Is Afghanistan bankrupting America?

It isn’t just Afghanistan it has been going on for years. Once the Federal Reserve was brought into America and the Gold standard was eliminated our country was heading for Bankruptcy and we will not avoid it. The fraud, waste and abuse in Government spending alone is so out of control we will not recover.

Very good question John. Most Americans feel we should get out of Afghanistan for that reason. Also, Karzai is a corrupt leader and many think he is working both sides, Al Queda and the U.S. The mountaineous terrain certainly favors Al Queda and the Taliban. The Russian found that out.

Personally, would like to see our troops come home and for our leaders to concentrate on our problems for a change.

Great answer @BoBo1946 GA

@Summum thank you !!!!

Afghanistan is a part of it but it is not solely responsible.

Yes it is.

But it’s peanuts to what we’ve spent on the War on Drugs. We’re up to 2,500 Billion dollars spent on the war on drugs over the past 40 years (source). I think we have a much crappier return on that “investment”, especially when you factor in the cost of incarceration for minor drug violations and the missing revenue stream that could be generated via taxes. I think if people want to do stupid things that don’t hurt anyone else but themselves in the privacy of their own homes, then who am I or the government to tell them differently?

I also think that if we’d never invaded Iraq, and instead focused 100% of our attention on finding and killing the fuckers who actually attacked us on 9/11 instead of dicking around with Sadam Hussein, then we might have already been able to completely pull out of Afghanistan at this point.

It isn’t just Afghanistan, although if the stupid idiots would read a little history they might have made better choices. It’s the spending more than you have mentality.

Afghanistan does seem to be an open-ended money pit. I’m just as concerned about the aid we’re providing to Pakistan, when both countries appear to be under the control of corrupt regimes. They’re fleecing us for aid while coddling the Taliban they’re supposed to be helping us fight. Any direct aid we’re providing them is eclipsed by our overall military spending in the region, however, so I would not say that Afghanistan the country is bankrupting us. Afghanistan the war may well be.

Russia is shaking its head in disbelief. and I completely agree with @gorillapaws.

I also believe in what @gorillapaws says about the drug problem. And yes we should bring the 911 culprits to justice.

An ethical dilemma. There are millions of girls who now get an education. The Taliban will end all this. Girls will go back to their role as mindless breeding machines. These girls when they grow up will hate America and Europe, because for some time they could get a taste of freedom, and the we left.

But I agree, it’s far too expensive to keep the Taliban in check. The West does not have a long-term strategy undermining the recruiting efforts of the Taliban. They remain a growing movement.

And Pakistan is NOT helping.

Too many civilians have been killed. Afghans must be doubting if we have really come for their benefit. If we respected Afghan lives as we respect our own far fewer civilians would have been killed. I wonder what bitterly poor Afghans think when they see the enormous resources we put into our military.