So a guy wrote a book about what the $1 TRILLION dollars spent on the Iraq war could’ve purchased (recent estimates have escalated that to $3 trillion apparently).  There were noble things like fund Social Security, pay off all college students’ credit card debt, double the cops on the street for 32 years, 1.9 million more teachers.  Crazy things like line all the highways of the US in 23.5c gold leaf, buy everyone on the planet an iPod (did not specify type in the article I read).  There was a link to a site where you could go on your own noble and crazy shopping spree.  Here’s what I bought before I got bored:

Every NFL Franchise
$8,600,000,000

4 Race Tracks
$340,000,000

5 Manhattan Townhouses
$18,000,000

6 Hollywood movies
$150,000,000

4 Casinos
$770,000,000

4 South Pacific Islands
$38,900,000

Levees That Can Do the Job
$40,000,000,000

2 Porsche 911 Turbos
$126,200

Honolulu estate
$7,999,000

5 Winerys in Napa Valley
$34,000,000

2 Air Force Ones
$325,595,000

2 Your Own Airports
$4,822,000,000

2 Oil Companies
$16,400,000,000

1000 Feed a Starving Child
$2,160

500 House a family
$60,000

100 Protect Tropical Forests
$1,500

Help Prevent the Next Katrina
$14,000,000,000

500 Cure the Sick, Heal the Injured
$41,300,000

999 Get On Board With Mass Transit
$150,000,000

1998 Feed the Poor
$1

Dracula’s Castle
$140,000,000

2 Lear Jet
$11,595,000

3 Yacht
$100,000,000

Buy the World a Coke
$6,500,000,000

Chewing Gum
$23,000,000,000

4 Bentley Azure Convertible Mulliner
$376,485

6 Jewlery
$8,500,000

Something to wear
$1,200,000,000

OKAY OKAY, so not the most altruistic of spending.  But it’s annoying to put 500 homes in and see no difference essentially in your balance.  I haven’t closed my cart yet, so maybe I’ll keep tossing in homes for the less fortunate, feeding of starving kids, protecting of rain forests, etc etc etc til I’m zeroed out.  It might take all day.  I’ll post an update later.

What We Could Have Done With The Money – Rob Simpson (site)