The over Two Trillion in hard costs plus over one Trillion in “soft” costs U.S. Citizens have spent on Counter-terrorism efforts and increased security -military, Transportation, seaport security, Homeland Security (Border Security-ICE, TSA) and local costs since 2001 have, in reality, been a “Terror Tax” imposed at virtually every level of U.S. Society and Commerce.
There is no doubt that Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, and other terror organizations included this “tax’ in their thinking and planning for 2001 and beyond, as part of their terror campaign against U.S. and Western interests and Culture. Looked at that way, as another part of the terror campaign, the costs become even more distasteful; we must ‘pay” Al Qaeda and Bin Laden to maintain our security. And it seems we only throw more money at the problem every time there is a threat or an actual incident.
Add another Trillion for costs incurred by other countries in their Counter-terrorism efforts and it really adds up…way up.
The Trillion or so in “soft” dollars of lost productivity, through increased travel security and travel commuting time, the increased costs in Counter-terror Planning, Training and Equipment, pile fuel on the fire.
That we were unprepared for terror attacks may be a given, as evidenced by the results. No coordinated intelligence gathering and anyalysis, no coordinated or planned anti-terror infrastructure, and a general sense of denial of our vulnerability, our assumed imperviousness from this type of threat, were all prevalent at the time.
Osama Bin Laden may have done the U.S. a “service” by bringing America into the cultural religious wars of the twenty-first century, but that service is one we would gladly do without.
Those Trillions could have been used for tax reductions, energy conservation incentives, small business investments and incentives, modernizing educational through technology, and ..ahem! reducing the deficit. A fully engaged and productive U.S. economy with virtually fill employment generates more than enough revenue to balance the budget and reduce the deficit; a cost our children and grandchildren are projected to bear for generations. Interest alone on the national Debt amounts to $16,000 for each man woman and child over the next ten years, not including whatever we add each year.
How could we better use that money? One Trillion in tax reduction and small business incentives would mean up to six million new jobs, adding up to two and one-half Trillion to Gross National Product. One Trillion in education could have meant rapid deployment of Computer-assisted education at every level of schooling from K-12, including Cloud Education at home and in Charter Schools; additional school programs for poor and minority groups to start realizing the value of our Human Capital.
One half Trillion in “green” energy infrastructure and incentives including solar, wind and insulated high power transmission lines would lead to a reduction of millions of barrels of energy imports every day in just a few years.
Combined with “green” car designs of all types and Mass Transportation programs, the U.S. could reduce energy imports by one-half overall by 2020-2025.
If we used all of the “terror Tax” revenue for reducing our deficit, we would be much better off. Having additional revenues for tax reduction, small business incentives, education and energy conservation would benefit us all, and our economy.
Al Qaeda and terrorism have cost us much more than the “terrorism tax.”
They have cost us some peace of mind and personal security for ourselves and our families. Our family members , sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fight this war.
Maybe that’s a ”tax” we have to pay, but we’d rather not.
A last thought.
We need at least two, preferably three Counter-Terror Special Forces Brigades with complete mobility; able to get moving rapidly-overnight, land, supply and resupply as independent entities. Go where our intelligence identifies and targets groups, training facilities and the rest. That we have the capability but not the will power to find, isolate and destroy known locations is much more political than military. The military, even using some existing forces could undertake this task if so charged, But the politicians interfere.
The State Deparetment allows for hand-wringing about air space and sovereignty, when we should be offering our sincere apologies for the embargoes and financial restrictions, the withholding of aid and support to each andevery country that says one thing about our need to find and destroy terrorists, whether in downtown London, Khazakstan, Iraq, Pakistan or whereever. And interfering with our forces or the fight?
Well, that just brings out the Tiger’s Claws. You can’t win, so don’t try. Help, not hinder and you are our friend. Interfere and you should become dog meat in the literal sense.
We have too long allowed countries and politicians to call on the U.S. for every kind of assistance and support, while from the other sides of their mouths, by speech and action, they support terrorists, or convientently ignore them. We are considered, in the back rooms and political get-togethers of many foreign countries, to be weak and mis-managed.
Subverting the U.S. and the causes of capitalism and a free society have become the game of choice of many countries, who just can’t wait for our slips, our misfortunes, our troubles. Many foreigners are like drivers on a thruway passing a horrendous wreck (the wreck being the U.S.) and saying, “Boy, I’m glad that’s not me.”
Since we can’t seem to get most countries to support U.S. efforts, or those that do, do so grudgingly, let’s concentrate on our own interests, while we still have the capability to remove those who conspire to attack us.
We hear and see evidence every day that even those who ostensibly support the U.S. only do so until their interests may be threatened; then they thwart us at every turn, even while being two-faced to the world. China and Russia are perfect examples of this so-obvious behavior.
When Osama and his brethren say prayers, they thank their Gods for the ineptness and lack of intestinal fortitude we continually display. That we haven’t experienced much worse is a testament to what we have accomplished. We are neither as efficient nor as committed as we should and can be.
Every President from George Bush the First, to Clinton, to George the Second and now Barach Obama has said, “You can’t hide. We will find you and destroy you.”
Hasn’t happened. If I’m, paying Al Qaeda”terror taxes” I want results!
