No One Could Have Anticipated This

Oh, wait. Yeah, we probably could:

US Water Pipelines Are Breaking

The Environmental Protection Agency says utilities will need to invest more than $277 billion over the next two decades on repairs and improvements to drinking water systems. Water industry engineers put the figure drastically higher, at about $480 billion.

Water utilities, largely managed by city governments, have never faced improvements of this magnitude before. And customers will have to bear the majority of the cost through rate increases, according to the American Water Works Association, an industry group.

Engineers say this is a crucial era for the nation's water systems, especially in older cities like New York, where some pipes and tunnels were built in the 1800s and are now nearing the end of their life expectancies.

''Our generation hasn't experienced anything like this. We weren't around when the infrastructure was being built,'' said Greg Kail, spokesman for the water industry group. ''We didn't pay for the pipes to be put in the ground, but we sure benefited from the improvements to public health that came from it.''

This one’s a no-brainer. Back in 2006 it was estimated the Iraq War cost us $2 billion a week. So, $480 billion is, what, 4 1/2 years in Iraq? And we’ve been there five years?

And what’s the bigger threat: no clean water at home, or some mythic WMD that never even existed?

(h/t, Atrios)

[UPDATE}:

If you agree we should invest in America, not in Iraq, there's a petition going around.

Costs Of War

Is it worth it?

War Costs Soar by a Third; Total Could Top $1.4 Trillion

It's not just the troops that are surging.  War costs are up for American operations in Iraq -- way up, more than a third higher than last year.  In the first half of this fiscal year, the Defense Department's "average monthly obligations for contracts and pay is running about $12 billion per month, well above the $8.7 billion in FY2006," says a new report, obtained by DANGER ROOM, from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service.

Meanwhile, Inside Defense reports that "top Pentagon budget and program officials have directed the military services to prepare spending proposals to finance Iraq and Afghanistan operations... through fiscal year 2009, which will span the last days of the Bush administration and the early months of the next administration."

$12 billion a month on war. I can’t even conceive of that much money, I’m sure few of us can, which is why it seems so unreal to us. Imagine if we spent $12 billion a month on, oh, I dunno, finding alternative fuels besides oil. Educating each and every child in America. Healthcare. Finding a cure for cancer. Housing the homeless. Anything.

Anything except war.

Repent, America.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”--Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:34.