The Real Price of War: How You Pay for the War on Terror

Are Americans in denial about the costs of the War on Terror? In The Real Price of War , Joshua S. Goldstein argues that we need to face up to what the war costs the average American - both in taxes and in changes to our way of life. The Real Price of War breaks down billion-dollar government expenditures into the prices individual Americans are paying through their taxes - about $500 per household per month, Goldstein estimates. Beyond the dollars and cents that finance military operations and increased security within the United States, the War on Terror also has less tangible costs, including lost lives, reduced revenue from international travelers, and budget pressures on local governments. In order for the United States to win the war faster, Goldstein argues for an increase in war funding to better fund military spending, homeland security, and foreign aid and diplomacy. Americans have been told that the War on Terror is a war without sacrifice. But as Goldstein states: These truths should be self-evident: The nation is at war. The war is expensive. Someone has to pay for it.