Opportunity costs
Jan. 10th, 2007 11:31 amThere's this concept in economics (or was, *mumble* years ago when I took two semesters of the Dismal Science) called "opportunity costs." It's the point on the balance sheet where you take into account what you _could_ have done with the money or other resources for a project, for cost/benefit ratios and such. Would those resources be spent more profitably elsewhere?
Anyway, with Shrub's pending announcement on Iraq, I contemplate what we could have done with those Iraq resources elsewhere, over the last several years. Even assuming all the blood, wealth, time, and equipment was still spent on war, where would Afghanistan be today if we channeled our efforts there, rather than moving the Taliban and Osama to the back burner?
Anyway, with Shrub's pending announcement on Iraq, I contemplate what we could have done with those Iraq resources elsewhere, over the last several years. Even assuming all the blood, wealth, time, and equipment was still spent on war, where would Afghanistan be today if we channeled our efforts there, rather than moving the Taliban and Osama to the back burner?