Congressman Tim Walberg has been a vocal supporter of President Bush's failed strategy in Iraq, and his views of Iraq have gotten him in trouble from time to time.

I certainly hope that everyone is aware of the human cost of the war in Iraq-- 3,699 American soldiers killed as of today-- but there are other resources that have been wasted on the endeavor as well. What could we have achieved if we had focused those resources on more constructive projects?

The National Priorities Project issued a report answering that question, with a breakdown by state and congressional district. Here are the numbers:

The war in Iraq has cost Michigan's 7th Congressional District $804.85 million. How else could that money have been spent?

From just this district, 137,528 children could have been provided with health care for the entire length of the war.

Or, 6,488 affordable housing units could have been built.

Or, 72 elementary schools could have been built.

But remember, as James Carr has pointed out in the recall effort, the funds that have been spent on this war were not supported by actual tax dollars-- it's borrowed money, placed on the "national credit card." We'll be paying this off for decades to come, and yet we won't have those elementary schools or housing units. Instead, we have a crippled country in a volatile region of the world.

Tim Walberg would never dream of voting to fund children's health care or affordable housing or building schools. He's an anti-tax advocate and fiscal conservative. And yet, here he is, proudly standing with President Bush and voting to continue the war.

Labels: Iraq, Issues, Tim Walberg