounds of pecans can be purchased for $157.50. Buying enough pecans for a pie the size of West Virginia would cost $2.65 trillion, which is $350 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons license from tonythemisfit.

Buy every US soldier who died in Iraq their own nuclear submarine

2008-11-26T00:01:00.001-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought every US soldier who died in Iraq their own nuclear-powered submarine, so they could explore the ocean instead of being dead.

Sturgeon class submarines were sold until 1990 and are still in use today. They are around 300 feet long, are powered by a nuclear reactor, and can dive to 1300 feet. They cost $320 million each in 1990 dollars, or $530 million each in today's money. 4204 American soldiers have died in Iraq. Each of these soldiers could've been given a submarine instead for $2.23 trillion, which is $770 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Give everyone in Pennsylvania a jet pack

2008-11-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've given everyone in Pennsylvania a jet pack.

There are 12.4 million people in Pennsylvania. Jet Pack International's T73 is currently being sold for $200,000 including lessons (video). Each person in Pennsylvania could've gotten a T73 Jet Pack for $2.48 trillion, which is $520 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Subscribe to the LA Times since the beginning of time

2008-11-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've subscribed to the LA Times since the beginning of time.

The universe is approximately 13.73 billion years old. According to the reigning theories of cosmology, time began with the beginning of the universe. In some zip codes, the LA Times is available for $2.99 per week. Subscribing to the LA Times since the beginning of time would cost $2.13 trillion, which is $870 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Pay Ethiopia's health care bills for a thousand years

2008-11-23T03:09:00.005-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could pay Ethiopia's health care bills for a thousand years.

Ethiopia has a population of about 78 million. Per capita health care expenditures in Ethiopia are $21, about 1/300 of American health care expenditures. At this price, paying health care bills for Ethiopia for the next thousand years would cost $1.64 trillion, which is $1.36 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons license from LindsayStark.

Fund the Lizard People's Senate campaigns for the next ten thousand years

2008-11-22T04:52:00.012-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could fund the Lizard People's Senate campaigns for the next thousand years.

The Minnesota Senate race was the most expensive race of this year, with the candidates together spending $32.3 million. On one of the challenged ballots that has come to light in the recount, a voter had written in 'Lizard People' for several offices including the Senate. Assuming that half the total Minnesota expenditures are sufficient to make a candidate competitive, we would need to spend $16.15 million every six years to fund one of the Lizard People's campaigns for each seat. At that rate, we could fund the Lizard People's campaigns for each seat for ten thousand years at a cost of $2.69 trillion, which is $310 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Thanks to Stentor Danielson for sending in this suggestion, and Blar for a correction.

Turn the Sahara Desert into a forest

2008-11-21T00:01:00.001-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've turned the Sahara Desert into a forest.

The world's largest hot desert, the Sahara, is around 9 million square kilometers. In an attempt to block the expansion of the Gobi Desert, China is planting 9 million acres or 36,400 square kilometers of forest. This initiative will cost around $8 billion. At this price, the entire Sahara desert could be turned into a forest for $1.98 trillion, which is which is $1.02 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Thanks to Hope Rider for research assistance. Image used under a Creative Commons license from alex lichtenberger.

Buy enough MP3s for a 50 trillion mile road trip

2008-11-20T00:01:00.001-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could buy enough MP3s to go on a 50 trillion mile road trip without listening to the same song twice.

At 70 miles per hour, one can go 50 trillion miles in 81.5 million years. Assuming an average song length of 4 minutes, that much travel requires 10.7 trillion songs. The emusic Connoisseur plans allow one to buy 100 DRM-free songs for $25. At this price, enough music for a 50 trillion mile road trip would cost $2.68 trillion, or $320 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Comic from XKCD, used with permission.

Buy the global kiwi harvest until 5000 AD

2008-11-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could buy the global kiwi harvest until the year 5000 AD.

Global kiwi production in 2005 totaled 1.15 million metric tons, which is worth $775 million adjusted for inflation. At this price, buying up the global kiwi harvest until 5000 AD would cost $2.32 trillion, which is $680 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons license from Darren Hester.

Pay full tuition at Stanford for every American child in poverty

2008-11-18T00:01:00.001-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could pay full tuition at Stanford for every US child in poverty.

13.2 million American children come from families with incomes below the poverty line, which is $21,200 for a family of four. Tuition at Stanford is $36,030, or $144,120 for four years. Paying full tuition at Stanford for every child in poverty would cost $1.90 trillion, which is $1.10 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons license from darkmatter.

Buy Uranus at the per acre price of Alaska

2008-11-17T00:01:00.001-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could buy the planet Uranus at the per acre price we paid for Alaska in 1867, adjusted for inflation.

Uranus, the seventh planet in the Solar System, has a surface area of 8.084 billion square kilometers, about 16 times that of Earth. The total purchase price of Alaska in 2008 dollars is $360 million. At 1.72 million square kilometers, this comes to $209 per square kilometer. Buying Uranus at these prices would cost $1.69 trillion, which is $1.31 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Feed Sheriff Joe Arpaio moldy bologna for the next billion years

2008-11-16T11:51:00.003-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could feed Sheriff Joe Arpaio moldy bologna for the next billion years.

As Jill at Feministe describes, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, AZ has engaged in a variety of unusual practices, from having a civilian 'posse' hunt down illegal immigrants to feeding prisoners moldy bologna. He has lost several lawsuits for wrongfully killing or injuring inmates.

At 90 calories a slice, Joe would need to eat 2.78 8-slice packages of Oscar Mayer bologna a day to make up a 2000-calorie diet. Regular bologna sells for $2.69 at the Casa Grande, AZ Safeway. At that price, keeping Sheriff Joe alive on nothing but bologna for a billion years would cost $2.73 trillion, which is $270 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Thanks to reader Stentor Danielson for sending in this suggestion with calculations.

Buy Hillary a Toyota Camry for every second of the average Secretary of State's term

2008-11-15T04:11:00.008-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could buy Hillary Clinton a Toyota Camry for every second of the average US Secretary of State's term.

Rumors are circulating that Hillary Clinton will serve as Secretary of State for Barack Obama, a position that has far less job security than her current position as a Senator from reliably Democratic New York. There have been 67 Secretaries of State in our nation's history, with each one serving an average of 3.22 years or about 102 million seconds. The base price for a new Toyota Camry is $19,145. At these prices, giving Hillary a Camry for every second of the average Secretary of State's term would cost $1.95 trillion, or $1.05 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Buy enough Neiman Marcus pajamas for all women in the years A.D. to blog in

2008-11-14T08:42:00.005-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought enough Neiman Marcus pajamas for all women born since 1 AD to wear while blogging.

In the clip above, TV host Rachel Maddow cites Sarah Palin's contribution to spreading the meme that blogging is often done in pajamas. Extrapolating from Population Research Bureau data suggests that 30 billion women were born since 1 AD. A set of leopard-print cotton pajamas costs $100 at Neiman Marcus, the store from which Sarah Palin's family acquired $150,000 of clothes during her run for the vice-presidency. At this price, we could've bought leopard-print cotton pajamas for all women since 1 AD for $3 trillion, which is Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Give Joe Lieberman 20 billion tons of manure

2008-11-13T12:44:00.008-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've given Joe Lieberman 20 billion tons of manure.

After fervently supporting the Iraq War and losing the Connecticut Democratic primary, Joe Lieberman supported John McCain in 2008. The Democratic Party is still deciding whether to let him stay on as chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, which has the power to investigate the future President Obama. A 40 pound bag of manure costs $2.69 at Ace. At this price, we could've given Joe Lieberman 20 billion tons of shit for $2.69 trillion, which is $310 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Make enough $30 DNC donations to give everyone two weeks of Obama-Biden victory shirts

2008-11-12T23:52:00.001-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've made enough $30 donations to the DNC for everyone on earth to get 14 Obama-Biden victory shirts -- enough to wear a new one every day for two weeks.

After taking on debt to implement Howard Dean's 50-state strategy and assist Democratic candidates in the 2008 elections, the DNC is raising funds by giving out Obama-Biden T-shirts to anyone who donates $30 or more. Giving 14 of these shirts to each of the 6.7 billion humans would cost $2.81 trillion, which is $190 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Pay every Mexican the minimum wage to stay home for ten years

2008-11-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've humanely dealt with illegal immigration by paying every Mexican their country's minimum wage to stay in Mexico for ten years.

The minimum wage in Mexico is 52.59 pesos per day, or $4.11 per day at current exchange rates. Paying this wage every day of the year for 10 years to the 108 million Mexicans would cost $1.62 trillion, $1.38 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons license from nathangibbs.

Give every Alaskan ten times the gifts that Ted Stevens lied about receiving

2008-11-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could give each Alaskan ten times the gifts that Senator Ted Stevens, lied about receiving.

On October 27, Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was found guilty of seven counts of making false statements about $250,000 in gifts that he had received. While polls currently show him leading his Democratic opponent Mark Begich by 1%, Nate Silver notes that many absentee and early ballots have yet to be counted. There are 683,478 people in Alaska. Giving each of them ten times as much as Stevens received would cost $1.71 trillion, $1.29 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Buy the world's cinnamon harvest for ten thousand years

2008-11-09T00:01:00.001-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought the world's cinnamon harvest for the next ten thousand years.

135,000 metric tons of cinnamon were harvested in 2005. At 2001 prices, this much cinnamon was valued at $235 million. Adjusting for inflation into 2008 dollars, buying this much cinnamon for ten thousand years would cost $2.90 trillion, or $100 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons license from Kiri :D.

Pay every unemployed American a Congressperson's salary

2008-11-08T00:23:00.004-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could pay every unemployed American a Congressperson's annual salary.

According to the Department of Labor, 10.1 million Americans were unemployed in October, the highest figure since 1983. A Congressperson's salary for 2008 is $169,300. Paying each unemployed American a Congressional salary would cost $1.71 trillion, or $1.29 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Protect Alaskan wolves and moose from aerial hunting with 30 surface-to-air missiles each

2008-11-07T00:01:00.000-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could protect each moose and wolf in Alaska from returning Governor Sarah Palin and other hunters with 30 surface-to-air missile launchers.

The RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launcher is planned or installed on 100 Navy ships, and costs $444,000. Each launcher contains up to 21 infrared-guided missiles for shooting down aircraft. Alaska has up to 11,200 wolves and about 150,000 moose. In recent years, aerial hunting of wolves has become more popular, and Governor Palin supports the practice. Protecting each animal with its own 30 surface-to-air missiles would cost $2.15 trillion, or $850 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Give the Georgians who forced Sen. Chambliss into a runoff 300-meter cubes of corn whiskey

2008-11-06T12:16:00.009-05:00

Georgia law requires 50% of the total plus one vote for a candidate to win the election outright without a runoff election. According to current totals, Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss has 1,841,454 votes, giving him 49.83% of the total. If 6251 more people had voted for Saxby Chambliss instead of Democrat Jim Martin or Libertarian Dean Buckley, Chambliss would have won.

Georgia Moon Corn Whiskey costs $12.95 per 750 ml bottle. It would take 36 million bottles to make a 300-meter cube of whiskey. Buying each of the 6251 Georgians who forced Chambliss into a runoff by voting for Martin or Buckley such a cube of whiskey would cost $2.91 trillion, or $90 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons license from ElCapitan. For more information on the Georgia Senate race, visit my site about Saxby Chambliss!

Buy Everyone A 27" TV To Watch Obama's Inaugural Address

2008-11-05T01:09:00.002-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could buy everyone on earth a 27" color TV with which to watch President Obama's inaugural address.

There are 6.7 billion people on Earth. A Sharp 27" color TV costs $330. Buying each person their own TV would cost $2.21 trillion, or $790 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Give every American the median wage for the next hundred election days

2008-11-04T08:24:00.005-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could make it easier for working Americans to take time off and vote by paying them the median hourly wage for the next 100 election days.

There are 225 million adults in America, 6.1% of whom are unemployed. The median hourly wage in America is $15.10. Assuming an 8 hour workday, paying each working American adult the median hourly wage for the next 100 election days would cost $2.55 trillion, $450 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons license from deritastudio.

Make each swing state vote worth $10,000

2008-11-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could make every vote for the right candidate in a swing state worth $10,000 according to philosopher Derek Parfit's calculations in Reasons and Persons.

Chapter 3 of Reasons and Persons, "Five Mistakes in Moral Mathematics", contains the section "Ignoring Very Small Chances". In it, Parfit cites academic research suggesting that the likelihood of an individual vote in a swing state deciding a presidential election is 1 in 100 million. Parfit argues that voting is still rational for those who have concern for others, despite the low likelihood of deciding the election.

If the difference between the policies of the better and worse presidential candidate is $1 trillion when added up across everyone, the 1 in 100 million chance of deciding the election divides out to a value of $10,000 to everyone. Despite the tiny chance of deciding the election, the tremendous value of a better president makes voting rational for those who care about others. Making every vote have a value of $1 trillion comes to $2 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Buy everyone in Sean Hannity's audience a Swift Boat

2008-11-02T00:01:00.003-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought everyone in Sean Hannity's audience their own Swift Boat.

While the Vietnam-era Fast Patrol Craft are no longer being produced, Small Unit Riverine Craft are the contemporary equivalents of Swift Boats. Like the Swift Boats of the Vietnam War, they are equipped with armored hulls, radar, and three machine gun mounts, and carry small numbers of soldiers along rivers. The Marine Corps paid around $27 million for 40 of these boats, giving them a unit cost of $675,000. Right-wing TV host Sean Hannity has 3.5 million viewers. Buying each Hannity viewer his own Swift Boat would cost $2.36 trillion, which is $640 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Give every Bengal tiger the wealth of Richard Mellon Scaife

2008-11-01T00:01:00.002-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could give every Bengal tiger the wealth of right-wing billionare Richard Mellon Scaife.

Richard Mellon Scaife is an heir to the Mellon family fortune. His past activities include donating $990,000 to Nixon before modern campaign finance laws, donating $1.8 million to an effort to unearth damaging information about Bill Clinton, and donating $2 million to a right-wing group called "Accuracy in Media" which produced an October 14 article titled "Was a Communist Obama's Sex Teacher?" Scaife's wealth totals $1.2 billion.

Bengal tigers are among the largest subspecies within the tiger family. Their past activities include eating wild boars, eating water buffalos, and eating rhinoceros. Giving the estimated 1,411 Bengal tigers each $1.2 billion would cost $1.69 trillion, or $1.31 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Buy every woman born since the Malleus Malleficarum a cauldron and a broom

2008-10-31T00:01:00.004-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought a cauldron and a broom for every woman born since the writing of the Malleus Maleficarum, or "Hammer of the Witches", a 15th century witch-hunting guide.

Written in 1486, the Malleus Maleficarum argued that witches existed, claimed that women were more likely to commit witchcraft, and advised authorities on how to detect and convict witches. It spread rapidly throughout Europe, leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of people through witch trials. Even today, some right-wing activists like Catholic League president Bill Donahue profess a belief in witchcraft.

Extrapolating from calculations by the Population Reference Bureau suggests that 12 billion women have been born since 1486. A 10 quart cast iron cauldron from a witchcraft supply store costs $150, while a broom costs $5. Buying these items for every woman born since 1486 would cost $1.86 billion, or $1.14 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Give each King of Israel the total value of the Israeli stock market

2008-10-30T08:59:00.006-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could give each historical King of Israel the value of everything on the contemporary Israeli stock market.

There are 24 historical kings of Israel: Saul, Ish-Bosheth, David, Solomon, Rehoboam, Jeroboam I, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab, Ahaziah, Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam Il, Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, and Hoshea. (This does not include the kings who only ruled Judah.) The S&P Global Indices currently value all the stocks on the Israeli stock market at a total of $96.9 billion. Giving each of these 24 kings the full value of the Israeli stock market would cost $2.33 trillion, $670 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons license from wallyg.

Give everyone in Georgia and the Carolinas an annual vacation in Hawaii

2008-10-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've given every resident of the Carolinas and Georgia a vacation in Hawaii each year of their lives.

The state of Georgia has a population of 9.54 million, while North Carolina has 9.06 million and South Carolina has 4.41 million. Assuming a life expectancy of 75 years, giving them a vacation each year would involve 1.73 billion vacations. A trip from Los Angeles to Kauai with five nights' stay at the four-star Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach costs $923 per person, and the addition of airfare from Atlanta to LA costs $345. Giving each of these people an annual five-night vacation in Hawaii would cost $2.19 trillion, $810 billion less than less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Visit saxby-chambliss.com for information on vulnerable Georgia Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss.

Pay both World Series teams for the next 20,000 years

2008-10-28T00:01:00.001-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could pay both World Series baseball teams for the next 20,000 years.

The two teams in the World Series this year are the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies. Philadelphia has a payroll of $95.5 million, while Tampa Bay has one of the lowest payrolls in the Major Leagues at $43.4 million. Paying both teams for the next 20,000 years would cost $2.78 trillion, or $220 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Thanks to reader Johanna Franklin for sending in this suggestion with calculations.

Buy humans a fireworks display every night since they learned to make fire

2008-10-27T00:01:00.000-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could buy humans a fireworks show fit for the 4th of July every night since they learned how to make fire.

According to new research from Hebrew University published in Quaternary Science Reviews, humans learned how to make fire 790,000 years ago, or 288 million days ago. According to Premier Pyrotechnics, the cost of a large 4th of July fireworks show is between $7,000 and $20,000, or $500 to $1000 per minute. Buying a $10,000 fireworks show every night since humans learned to make fire would cost $2.88 trillion, or $120 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons License from Stuck in Customs.

Buy each California hen a quarter-acre lot

2008-10-26T03:00:00.000-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could buy every laying hen in California her own quarter-acre lot in Fawnskin, CA.

California's 20 million laying hens produce about five billion eggs per year. If Proposition 2 on the California ballot passes, it will become illegal in 2015 to keep these hens in cages so small that they cannot turn around or spread their wings. While Proposition 2 would not mandate such a large amount of space, a quarter-acre lot close to the shore of Big Bear Lake is currently available in Fawnskin, CA for $140,000. Buying a lot like this for each California laying hen would cost $2.8 trillion, $200 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Buy enough communion wafers that Christ's body could reach Neptune from Earth

2008-10-25T09:27:00.004-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought enough communion wafers to connect Earth to Neptune with the Body of Christ.

According to various Christian denominations including Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism, communion wafers transform into the Body of Christ when blessed in the sacrament of the Eucharist. 1000 communion wafers, each 1.125 inches long, can be purchased for $12.29. Neptune, the furthest planet in the solar system after the ruling that Pluto is not a planet, is approximately 4.5 billion kilometers from Earth. Covering this distance would require 157 trillion communion wafers. Buying this many communion wafers would cost $1.93 trillion, $1.07 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Video from 95thesesrap.com.

Electrify America with wind for ten years

2008-10-24T05:20:00.004-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've satisfied American electricity demand with wind power for ten years.

In 2005, America used 3.82 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity. In their 1996 paper "Alternative Windpower Ownership Structures: Financing Terms and Project Costs," Ryan Wiser and Edward Kahn of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory's Energy and Environment Division calculated that a properly financed wind farm at a good site could produce electricity at 3.69 cents/kwH, or 5.15 cents/KwH adjusting for inflation. Supplying America with wind power for a decade at these prices would cost $1.97 trillion, or $1030 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons License from Flidais.

Buy every Iraqi woman the clothes that the Republicans bought Sarah Palin

2008-10-23T00:01:00.001-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought each Iraqi woman the clothes and accessories that the Republican Party has bought Sarah Palin during her Vice Presidential run.

According to 2005 estimates, there are 13.3 million women in Iraq. The Republican Party recently made headlines by buying Sarah Palin over $150,000 of clothes and accessories during her run. Providing every Iraqi woman with the clothes and accessories that Sarah Palin purchased would cost $2.0 trillion, $1 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Buy a Tesla Roadster for everyone who graduates high school for the next five years

2008-10-22T00:01:00.002-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought a Tesla Roadster for everyone who graduates high school for the next five years.

The Tesla Roadster is an electric car capable of going from 0 to 60 mph in under 4 seconds and traveling 220 miles without a recharge. Its base price is $109,000. In 2008, 3.3 million high school diplomas were awarded. At this rate, 16.5 high school students will graduate over the next five years. Buying each of them a Tesla Roadster would cost $1.80 trillion, which is $1.2 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Cure five trillion cases of childhood pneumonia

2008-10-21T07:04:00.004-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could have saved five trillion children from dying of pneumonia.

Pneumonia, a lung infection that can be caused by a variety of microorganisms, is responsible for 19 percent of the deaths of children worldwide. It can be treated with a dose of antibiotic syrup costing 58 cents. Treating 5 trillion children for pneumonia would cost $2.9 trillion, which is $100 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Help everyone on earth quit smoking five times over

2008-10-20T07:52:00.008-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought enough Chantix® to help everybody on Earth quit smoking five times over.

According to the World Bank, 1.142 billion people in the world smoke. Antismoking therapy with Chantix® costs $112 per month and lasts three months. Treating everyone on earth with this therapy five times over would cost $1.92 trillion, which is $1.08 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Run Obama campaigns for the next 10,000 years

2008-10-19T12:33:00.004-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've funded Barack Obama presidential campaigns for the next 10,000 years.

Barack Obama just raised a record-setting $150 million in September, pushing his total fundraising to $605 million. If he raises the same amount in October he will have raised a total of $755 million for his presidential campaign. The next 10,000 years will include 2500 presidential elections. Similarly funding presidential campaigns for the next 10,000 years would cost $1.89 trillion, $1,110 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Buy every donkey in the world a BMW Z4

2008-10-18T03:30:00.003-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought every donkey in the world a fully loaded 2008 BMW Z4 convertible.

There are around 44 million donkeys on earth. The BMW Z4 convertible costs $52,400 fully loaded. Buying each donkey a BMW Z4 would cost $2.31 trillion, or $690 billion less than than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons License from sheeshoo.

Buy each of Pelosi's constituents two dozen roses for every hour since Bush announced Social Security Privatization

2008-10-17T00:01:00.001-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could buy everyone in Nancy Pelosi's district two dozen roses each hour since George Bush announced that he would try to privatize Social Security in his second term.

On November 5, 2004, President Bush announced that his re-election had given him "political capital" and named Social Security privatization as the first thing on which he would spend it. He proposed a plan that would invest Social Security funds in the stock market, which has fallen over 10% since then. Nancy Pelosi, then the new House Minority Leader, pulled her beleaguered party together so that 201 of the 202 Democrats in the House opposed the plan. Without the possibility of bipartisan cover, Republican support for privatization crumbled.

Pelosi has 639,088 constituents. Two dozen roses in the "Double Touch of Elegance" bouquet cost $120 at 1-800-FLOWERS. Buying each of her constituents two dozen roses each hour since November 5 would cost $2.65 trillion, or $350 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Give each US plumber the monthly earnings of Roto-Rooter

2008-10-16T01:54:00.007-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've given Joe the Plumber and each other US plumber, pipefitter, and steamfitter the monthly earnings of Roto-Rooter, the largest plumbing and drain cleaning company in America.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 435,010 plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters in America. The plumbers and pipe fitters union was one of the first to endorse Barack Obama. Roto-Rooter is the largest plumbing and drain cleaning company in America, reporting earnings before interest, depreciation, taxes, and amortization of $15.9 million in the first quarter of 2008, or $5.3 million per month. Giving the monthly earnings of Roto-Rooter to each US plumber would cost $2.31 trillion, $690 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Give all 9/11 victims a burial on Mars

2008-10-15T06:54:00.004-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could give all the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks a burial and funeral on the planet Mars.

Excluding the 19 hijackers, 2,974 people died in the 9/11 attacks. Another 24 are missing and presumed dead, for a total of 2,998. Each Mars Rover has a weight of 175.4 kilograms, which is considerably more than the vast majority of humans. Assembly, test, launch, and a year of operations of each Rover cost about $425 million. So for $850 million, we could send a person's body to Mars, accompanied by their own personal Mars Rover, to dig a grave, bury the body, and broadcast funeral rites. Burying each of the 9/11 victims on Mars would then cost a total of $2.55 trillion, which is $450 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Thanks to reader Andrew Lang for sending in this suggestion with calculations.

Give every American household a herd of 125 Angora goats

2008-10-14T00:01:00.002-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could give every American household a herd of 125 Angora goats.

The Angora goat is valued for its fur, called mohair, which is heavily subsidized today by the US government. In 1993, a herd of 125 goats cost $14,600, or $22,136 in today's dollars. As there are 112 million households in America, giving every American household a herd of 125 goats would cost $2.48 trillion, which is $520 trillion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image adapted under a Creative Commons License from ClifB.

Cover the Midwest in muslin

2008-10-13T00:01:00.000-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've covered the Midwest in muslin.

Florida resident Andy Lacasse posted the sign depicted above on his lawn to attack Barack Obama's racial background and putative religious views. Muslin is a finely woven cotton fabric, not a term for the followers of Islam, the religion that Obama is sometimes falsely accused of following. Onlinefabricstore.net sells 1 yard by 125 inches of muslin for $4.

The midwest can be broadly defined to include the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, which have a combined land area of 822,000 square miles. Covering this entire area with muslin from onlinefabricstore.net would cost $2.92 trillion, which is $80 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Buy every man a Nieman Marcus suit, like the ones Norm Coleman denies receiving

2008-10-12T00:01:00.004-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought every man on Earth a Nieman Marcus suit.

Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman is accused of receiving improper free gifts, including a Nieman Marcus suit, from contributor Nasser Kazeminy. The above video shows Coleman's campaign manager, Cullen Sheehan, repeatedly refusing to answer reporters' questions about whether Coleman received the free suits. Senators are required to disclose gifts they receive with a value over $250.

The cheapest of the 24 suits advertised on Nieman Marcus' front suit page costs $830 (considering a suit to include only the jacket and pants). Buying such a suit for the 3.36 billion men on earth would cost a total of $2.79 trillion, which is $210 billion less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Buy each Somali enough cement to make seven Ryozen Kannon memorials

2008-10-11T00:01:00.001-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought every Somali enough cement to make seven Ryozen Kannon memorial statues.

A ship carrying cement was recently captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia, which has a population of 10 million. Kyoto's Ryozen Kannon memorial, constructed in honor of the World War II dead from both sides, includes a large Bodhisattva statue made of 500 tons of cement, so it would take 35 billion tons of cement to build seven statues for each Somali. A metric ton of cement costs $77 when bought in bulk. So buying enough cement to make seven Ryozen Kannon statues for each Somali would cost $2.70 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Make all Virginians rich enough to be taxed more by Obama

2008-10-10T04:07:00.005-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could make everybody in Virginia rich enough to have a portion of their taxes increased by Barack Obama.

Barack Obama plans to raise taxes on income over $250,000 per year. Whether people in this bracket experience a net tax increase under his plan will depend on their overall tax situation. The population of Virginia is 7.7 million. Giving all Virginians $250,000 to raise them to the tax bracket where they'd experience some portion of Obama's tax increases would require $1.93 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Buy out Japan

2008-10-09T02:13:00.004-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought every publicly traded company in Japan at yesterday's closing price.

The S&P Global Indices provide the best estimate of the total value of all the publicly traded companies in a nation. The 'Total Market Capitalization' of companies includes not only the value of all the shares of stock, but also any interest in the companies that may be controlled off the stock exchange by the government or other stakeholders. As of yesterday, the total market capitalization of the entire Japanese stock market is $2.95 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Join our Facebook group: I know the price of the Iraq War in cars, gold, tequila, and marshmallows

Provide forensic exams for every woman in the world

2008-10-08T09:07:00.000-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could provide forensic exams for each woman in the world, something that rape victims in Wasilla had to pay for with their own money during Sarah Palin's term as mayor.

In 2000, Alaska Governor Tony Knowles signed a bill making sure that rape victims wouldn't have to pay for their own forensic exams. According to the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, this was not common practice at the time in Wasilla:

While the Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies have covered the cost of exams, which cost between $300 to $1,200 apiece, the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests.

Using the figure in the middle of the range gives a cost per forensic exam of $750. There are 3.33 billion women on earth. At that price, all 3.33 billion women could be provided with forensic exams for $2.50 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Build an undersea subway from New York to Rome

2008-10-07T05:34:00.005-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've built a undersea subway beneath the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea from New York to Rome.

The 31.35 mile Channel Tunnel, built from Folkestone in England to Calais in France, cost 4.65 billion pounds in 1985 prices, or $18.8 billion in today's dollars. This comes to $600 million per mile. The distance from New York to Rome is 4280 miles. At the price of the Channel Tunnel, we could've built a railway underneath the Atlantic and the Mediterranean between these two cities for $2.57 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Image from Kdoug at Daily Kos.

Buy a mastectomy for each woman who could lose breast cancer screening coverage under McCain's health plan

2008-10-06T00:01:00.000-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could buy a mastectomy for each woman whose insurance company could move to Utah after the passage of McCain's health care plan, allowing the company to drop coverage for breast cancer screening.

John McCain's health care plan allows insurance companies to sell across state lines, obeying the regulations of the state in which they're headquartered while ignoring the regulations of the state in which their patients live. Currently, Utah is the only state that does not require breast cancer screening. By moving there, insurance companies could sell everywhere in the country and not cover breast cancer screening even if their patients' states required it.

There are 153 million women in the United States, excluding those in Utah. A mastectomy cost $12,987 in 2001 dollars, or $16,066 in 2008 dollars. Buying a mastectomy for each of these women would cost $2.46 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the total cost of the Iraq War.

Buy the world's pistachio harvest for a thousand years

2008-10-05T00:01:00.000-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought the world's pistachio harvest for a thousand years.

The UN estimates global pistachio production at a total of 500,000 metric tons, worth $1.98 billion in 2001 dollars, or $2.45 billion in 2008 dollars. At that price, buying the world's pistachio harvest for the next thousand years would cost $2.45 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Buy each Canadian their own minor league hockey team

2008-10-04T00:01:00.000-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought each Canadian their own minor league hockey team.

According to 2008 estimates, the Canadian population is 33,366,000. In 2005, the Santa Fe Roadrunners of the North American Hockey League were sold for $75,000. At these prices, buying each Canadian a minor league hockey team valued at the same price as the Roadrunners would cost $2.5 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image adapted under a Creative Commons License from Lone Primate.

Buy a large American flag for every molecule in a droplet of oil

2008-10-03T00:01:00.000-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought an American flag for every molecule in a droplet of oil.

At a McCain-Palin rally, Sarah Palin said,

Oil and coal...it’s a fungible commodity and they don’t flag the molecules where it’s going and where it’s not. In the sense of the Congress today they know that there are very, very hungry domestic markets that need that oil first. So that I believe that what Congress is going to do also is not to allow the export bans to such a degree that it’s Americans who get stuck holding the bag without the energy source that is produced here, pumped here...it’s got to flow into the domestic markets first.

While different varieties of petroleum consist of different combinations of compounds, one representative compound is iso-octane, which has chemical formula C8H18 and atomic mass 114. A possible mass for an oil droplet is 7 x 10-15 kg. Iso-octane has a density of .691. Dividing by the atomic mass, multiplying by the density, and multiplying by Avogadro's number gives us a total of 25.5 billion molecules in an oil droplet. A 5' by 8' heavyweight American flag can be bought for $96.89. So buying a large American flag for every molecule in an oil droplet would cost $2.47 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Buy a California home every 20 seconds since Greenspan promoted alternative mortgages

2008-10-02T00:01:00.004-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could buy a California home every 20 seconds since Alan Greenspan gave his speech promoting adjustable rate mortgages.

It has been 1683 days, or approximately 2.42 million minutes since February 23, 2004, when Alan Greenspan gave a speech titled "Understanding Household Debt Obligations" to the Credit Union National Association. In the speech, Greenspan promoted adjustable rate mortgages and called for "greater mortgage product alternatives to the traditional fixed-rate mortgage." He claimed that rising debt-to-income ratios were not signs of "increasing household financial stress."

The median price paid for a California home in August was $301,000, down from $465,000 the year before. (Half this drop is from depreciation -- the other half is from changes in the kinds of homes selling.) Buying a California house every 20 seconds since Greenspan's speech would cost $2.19 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Buy Sarah Palin all US newspapers ever printed

2008-10-01T00:01:00.004-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought Sarah Palin all copies of all US newspapers ever printed.

When asked by Katie Couric which newspapers she read, Sarah Palin answered, 'all of them'.

COURIC: And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this — to stay informed and to understand the world?

PALIN: I’ve read most of them again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media —

COURIC: But what ones specifically? I’m curious.

PALIN: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me over all these years.

COURIC: Can you name any of them?

PALIN: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news.

Newspaper industry circulation revenue totaled about $11 billion in 2004. Using this figure as the value of each year's newspaper circulation since the founding of the country -- probably a high estimate, as the nation and its newspaper industry were smaller in early years -- the total value of all US newspapers is $2.55 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Scatter 40 mattresses outside the window of each stockholding American to cushion their fall

2008-09-30T05:41:00.006-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could scatter 40 king-sized Serta mattresses outside the window of each American who owns stocks, so their fall would be cushioned if horror over huge losses caused them to jump out.

63% of American adults own stocks, whether directly or through some investment vehicle like a mutual fund or retirement plan. This comes to about 142 million Americans. A king size Serta Senna mattress costs $439 at Sam's Club. Putting 40 of these mattresses outside each stock-owning American's window would cost $2.49 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Give every American a community college economics degree

2008-09-29T00:01:00.001-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've given every American a two-year community college economics degree, so that they could see why the House Republican plan for fixing the financial crisis was nonsense.

House Republicans proposed to deal with the financial crisis by cancelling capital gains taxes and providing insurance on mortgage-backed securities. Economists on Wall Street and at nonpartisan think tanks regard the plan as costly and ineffective, as the firms at the center of the crisis are facing capital losses, not gains, and the volatile nature of the securities makes it impossible to insure them effectively without exposing taxpayers to massive risk.

There are 301 million Americans. Two years of tuition at a community college costs $4152. So giving every American a two-year community college degree would cost $1.25 trillion, which is less than half of Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Buy a chocolate chip cookie every second for all Americans born on the same day as McCain

2008-09-28T00:01:00.001-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought a chocolate chip cookie each second for every American who was born on the same day as John McCain.

John McCain was born on August 29, 1936 -- according to thingsyoungerthanmccain.com, one year before the chocolate chip cookie was invented. Extrapolating from the birth rates in 1935 and 1940, 2,413,000 Americans were born in 1936, and 6,610 on McCain's birthday. John McCain is now 26,329 days old, and buying everyone born on his birthday a chocolate chip cookie per second would require about 15 trillion cookies.

A 15.25 ounce container of Nabisco Chips Ahoy cookies contains about 26 cookies. 12 such packs cost $43. At these prices, we could've bought a chocolate chip cookie each second for everyone born on the same day as John McCain for $2.07 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons License from javYliz.

Hire all the educators in America to teach Sarah Palin for five years

2008-09-27T00:01:00.000-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've hired all the educators in the United States to teach Sarah Palin for five years, so she might actually know stuff.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 8,316,360 educators in America, from preschool teachers to professors to librarians. These educators earn an average of $46,610 per year. If we had hired them all to teach Sarah Palin for a five-year period beginning in 2003 instead of invading Iraq, we would've spent $1.94 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Make everybody in Philly a Scottish baron

2008-09-26T00:01:00.001-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've made everybody in Philadelphia a Scottish baron.

In 2002, Sir Iain Noble offered to sell the Barony of MacDonald for one million pounds. At current rates, one pound is worth $1.86. Sir Iain, a merchant banker, had unwittingly acquired it as part of a land transaction 30 years before. The Barony includes title to Knock Castle, which is currently in ruins.

The population of Philadelphia is estimated at 1.45 million. Buying every resident of Philadelphia a Scottish barony at Sir Iain's asking price would cost $2.70 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Buy each panda an Arleigh Burke class destroyer

2008-09-25T00:01:00.000-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've equipped each panda with an Arleigh Burke class destroyer.

Using the highest estimates, there are 3000 giant pandas in the wild, and 266 in captivity. 55 Arleigh Burke destroyers cost around $43 billion, for a unit cost of $782 million. Equipping every giant panda with their own Arleigh Burke class destroyer would cost $2.55 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Hire all Kenyans as sitcom actors, so Limbaugh viewers will see that they're not Arabs

2008-09-24T00:01:00.000-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've hired the entire population of Kenya as sitcom actors, so that Rush Limbaugh viewers would be able to see that they are not Arabs.

On the September 22 broadcast of his show, right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh said of Barack Obama,

He's Arab. You know, he's from Africa. He's from Arab parts of Africa. ... [H]e's not African-American. The last thing that he is is African-American.

There are 38 million people in Kenya, the country from which Barack Obama's father (who is not Arab, but Luo) originated. Less than 1% of Kenyans are Arabs, while 13% are Luo. The average pay for an actor in the US is $62,000. Hiring the entire population of Kenya as sitcom actors so that Americans could see them on TV and realize that they are not Arabs would cost $2.36 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Build a US-Mexico border fence out of marshmallows, reaching the stratosphere

2008-09-23T00:01:00.001-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could build a fence across the US-Mexico border out of large marshmallows, tall enough to reach the stratosphere.

Many immigration opponents support building a fence across the US-Mexico border. The border is 1969 miles, or 125 million inches long. The stratosphere begins 6 miles, or 380,000 inches, above the earth. Assuming that each marshmallow is one inch long and one inch in diameter, building a border fence that went up to the stratosphere would require 47.5 trillion marshmallows.

A 16 oz bag of Marshmallows costs $2.55 and contains about 64 marshmallows. Buying enough marshmallows for a US-Mexico border fence would cost $1.9 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons License from flattop341.

Buy every US adult a bottle of good tequila a week for ten years

2008-09-22T00:01:00.003-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought every US adult a bottle of good tequila a week for ten years.

There are 225 million adults in the United States. Buying each of these adults a bottle of tequila a year for 10 years would add up to 117 billion bottles. 1800 Reposado, a 100% agave tequila, costs $24 per bottle at winedelight.com. At this price, we could've bought each American a weekly bottle of tequila for ten years for $2.81 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons License from evilibby.

Buy the cranberry harvests of the next ten thousand years

2008-09-21T00:01:00.003-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought all the cranberries produced for the next ten thousand years.

The UN estimates that global cranberry production in 2005 came to 372,000 metric tons, worth a total value of $165 million at 2001 prices. Adjusting for inflation, this is $204 million at 2008 prices. Assuming a constant rate of production, buying all the cranberries in the world for the next ten thousand years would cost $2.04 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Buy each US astronomer their own Space Shuttle

2008-09-20T00:01:00.001-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought each professional astronomer their own Space Shuttle.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates the total number of professional astronomers in the United States at 1520. According to NASA, the Space Shuttle Endeavour cost $1.7 billion to build. Giving each astronomer their own Space Shuttle would cost $2.58 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image released to the public by Lori Losey/NASA.

Pay off half of the national debt, at the level it was when Bush entered office

2008-09-19T04:04:00.004-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've paid off half of the national debt, at the level it was when Bush came into office.

At the end of the Clinton Administration, the national debt was at $5.7 trillion. The debt had actually declined by $360 billion over the last three years of the Clinton Administration, because of budget surpluses. (At this point, the national debt is $9.65 trillion.) Paying off half the national debt at the level it was at the end of the Clinton Administration would cost $2.85 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Buy cars for all US women, so they can drive to Canada if McCain or Palin ban abortion

2008-09-18T00:01:00.002-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could buy a new car for every woman whom John McCain and Sarah Palin want to deny the right to an abortion, so that she could drive to Canada if she needed one.

In an ABC News interview, McCain announced his support for a Constitutional amendment banning all abortion except in cases of rape, incest, and when the mother's life is threatened. This would deny the 152 million women in America the right to have an abortion under most circumstances. (He also said that such an amendment would be unlikely to pass, and expressed support for overturning Roe v. Wade instead.) Sarah Palin, meanwhile, opposes abortion even in cases of rape and incest. Since about 40 million US women have already reached menopause, there are 112 million women to whom the right to have an abortion applies or will apply.

According to AutoPacific, the vehicle with the highest proportion of female buyers is the VW New Beetle, which has a base price of $17,475. Buying New Beetles for 112 million women would cost $1.96 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons License from peterpolaroid. See my new website, The Palin Truth Squad.

Buy every lolrus a dozen of the most valuable buckets

2008-09-17T06:25:00.006-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought each lolrus a dozen of the most valuable buckets in existence.

The lolrus, actually an southern elephant seal named Minazo who lived a Japanese aquarium, achieved immense internet fame due to a famous captioned image of him having his bucket taken away by an aquarium attendant. A popular series of captioned photos concerning the putatively unhappy lolrus and his quest to regain his bucket soon followed. There are about 600,000 southern elephant seals in the world.

A George 111 mahogany and brass peat bucket was bought by John Magnier for 169,000 Euro and is believed to be the most valuable bucket in the world. Buying 12 such buckets for each southern elephant seal would cost $1.73 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Give everyone in Green Bay the Lehman CEO's 2007 bonus

2008-09-16T00:01:00.001-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could give everyone in Green Bay a bonus of the size that Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld earned in 2007.

In 2007, Lehman Brothers Chairman and CEO Richard Fuld earned a bonus of $22 million. Because of bad investments in mortgage-backed securities, Lehman Brothers' stock price has fallen from over $80 in early 2007 to 18 cents per share as it filed for bankruptcy yesterday. Previously, Mr. Fuld had earned $354 million over a 5-year period. There are 100,781 residents of Green Bay, so giving them a bonus equal to what Fuld earned in 2007 would take $2.22 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Make every Darfur refugee a millionaire

2008-09-15T00:01:00.003-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've made every refugee in Darfur a millionaire.

There are 2.5 million refugees in Darfur. Making every man, woman, and child among them a millionaire would cost us $2.5 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image taken from Letter from Larnaca.

Keep America deodorized for a thousand years

2008-09-14T00:01:00.001-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could have provided all Americans with deodorant for a millennium.

Americans spend $1.8 billion per year on deodorants and antiperspirants. Even allowing for 10% greater expenditures to deodorize any additional Americans, the entire population could be deodorized for a thousand years for $2 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Build Large Hadron Colliders all the way up the West Coast

2008-09-13T00:01:00.002-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've build adjacent Large Hadron Colliders all the way up the West Coast.

The California coast is 840 miles, the Oregon coast is 296 miles, and the Washington coast is 157 miles, making the West Coast of the United States 1293 miles long. The Large Hadron Collider has a circumference of 17 miles, and dividing by pi gives a diameter of 5.4 miles. This means that it would take 240 adjacent Large Hadron Colliders to cover the coastline. At 6.4 billion Euros or about 9 billion dollars each, 240 Large Hadron Colliders would cost $2.16 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Buy enough Pabst Blue Ribbon to cover Mars' biggest moon knee-deep

2008-09-12T00:01:00.005-04:00

For the price of the Iraq war, we could've bought enough Pabst Blue Ribbon to cover Phobos, Mars' biggest moon, knee-deep in a sea of beer.

Phobos is the largest moon of the planet Mars. It has a surface area of 6100 square kilometers. If we estimate the height of a knee at 50 cm -- roughly the height to the top of my knee -- it would take 3.05 billion cubic meters of beer to cover Phobos knee-deep on average (craters would be deeper, while elevated portions of the moon might stick out as islands). This would require 50.4 billion kegs of beer. Pabst Blue Ribbon can be bought for $51 per keg. At this price, we could cover Phobos knee-deep in beer for $2.57 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons License from lodri.

Put a tank staffed by Petraeus duplicates on every square mile of Afghanistan

2008-09-11T11:11:00.004-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've hunted down Osama Bin Laden by placing a fully equipped M1 Abrams battle tank on every square mile of Afghanistan and staffing them entirely with duplicates of General Petraeus.

The heavily armored 67-ton M1 Abrams battle tank, which carries four crew members, is the principal combat tank of the American armed forces. A fully equipped M1 Abrams costs $4.30 million. General David Petraeus, who oversaw all US forces in Iraq, earns $180,000 per year. The area of Afghanistan is 251,772 square miles Putting an M1 Abrams on each square mile of Afghanistan and staffing them entirely with Petraeus duplicates drawing a salary equal to his would cost $1.26 trillion, which is less than half of Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Buy everything on the UK stock market

2008-09-10T00:01:00.003-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought out the entire United Kingdom stock market at a 10% premium.

The S&P Global Indices provide the best estimate of the total value of all the publicly traded companies in a nation. The 'Total Market Capitalization' of companies includes not only the value of all the shares of stock, but also any interest in the companies that may be controlled off the stock exchange by the government or other stakeholders. Currently the total market cap of the UK stock market is $2.72 trillion. Paying a 10% premium to completely buy out the UK stock market and own all of every publicly traded company in the UK would cost $2.99 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Give everyone in North America earmarks like Wasilla received under Mayor Palin

2008-09-09T00:01:00.003-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've given everyone in North America the same per capita amount in federal earmarks that Wasilla, Sarah Palin's hometown, received between 2000 and 2003.

Earmarked funds have been widely criticized as a way to get excess spending past the controls in the appropriations process. Between 2000 and 2003, a period mostly including the last two years of Palin's reign as mayor, the city of Wasilla received $26.9 million in federal earmarks, including $15 million for a rail project connecting Wasilla to Senator Ted Stevens' hometown of Girdwood. (The above image includes Palin's boasts about previous federal funding for Wasilla in her own handwriting.) In 2000, the population of Wasilla was 5469, so the city received $4919 per capita in earmarks. Earmarking this amount of federal funds for each of the 524 million people in North America would cost $2.58 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image from Mike Lillis of the Washington Independent.

Pay for Katrina and the next 30 hurricanes like it

2008-09-08T00:01:00.002-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've paid off all the damage from Hurricane Katrina and the next thirty equally devastating hurricanes.

Hurricane Katrina, the costliest hurricane in American history, did $89.2 billion worth of damage in 2008 dollars. Paying off all the damage for Katrina, as well as thirty future hurricanes of the same size, would've cost $2.77 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Buy a platinum vibrator studded with diamonds for each woman in Europe and the Americas

2008-09-07T00:01:00.002-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought a platinum vibrator studded with diamonds for each woman in Europe and the Americas.

731 million people live in Europe, 524 million live in North America, and 382 million people live in South America. Assuming that half of these people are women, there are 819 million women on these three continents combined.

JimmyJane sells the Little Platinum Eternity vibrator, plated in platinum and encircled by 28 conflict-free VS1 diamonds, for $3,250. Buying 819 million of these vibrators would cost $2.66 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Buy a stealth bomber for each panda

2008-09-06T05:27:00.007-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought each of the world's pandas their own stealth bomber.

Using the highest estimates, there are 3000 giant pandas in the wild, and 266 in captivity. The unit cost of the stealth bomber (at the prices that the US government was initially quoted when a larger order of bombers was planned) is $737 million each. Equipping every giant panda with their own stealth bomber would cost $2.4 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Buy a bottle of Jameson's Irish whiskey for every person ever

2008-09-05T00:01:00.003-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought a bottle of Jameson's Irish whiskey for every human who ever lived.

The Population Reference Bureau estimates the total number of people who have ever lived at 106 billion. (Updated versions of Keyfitz' calculation gave an estimate of 96 billion in 2000.) A fifth of Jameson's Irish Whiskey costs $23. At this price we could supply each of the humans who ever lived with a bottle of whiskey for $2.44 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image adapted under a Creative Commons License from petar_c.

Buy a Bridge to Nowhere for each house or condo in Alaskan Zip Code 99901

2008-09-04T00:01:00.004-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could attach a new 'Bridge to Nowhere' to each house and condo in Alaska's zip code 99901.

The 99901 zip code contains 6,164 houses and condos. It was supposed to include the infamous Bridge to Nowhere, a $398 million bridge designed to connect Ketchikan, Alaska, with a small island inhabited by only 50 people. Governor Sarah Palin, pictured above, ended her support of the bridge after it became clear that $169 million in federal funding would not be forthcoming. Fully funding the addition of a new 'Bridge to Nowhere' to each house and condo in 99901 would cost $2.45 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Photograph from Andrew Halcro.

Buy Ohio State - Michigan tickets until the sun becomes a red giant

2008-09-03T00:03:00.003-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought a Ohio State - Michigan football ticket every year until the Sun becomes a red giant and engulfs the Earth.

The Sun is currently in its main sequence. In 5 billion years, it will burn all the hydrogen in its core and helium fusion will make it a red giant. It will grow to 200 times its current size and engulf the earth.

At this writing, tickets to the Ohio State - Michigan football game, perhaps the biggest college football rivalry game in America, start at $400 each. For this price, buying tickets for the OSU-Michigan game until the sun becomes a red giant would cost $2 trillion dollars, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Build a wall of condoms along the Alaska-Canada border high enough to reach the ozone layer

2008-09-02T00:02:00.001-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've helped sexually active Alaska teens by building a wall of condoms along the Alaska-Canada border high enough to reach the the ozone layer.

The Alaska-Canada border is 2477 km. Using the online ruler shows that a LifeStyles lubricated condom is 5.5 cm long. This means that it would take 45 million condoms to stretch along the entire border.

While ozone is somewhat diffuse in the earth's atmosphere, the ozone layer is formed by greater concentrations of ozone in the stratosphere from 20 and 40 km above the earth's surface. It would thus take about 363,636 condoms to reach the ozone layer. Building a wall this high along the Alaska-Canada border would require 16.4 trillion condoms. Purchased in cases of 1000 from ripnroll at $159, this many condoms would cost $2.6 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image from Gawker.

Buy each coalition soldier their weight in platinum, gold, and BlackBerry Pearls

2008-09-01T00:01:00.001-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought each soldier involved in the initial invading coalition their weight in platinum, gold, and BlackBerry pearl 8100s.

The initial invading force consisted of 297000 soldiers -- 250000 from America, 45000 from the UK, 2500 from Australia, and 194 from Poland. Assuming that each soldier weighs 180 lbs, the total weight of the soldiers was 53.5 million pounds.

There are about 14.6 troy ounces in a pound. Platinum currently costs $1417 per ounce, or $20700 per pound. Gold currently costs $823 per troy ounce, or $12000 per pound. The BlackBerry Pearl 8100 costs $300 and weighs 3.16 ounces, for a price of $1500 per pound. At these prices, we could've bought each soldier their weight in platinum, gold, and BlackBerry Pearl 8100s for $1.83 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Give everyone in sub-Saharan Africa condoms

2008-08-31T00:01:00.001-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could give everyone in sub-Saharan Africa enough condoms to have sex every night of their adult lives.

Sub-Saharan Africa has 770 million residents. The population is expected to nearly double by 2050, and 6.1% of adults are infected with HIV. Assuming that the disease-preventing benefits of condoms would raise life expectancy in the region to the global average of 66 years, the residents would be having 13.5 trillion nights of sex.

At ripnroll, a case of a thousand Lifestyles Large condoms costs $159. At this price, equipping the population of sub-Saharan Africa for a lifetime of sex every night would cost $2.15 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons License from amalthya.

Buy enough Apache helicopters to fly all Alaskan women to Canada if Roe is overturned

2008-08-30T00:01:00.004-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could buy enough Apache military helicopters to fly all Alaskan women to Canada, so they'd still have the right to an abortion even if John McCain and Sarah Palin succeeded in overturning Roe v. Wade.

Both John McCain and Sarah Palin oppose Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that protects the right to have an abortion nationwide. Roe would most likely be overturned if McCain or Palin chose the replacement for a pro-choice Justice like the 88-year-old John Paul Stevens. Then Alaska would severely restrict abortion rights for its 302,820 women.

Armed with a 30mm chain gun and Hydra and Hellfire rockets, the AH-64 Apache helicopter is the primary attack helicopter of the U.S. Army. It costs $18 million and seats two crew members. With two women in each helicopter, buying enough Apache helicopters to fly the female population of Alaska to pro-choice Canada would cost $2.73 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Buy every impoverished American child a lifetime of nice dinners

2008-08-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could buy every impoverished American child a lifetime of dinners at Trudy's, a Tex-Mex restaurant in Austin, Texas.

According to recent census data, there are 13.3 million American children in poverty. If we assume that these children will each live an average of 70 more years, they will jointly consume a total of 340 billion dinners over the rest of their lives.

The enchilada plate at Trudy's, which I would often order with chipotle sauce over mushrooms and pinto beans, costs $7.95. At this price, we could buy every American child a lifetime of dinners for $2.70 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Photo credit: Patrick Meredith, Austin-American Statesman

Buy every US adult who wants to attack Iran their weight in marijuana

2008-08-28T00:01:00.003-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've bought every American adult who wants to attack Iran their weight in marijuana.

According to a November 2007 Gallup poll, 18% of Americans favored military action against Iran, while 73% favored relying on economic and diplomatic efforts. There are 225 million American adults, so this means that 40 million Americans favor military action. The average American adult weighs slightly under 180 lbs, so 7.2 billion pounds of Americans support military action against Iran.

In 2005, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated retail marijuana prices at $2783 per pound. Buying all American adults who want to attack Iran their weight in marijuana would cost $2.00 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons License from dey.

Cure all malaria for 2000 years

2008-08-26T12:01:00.000-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could cure all cases of malaria for the next two thousand years.

Each year, there are 515 million cases of malaria, causing 1 to 3 million deaths and contributing to poverty in many developing countries. If the rate of malaria infection were to stay constant even as we treat every case for the next 2000 years, we would have to treat 1.03 trillion cases of the disease.

Artemisinin therapies, which are used to treat the disease now that the malaria parasite is resistant to chloroquine and some mosquitos are resistant to DDT, cost $2.20 for a course of treatment. Treating 2000 years of malaria would cost $2.27 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons License from otisarchives2.

Give every woman in Afghanistan as many servants as John McCain

2008-08-25T00:01:00.003-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've given every woman in Afghanistan as many American servants as John McCain.

In 2007, John McCain spent $273,000 on household employees (for example, the caretaker of one of his homes in Sedona). 8.4 million women over 15 live in Afghanistan. Giving each of these women their own McCain-sized retinue of household employees would cost $2.3 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Give the residents of CA, NY, TX, and FL their weight in silver

2008-08-24T00:01:00.008-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could've given the residents of California, New York, Texas, and Florida their weight in silver.

California, New York, Texas, and Florida are the four most populated states in America, with a total population of 98 million people. If the average resident of these states weighs 150 lbs (lighter than the average American adult, but much heavier than most children), the total weight of these states' population is 14.7 billion pounds.

Silver is currently valued at $13.33 per ounce. There are 14.6 troy ounces in a pound. So buying the residents of these four states their weight in silver would cost $2.86 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons License from RickyDavid.

Supply the British with tea for ten thousand years

2008-08-23T00:01:00.001-04:00

For the price of the Iraq War, we could satisfy the British thirst for tea for the next ten thousand years.

The British lead the world in per capita tea consumption, with the average Briton consuming 2.3 kilograms of tea per year, enough to make 766 cups. Since there are nearly 60 million people in Britain, total British tea consumption runs to 140 million kg.

The global average wholesale price of tea is $1.95 per kg (link). So satisfying British tea demand for the next ten thousand years would cost $2.7 trillion, which is less than Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes' estimate of $3 trillion for the cost of the Iraq War.

Image used under a Creative Commons License from fisserman.