Going to war has a lot of consequences, both positive and negative. Making money for the country waging the war is not one of them.
The U.S. military spent $79 billion ? about $274 per American ? to fight the Gulf War, according to Michael He’s column in the Oct. 17 issue of the Campus Times.
The column asserts that this money was “profit.” That could not be more wrong. $79 billion was spent, not earned. There’s a difference. Mr. He will learn that in his economics education at UR. There were, of course, benefits from fighting the war. Hopefully those benefits exceeded the cost of fighting the war. But it was hardly a new Playstation for every American.
Suppose your car breaks down, and to have it fixed you have to pay $274.
You decide to have the repair done, because you’d rather pay $274 than be without a working car. The benefit, having a working car, outweighs the cost, $274. So it was worth doing. But in no way does this resemble someone writing you a check for $274.
That’s what the Gulf War was. Something went wrong, and the average American had to pay $274 to have it fixed.
War doesn’t make money. It costs money.
?Dan Bock Class of 2002
Parking Problems
Were your plans thrown off Friday night? Mine were ? thanks to Parking Services. I was unable to park in Library Lot around 6 p.m. ? that made me late, and that made me mad. Parking Services can reserve spaces and even lots at a whim according to contract, so I don’t claim they were in breach of that contract.
I do demand they start telling their customers before they close our lots. Take out space in the CT for a weekly update, publish a heads up in the Buzz, post a parking calendar on your Web site ? do something to let your customers know when there is a change in service. For once you’ll be keeping them happy.
?Paul Brady Class of 2004
