To be honest, I hate when people argue against war because of the high cost to American consumers. Really? If it weren’t costing us money, we would be OK with all the damage, destruction, terror, displacement, injuries, and deaths, and all the environmental devastation?
So let me preface this blog by saying, I am horrified by what is happening and heartbroken for all the grieving Iranians, Lebanese, and others affected.
And now let’s talk about financial costs. Forbes has a good comparison of the amount we’re spending on war and what that money could go towards instead; I’ll summarize some of their information in a moment. For up-to-date information, try a cost of war tracker, such as: https://militaryspend.org/us-iran-war. The tracker not only gives updated (though probably underestimated) figures for war spending, but also gives, in real time, what that money could fund instead in terms of teachers’ salaries, nurses’ salaries, homes built, full college scholarships, hospital beds, clean water systems, school lunches…the list goes on.
Remember, Trump wants $200 billion for the war and an astounding $1.5 trillion for the Defense Department. Expanding health care subsidies would cost $350 billion over the next decade. California needs $34 billion in wildfire relief. And the combination of Trump’s idiotic tariffs and the war driving up the cost of fuel and fertilizer means that people are calling for a $15 billion farmer bailout. All peanuts compared to the budget for war. (Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2026/03/21/trump-wants-200-billion-more-for-iran-war-heres-what-else-that-could-fund/)
Decades ago, I attended a talk by an anti-war group. One of the things they mentioned that made a huge impression was the difference between investments in things like education, nutrition, and healthcare, and spending on weapons. When we spend millions or billions of dollars on weapons, a small number of people make a lot of money, and the weapons will (we hope) spend decades locked up somewhere. Investments in people, on the other hand, have a multiplying benefit. More teachers or healthcare workers are going to be hired. They will work to make things better for other people, who can then lead more fruitful lives. The investment keeps paying off, versus weapons systems that are a net drain.
So yeah, it’s wrong to be anti-war only because of the costs to Americans. On the other hand, we need powerful and convincing arguments to promote the society we wish to live in. Showing people what, specifically, the money being burned up in war could be used for instead can help illustrate why single-payer, universal healthcare, an end to hunger and homelessness in America, and other such dreams are attainable…if only we weren’t wasting billions or trillions of dollars on war.
