What could you do with $600 Billion

West Virginia Senator, Robert Byrd, who has been in the Senate through Vietnam, Gulf War I, and this current debacle, was outraged, and rightly so, but seemingly to be the only one, at the cost, after this latest round of funding requests. He simply repeated the number $600 billion.

That is what the United States government has spent on the war in Iraq. And the question still remains, where are the tangible returns on investments? I have already outlined what the most recent requests are for, so I thought I would come at it a different way and try and illustrate what $600 billion dollars would get the United States.

First, to put this in perspective, $600 billion (600,000,000,000) if it were your country's Gross Domestic Product, would put you at number 17 in the world.

For $600 billion, you could fund the Department of Homeland (In)security for 12 years ($48 b/yr) or the Department of Defense for a year and a bit ($400 b/yr).

For $600 billion, you could fund every local jurisdictions request for an interoperable radio systems and actually make it work.

For $600 billion, you could rebuild a large number of schools that are beyond their useful life span and give the teachers a raise.

For $600 billion, you could put a dint in the issue of a new source of energy.

For $600 billion, you could make large strides to repairing and replacing infrastructure (such as bridges and roads and the electrical grid).

For $600 billion you could clean up polluted rivers, streams and lakes.

For $600 billion, you could actually come up with a national security plan that preserved the rights and liberties documented in the Constitution while actually affording the nation some real security.

The limit is only your imagination, yet the government, with no real outcry from the people, continues this fruitless and pointless war. The nation is beyond bankrupt. I just hope that her citizens wake up and realize this before it is too late.