Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Cost of Bin Laden: 3 Trillion $$ Over 15 Years
The National Journal ^ | May 5, 2011 | Tim Fernholz & Jim Tankersly

Posted on 05/06/2011 12:59:04 PM PDT by Pinetop

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-36 last
To: Gondring

Thanks for that calculation on the comparison with WWII.


21 posted on 05/06/2011 1:39:38 PM PDT by Pinetop
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: cake_crumb

The Obama/Osama duality is pretty evil. Hopefully, we will be rid of Obama next year.


22 posted on 05/06/2011 1:40:54 PM PDT by Pinetop
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Pinetop

Charge it to Bill Clinton, for not taking Bin Laden when the Sudanese government offered to hand him over.


23 posted on 05/06/2011 1:47:02 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pinetop

nuclear weapons are cost effective.


24 posted on 05/06/2011 1:49:52 PM PDT by Tea Party Reveler
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pinetop

There is so many loopholes in this post, I will wait till Monday to start adding them all up.

Suffice it to say, terrorism is always cheap, if you are the terrorists, and, many times over, extremely damaging and expensive if you are it’s victims. But, doing nothing is not a choice for the victims. That’s just the way it is. Putting a” price tag” on it does not change the dynamics and the disparity in the costs, when terrorism is a global outreach enterprise and not simply domestic wackos.


25 posted on 05/06/2011 1:55:38 PM PDT by Wuli
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Verginius Rufus

What about the Opportunity Cost? The OC of another terror attack or the OC of the Trillions spent on other problems or the loss of freedoms for the faux security of an ever expanding Police State. There are a lot folks that need to accept the blame for a lot of bad decisions from this ‘Terror’ enemy.


26 posted on 05/06/2011 1:58:40 PM PDT by iopscusa (El Vaquero. (SC Lowcountry Cowboy))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Pinetop

I would have no problem with this statement if most of the terrorist issue was settled, but it has not been, at least from the information we have on our side of the line, outside of the intelligence community. While we killed bin Laden, we did take 10 years post-9/11 to find him. There is a whole lot more terrorism than just him. If we put a good stopping point to terrorism, then yes, the money and resources were worth it, but seeing as how we haven’t scratched the hotbeds in Yemen, or the growing disorder in Europe, our victory is not so certain, and not neccessarily going to last all that long.


27 posted on 05/06/2011 2:16:44 PM PDT by Morpheus2009 (I pity the fool - Mr. T)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pinetop

if I was Bill Clinton and forced us to spend $3 billion by letting Osama get away in the 90’s, I’d want all the evidence in Sandy Berger’s pants too


28 posted on 05/06/2011 2:42:53 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pinetop

Bin Laden just may get his last laugh if we don’t do anything about our incoming debt crisis. Remember he helped to bankrupt the Soviets.


29 posted on 05/06/2011 2:46:58 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pinetop
Thanks for that calculation on the comparison with WWII.

You're welcome.

30 posted on 05/06/2011 4:00:41 PM PDT by Gondring (Paul Revere would have been flamed as a naysayer troll and told to go back to Boston.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Wuli

“Suffice it to say, terrorism is always cheap, if you are the terrorists, and, many times over, extremely damaging and expensive if you are it’s victims. But, doing nothing is not a choice for the victims. That’s just the way it is. Putting a” price tag” on it does not change the dynamics and the disparity in the costs, when terrorism is a global outreach enterprise and not simply domestic wackos.”

That sums it up nicely. Soft targets in large numbers hit with low-tech weapons - very cheap. Intelligence-gathering and high-tech security - not cheap.

Not the most logical allocation of resources to be combating terrorism through the financing of troops and nation building in the Mideast while our southern border security is deliberately lax, particularly when the enemy is part of a “global outreach” with a seemingly endless supply of crazed foot soldiers.


31 posted on 05/06/2011 4:31:52 PM PDT by BlatherNaut
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Pinetop

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
John F. Kennedy


32 posted on 05/06/2011 5:12:20 PM PDT by AmusedBystander (The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pinetop

You mean we put three trillion into the pockets of those who invented Bin Laden... more inventions of evil will follow you can be sure.


33 posted on 05/06/2011 9:08:36 PM PDT by JTWildfeather (Russia, China, Military, Arms, Race, Oil)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: CommieCutter

We could have paid the Chi Coms back three times.


34 posted on 05/06/2011 9:24:20 PM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Wuli

Wuli-—excellent point.


35 posted on 05/07/2011 1:20:13 PM PDT by Pinetop
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: BlatherNaut

It may be that the only form of “concentrated” effort that we should be making in Afghanistan, and around its borders is the special ops, the increase of our own humint, the drone operations and all like manner of efforts - smaller “foot print” but, if concentrated as a bigger % of the effort, maybe more effective. Who knows? I sure don’t have a crystal ball.


36 posted on 05/09/2011 3:52:32 PM PDT by Wuli
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-36 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson