How did we calculate $332.3 million?

Various reports mark the cost of the U.S. occupation of Iraq at anywhere from $280 million/day on the low end, to $720 million/day - a number put forth by Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stieglitz that factors in not only immediate costs but death, debt, and long-term opportunity costs.

A like-minded group, the National Priorities Project, estimates the cost of the Iraq War at $341.1 million per day, based on analysis of federal budget data. They also offer a useful counter tool that helps you estimate the total cost to your specific community.

Because our concern is not with debating the legitimacy of data, but with the big-picture impact of the costs in Iraq, we opted to use the numbers quoted by the Congressional Record Service and cited in the Democratic Caucus' Senate Journal. These estimates break down to the following:

• $11 billion each month
• $ 332.3 million each day
• $3,845 each second

Other figures of note:

- $526 billion has been spent on Iraq to date

- Government funding for Iraq increased 160% between 2004-2008

With these numbers in mind, we urge you to consider some spending alternatives.