The big issue on BYU campus recently is the upcoming visit of Dick Cheney to commencement. Of importance is the fact that his invitation was extended by the school's board of trustees, and the First Presidency.
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This has led a number of BYU students to whine about his visit, and protests are being planned for his arrival.
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This has led me to ask myself, what the big deal is all about. Wouldn't it be great to have such a powerful and successful individual speak at commencement exercises? Despite what feelings you have for him, don't you think he can provide insight that no one else can offer?
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But why exactly do people hate him? When asking others and monitoring blogs, I find that two reasons persist: the war in Iraq, and his shooting of a friend last year.
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First of all, the shooting incident was an accident. Anything else would be criminal, and he would have been arrested. But the idiots on blogs like to accuse him of intentionally doing so. Yeah, really likely.
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Secondly, what's so wrong with the war in Iraq? Now, before you get all WMD and Abu Ghraib on me, please be open-minded enough to think this through reasonably.
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In what case would the Iraq war be a justifiable venture? Thinking hypothetically and comparing the costs of the war to the benefits, I would suggest first listing its benefits.
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First of all, the war is beneficial because it creates the possibilities of less terrorism and greater democracy in the middle east. You may not agree that this is being actualized, but you have to agree that the possibility is there.
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Also, Saddam is out of power. Remember him? Unless you are the pro-genocide type, you'll probably agree that this is a good thing.
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Finally, it is beneficial to be there because the consequences of leaving would be worse that it is now. If you think Iraq is chaotic now, imagine the chaos of an all out war between Sunnis and Shi'ites, where genocide is likely to occur again.
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So, the benefits of the Iraq war are a higher possibility of less terrorism, possible democracy, and the avoidance of genocide. All good things.
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Now, let's look at its costs. Now this is what really gets me fired up. Obviously it is expensive, but I'm tired of hearing that it is more expensive than Vietnam.
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According to the Institue for Policy Studies, an obviously biased think-tank, the Iraq war could reach a total cost of 757 billion dollars from war's beginning to now. Vietnam cost 600 billion in today's dollars.
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In respect to fatalities, the Iraq war has cost the U.S. 3,257 lives. That is terrible, but I wonder why they don't compare that finding to the Vietnam war?....
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When considering costs, the list could go on, but these two factors are the most significant when considering American interests.
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But how significant are the numbers?
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First of all, Vietnam cost more to the U.S. economy than the Iraq war. Look at the relative costs… 757 billion dollars (the cost of Iraq) over 4 years amounts to only a cost of 1.5% of GDP per year.
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Vietnam, using 1969 dollars, cost an average of 1.4% of GDP per year, for 9 years. That is the same amount per year, but for more than twice as many years. Although the dollar amount may be less, the real cost was much, much, much higher.
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Look for yourself. You can find the estimated cost data from http://www.ips-dc.org/iraq/quagmire/#us, and you can find GDP data from http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/. Make sure you discount the 600 billion today's dollars cost of the vietnam war to 1969 dollars by factoring in inflation.
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What about loss of life?
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Yes, 3,257 American lives lost is terrible, and it is 3,257 lives too many. But, how many American lives were lost in Vietnam? 58,209!
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So, essentially, even though this does not justify the Iraq war alone, we can't accept the thought that it is costing us more than Iraq. That is all biased media.
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So, let's measure the costs against the benefits. First, costs: 1.5% of GDP per year, and 3,257 total American lives lost. Secondly, benefits: greater possibility of peace in the middle east. No dictator in power, like Saddam. Weakening of terrorists' strengths (how much do you think the war is costing them?). Democracy. Less likelihood of another 9/11.
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I personally feel that the costs do not outweigh the benefits. Thanks to people like Cheney, we're winning the war due to the fact that we are gaining more out of Iraq than losing.
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