Here is an interesting website by the National Priorities Project. I'm not vouching for its validity, but even if biased, it offers food for thought.

Through some calculation, this group has set up a running counter of the cost of the Iraq War to the country and the share that would be considered to be coming from Vermonters or New Yorkers or whomever. The counter read $775 million as the cost of the war to Vermont.

The site also has a comparative calculator. You pick some defense related expense and then see how much of some domestic program it might have purchased.

The war has been an important issue for some Vermonters. Candidates such as Congressman Peter Welch, D-VT, and perhaps those running for governor could be asked questions about the toll the war is taking on Vermont. The numbers at this site may not be the right numbers, but some figures -- number of Vermonters killed, injured, plus dollars not available for (you fill in the blank) are relevant, don't you think?

-- Nancy Remsen