The year in Rebuked: Stat Attack

A few years ago I remember reading several letters to the editor in the Chicago Tribune comparing the number of US soldier's deaths to the number of murders in Chicago. I wondered why the celebrating conservatives didn't include the number of Iraqi civilians who also died. You'll probably see more such letters and blogs this year, since Chicago has topped over 500 murders this year, while the reported number of US soldiers who died is considerably less.

So is Chicago a more dangerous place than Iraq? Over a million Iraqis have died since the war began over five years ago, most of them violently. http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3321

The UN warned that the number of Iraqis who have become refugees is approaching 5 million. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/un-warns-of-five-million-iraqi-refugees-452522.html


The cost of the Iraq war is over $12 billion a month. If you include Afghanistan it's over $16 million. The total cost of the war is expected to rise to $3 trillion over the next five years. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/07/AR2008030702846_pf.html

Although Chicago corruption is bad, we don't have the kidnappings, bombings, and problems with electricity and other government services that persist in Baghdad. I think I can manage at least one more year in Chicago.