The United States lost 2,459 military personnel in Afghanistan between October 2001 and August 2021, with 1,922 of those killed in action. In addition, there were civilian contractor fatalities, with estimates around 1,822, and 18 CIA operatives also killed during the conflict. The total death toll from the conflict, however, is much higher, including significantly more Afghan civilians and other allied troops, as well as those who died indirectly from the war’s effects on infrastructure and public health
In the 20 years since September 11, 2001, the United States has spent more than $2 trillion on the war in Afghanistan. That’s $300 million dollars per day, every day, for two decades. Or $50,000 for each of Afghanistan’s 40 million people.
In March 2003, U.S. forces invaded Iraq vowing to destroy Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and end the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein. When WMD intelligence proved illusory and a violent insurgency arose, the war lost public support. Saddam was captured, tried, and hanged and democratic elections were held. In the years since, there have been over 4,700 U.S. and allied troop deaths, and more than one hundred thousand Iraqi civilians have been killed. Meanwhile, questions linger over Iraq’s fractious political situation.
The CBO estimated that of the $2.4 trillion long-term price tag for the war, about $1.9 trillion of that would be spent on Iraq, or $6,300 per US citizen in just under 9 years.
Why does the USA have, by far, the highest cost of healthcare in the world and only ranks 15th in terms of quality of care. If you want to know please refer to the numerous prior posts on this subject. Its interesting, that while this has a tremendous impact on the overall cost of living almost all politicians avoid the topic like the plague. I wonder if it has anything to do with campaign financing?
The Cost of Healthcare revisited, where does it cost the most?
I Asked ChatGPT What Would Happen If Billionaires Paid Taxes at the Same Rate as the Middle Class
Story by Laura Beck
Taxes can get you thinking about fairness. For instance, when I’m calculating deductions on my salary and watching a decent chunk go to Uncle Sam, I can’t help but wonder: What if the ultra-wealthy paid the same percentage of their income in taxes that regular people do?
Here’s how it works: Billionaires borrow money against their stock holdings (which isn’t taxed), live off those loans and then pass their assets to heirs largely tax-free when they die. Meanwhile, regular people like me can’t defer taxes on our paychecks or borrow against our retirement accounts without major penalties.
The AI used ProPublica data to illustrate this: “The top 25 billionaires saw their wealth grow by $401 billion from 2014-2018, but paid just $13.6 billion in federal income taxes — an effective rate of 3.4% on wealth growth.”
That 3.4% figure is what really stung. While they’re paying their legal tax obligations on realized income, their actual wealth is growing at a rate that’s taxed far below what middle-class workers pay on their salaries.
What If We Changed the Rules?
ChatGPT ran the numbers on what would happen if billionaires paid taxes at the same rate middle-class families do — around 15%-22%.
Using the ProPublica data, if those top 25 billionaires had been taxed at a 20% rate on their wealth growth, they would have paid around $80 billion instead of $13.6 billion.
“Extrapolate that across approximately 1,000 billionaires?” the AI asked. “You’re talking hundreds of billions in added revenue annually.”
Where That Money Could Go
The AI outlined several ways this massive revenue increase could transform government services:
Healthcare: We could expand Medicare and Medicaid, potentially moving toward universal coverage.
Education: Fund universal pre-K or make community college free for everyone.
Infrastructure and climate: Invest seriously in clean energy projects and fix our crumbling roads and bridges.
Debt reduction: Actually pay down the national debt instead of adding to it every year.
ChatGPT noted that this extra revenue could “stabilize the economy by boosting the spending power of everyday Americans.” Basically, reducing inequality in a way that helps everyone, not just those at the bottom.
What Surprised Me Most
The most eye-opening part was learning that the problem isn’t necessarily that billionaires are breaking the law or even paying lower rates on their taxable income. The issue is that our entire tax system is designed around taxing work rather than wealth.
“Middle-class families can’t defer taxes on wages or borrow against stocks tax-free,” ChatGPT pointed out. This creates a fundamental unfairness where people who work for their money get taxed immediately, while people whose money grows through investments can delay or even avoid those taxes entirely.
What We Need To Think About
After diving into ChatGPT’s analysis, I realized the conversation about billionaire taxes is more complicated than simple rate comparisons. Under current law, wealthy Americans do pay their required taxes. But the system allows their wealth to grow in ways that are largely untaxed, while regular workers pay taxes on every dollar they earn.
The AI concluded that if we could successfully tax billionaires more like middle-class workers, the results would mean hundreds of billions in additional revenue annually and potentially better funding for health, education and climate programs. What’s more, it could have the power to reduce inequality and improve public trust in the tax system.
Maybe the real question isn’t whether billionaires should pay more taxes, but whether our entire approach to taxing work versus wealth makes sense in an economy where most billionaires’ fortunes come from asset appreciation rather than traditional income.
As ChatGPT put it: “The U.S. could significantly reshape its fiscal and social landscape” — if we can figure out how to make it work in practice.
