Tax Day is approaching. I did a little exercise, thanks to National Priorities Project, about what we could do with the money spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. It’s worth thinking about since there is more money about to be wasted on the Afghanistan quagmire.

   I chose New York. According to the NPP, just for Afghanistan:

Taxpayers in  New York  will pay  $26.8 billion  for total Afghanistan war spending since 2001. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

 4,946,323 People with Health Care for One Year  OR

517,671 Public Safety Officers for One year  OR

408,480 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year  OR

4,376,931 Scholarships for University Students for One Year  OR

4,832,763 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5550  OR

152,469 Affordable Housing Units  OR

9,372,791 Children with Health Care for One Year  OR

3,055,923 Head Start Places for Children for One Year  OR

310,663 Elementary School Teachers for One Year  OR

50,216,057 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year

   If you want to throw in the costs of that other foolish, immoral war, NYers are on the hook for $81.4 billion for total Iraq & Afghanistan war spending since 2001. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

15,009,828 People with Health Care for One Year  OR

1,570,895 Public Safety Officers for One year  OR

1,239,551 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year  OR

13,281,983 Scholarships for University Students for One Year  OR

14,665,224 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5550  OR

462,674 Affordable Housing Units  OR

28,442,130 Children with Health Care for One Year  OR

9,273,327 Head Start Places for Children for One Year  OR

942,719 Elementary School Teachers for One Year  OR

152,382,754 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year

   If you want to look at just the fiscal year 2010:

Taxpayers in  New York  will pay  $63.2 billion  for Total Defense Spending in FY2010. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

 11,652,146 People with Health Care for One Year  OR

1,219,487 Public Safety Officers for One year  OR

962,265 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year  OR

10,310,818 Scholarships for University Students for One Year  OR

11,384,629 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5550  OR

359,174 Affordable Housing Units  OR

22,079,657 Children with Health Care for One Year  OR

7,198,894 Head Start Places for Children for One Year  OR

731,834 Elementary School Teachers for One Year  OR

118,294,901 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year

   That’s what it means to have priorities.

   Where have our priorities gone?