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Ah, well, it's just another 87 billion down the drain right?

My man, rather you choose to recognize it or not, 9/11 cost us far more than 87B$. I understand that for most of us, numbers with six or seven digits are incomprehensible, but you really must attempt to challenge that disability.

At a minimum, 9/11 cost us in excess of 80B$ in clean-up and rebuilding cost alone. It has cost us more in additional attempts at security, some of which will certainly go awry as we try several approaches to discover what will work. Indirect costs to the US economy for the past 2 years are greater than 500B$ and probably amount to paring 3+% off the growth rate of the economy. This economy could well have been screaming along without the drag from 9/11, but nobody wishes to admit that, apparently because in a real sense, that is admitting that BinLadin and his fanatics succeeded.

We must work as hard as we can in efforts to prevent this type of thing from happening again, and it will cost us several hundred billion dollars, at least, to secure our country, our economy, and our way of life. I still believe it is inevitable that there will be another major terrorist attack on this country which will succeed, and will cost us dearly. It will again not bring us to our knees (I disagree with you, Peach, for once, I guess I'm not one of your triplets - LOL), but it will only put more steel in our spineless class.

Oh, by the way, if any of you have a more cost effective method --- feel free to run for president --- or let Kerry or another Demodog know --- they can sure use some ideas right now.

MM, Howlin, Mo1, et.al ... I loved reading your commentary as I read the president's speech this morning on whitehouse.gov.

Yes it did. And I would assume that we would go after the terrorists behind 9/11 instead of fulfilling policy plans put forth by the PNAC. Heard anymore about those papers 'tying' Al Qaeda and Iraq? How about the caches of WMDs that we just 'knew' were there? Thought not. And all the while Saudi Arabia continues to support terrorism and North Korea actually has nuclear weapons. But you keep hope alive okay?

Your comments were spot on regarding the financial cost to our country in dealing with 9/11. No one ever admits it, but we haven't recovered financially yet and there is no way to make up for the brain trust lost of those souls who died at the hands of the murderers on that day.

AFPhys - you may not be a "triplet" (LOL) but I pray you are right that the terrorists do not find a way to cripple us financially if indeed they are able to pull off a "next time". If ever I wanted to be wrong...

At a minimum, 9/11 cost us in excess of 80B$ in clean-up and rebuilding cost alone. It has cost us more in additional attempts at security, some of which will certainly go awry as we try several approaches to discover what will work. Indirect costs to the US economy for the past 2 years are greater than 500B$ and probably amount to paring 3+% off the growth rate of the economy. This economy could well have been screaming along without the drag from 9/11, but nobody wishes to admit that, apparently because in a real sense, that is admitting that BinLadin and his fanatics succeeded.

That is utter, complete and total nonsense. If 9/11 hadn't happened, we would have had to create it ourselves. The economy was getting ready to tank and would have if the government didn't step in and start spending massive amounts of money. The spending spree has continues since and there is no end in sight. 9/11 if anything provided the excuse for historic borrowing and spending in a losing battle with the economy and not terrorists.

Richard W.

Very well said. The problem after the '93 bombing of the WTC was that no one took it seriously or believed that such terrorism could ever happen again. The Clinton Administration shrugged it off as just another crime which should be dealt with in the courts. That was a very bad mistake and it led to further attacks on our embassies, etc.

The old saying: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" can certainly be applied here. Better to spend the money on prevention, preparedness and protection, than to wait until it happens again and be caught off-guard once more. The stepped-up security around the country has made it harder for terrorists to get a toe-hold, or to attack us again. Yes it costs money, security always does. But if liberals had their way, that security budget would be the first thing cut. The people willing to authorize funding for after-school programs, are the same people willing to cut the security funding that would keep that after-school program safe and sound.

Thanks for the ping AFPhys, your post is excellent. I agree with you.

I don't know you Peach is or the others you mentioined. hahaha But I tend to think for myself so it does not matter anyway. haha

Your statements AFPhys are right on target.As far as being attacked again, it will simply instill just as you said....."more steel in our spineless class." Amen! Sad that it takes an attack to bring a person to feel Patriotic and want to defend our great country but it did to those that don't remember what our Freedom cost.

I pray we do not have another attack but if it happens I also pray those that run on apathy and weakness finally learn why we are a Free country and cling to it with all they are.And that they never forget as they have been doing since 9-11.

Wild Thing

"Indirect costs to the US economy for the past 2 years are greater than 500B$ and probably amount to paring 3+% off the growth rate of the economy. This economy could well have been screaming along without the drag from 9/11, but nobody wishes to admit that, apparently because in a real sense, that is admitting that BinLadin and his fanatics succeeded. "

Point made: the 87 billion, as an abstract number seems like just more government spending... but putting it in that perspective is a lot more clarifying. I wonder if the American people "got it?"

I had to think about it for a while. There could have been a way to say that more specifically... for slow on the uptake folks, like me.

It was in retrospect a very good speech... for those who "got it" but for those who "instinctively" don't like expanding gov't programs ad infinitum... it sounds like a lot more "down the rat hole" money... used for nation building.

In this generation, Nation Building... is a necessity. We built Japan, Germany and much of Europe after ww2... it is at times an historical necessity... and it is now.

Couched in terms of "terror prevention' and "investing in freedom for America and middle eastern nations that are under oppressive tyrannical religionists..." it makes for a lot easier for my limited "comprehension"... as Luis Gonzales also pointed out earlier to me.

I KNOW we need a much stronger, not "leaner" military... LOTS. Had Clinton not "invested" (wasted) the cost savings from the end of the cold war on his programs, but instead left it in defense and intelligence . . it is doubtful that 9-11 would have happened as it did.

We should have invested in overthrowing the bad guys and human intellitgence in about a dozen tyrannical regimes with our "military cost savings" from the cold war... we would surely be singing a different tune now.

However, we do need to watch our spending and cut social spending in a major way NOW... and up our spending on issues that promote our national defence... with those cuts.

#1,062. How right you are on what 9/11/01 did to Our Economy!!!! Even After my Posts, The Media and the demoCommiecRATS still don't get it. WE ARE AT WAR!!!! We suffered an attack on 09/11/01 that we are still suffering from!!!! If these same people(Rather, Jennings, Brokaw, Rosen, Liasson, Dean, Kerry, Gephardt, Edwards, Bonior, McDermott, Murry, Daschle, Shaw, Matthews, Arnett, Depp, Baldwin, Streisand and ALL the others on the LEFT) were around on December 7th, 1941, we'd be speaking German, Japanese, Russian, North Korean, East Block Countries, North Vietnamese, Chinese Languages instead of English right NOW!!!! These People NEED TO GET IT IN THEIR HEADS, WE WERE VICIOUSLY AND RUTHLESSLY ATTACKED WITH THE INTENT BY THE ENEMY TO DESTROY THE U.S., Our Beloved and FREE Country starting with 09/11/01, Just as The Germans, Japanese, Russian Communists and ALL Their Allies (POST WAR PERIOD-COLD WAR, NORTH Korea, Vietnam) had intended to!!!! They cannot stand Freedom, Their intent on RULING Everybody from Cradle to Grave and be mindless robots in their vision of Society!!!! PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY NEED TO WAKE UP AND LISTEN TO WHAT PRESIDENT BUSH SAID SHORTLY AFTER The attacks that DARK DAY: THE U.S. AND FREEDOM Are Under Attack!!!! We CANNOT Afford to FAIL in KEEPING The U.S. a FREE NATION!!!! The U.S. IS THE BEACON OF FREEDOM SHINING IN THIS WORLD!!!! Posted by a 27 Year Veteran Continuing to Serve having Recently returned home from Afghanistan, having taken part in Combat Operations which did achieve successful results against Our Enemies. Who Stands Ready to go back to Combat at a moments notice!!!! This WAR is Every BIT As Important to achieve Total Victory as World War II and The Cold War!!!! We Stand Exactly the same to lose If WE do not have the Same Resolve and Perserverance We Had Back Then!!!! WAKE UP AMERICA, WE HAVE BEEN AT WAR SINCE 09/11/01 AND WE NEED TO STAY THE COURSE UNTIL TOTAL VICTORY HAS BEEN ACHIEVED!!!!

Tell this to those who think we can run from Iraq and find a low cost, risk free method of fighting terrorism.

Sadly, 2 years after 9/11 many people have retreated back into a dream, totally oblivious to the dangerous world we live in.

Your post is excellent. Thanks for the ping.