62 of Our Best Youth, $4 Billion

That's what five years of the Iraq Catastrophe has cost Kentuckians.

The National Priorities Project has analyzed the cost of the Iraq War to each state, in terms of both actual expenditures and the trade-offs - what that money would have bought if not flushed down the Iraq crapper.

Taxpayers in Kentucky have paid $4 billion for the Iraq War thus far. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

1,105,865 People with Health Care OR
3,228,992 Homes with Renewable Electricity OR
106,274 Public Safety Officers OR
68,725 Music and Arts Teachers OR
616,259 Scholarships for University Students OR
309 New Elementary Schools OR
46,711 Affordable Housing Units OR
1,574,557 Children with Health Care OR
604,467 Head Start Places for Children OR
77,692 Elementary School Teachers OR
58,322 Port Container Inspectors

Use their calculator to see the cost to your state or Congressional District of the Iraq War and Smirky-Darth's lethal budget in general, and the trade-offs in other programs.

The Nation has a great cover story on The Wages of Peace.

And the Lexington Herald-Leader profiles Kentucky's Iraq casualties.

Cross-posted at Watching Those We Chose.