War Finance Quotes

Endless money forms the sinews of war. Nervi belli pecunia infinita.

… war is a matter not so much of arms as of money

The sinews of war are infinite money.

Money was the crux. Raising money to pay the cost of war was to cause more damage to 14th century society than the physical destruction of war itself.

In the North, neither greenbacks, taxes, nor war bonds were enough to finance the war. So a national banking system was created to convert government bonds into fiat money, and the people lost over half of their monetary assets to the hidden tax of inflation. In the South, printing presses accomplished the same effect, and the monetary loss was total.

Wars are made to make debt.

When is the last time we had a tax cut before going to war?

During the fiscal year ending in 1861, expenses of the federal government had been $67 million. After the first year of armed conflict they were $475 million and, by 1865, had risen to one billion, three-hundred million dollars. On the income side of the ledger, taxes covered only about eleven per cent of that figure. By the end of the war, the deficit had risen to $2.61 billion. That money had to come from somewhere.

It costs us $1 million for every troop[soldier] in Afghanistan.

A war undertaken without sufficient monies has but a wisp of force. Coins are the very sinews of battles.

The authority of Parliament is valid in all laws, except such as should lay internal taxes; it was never disputed in laying duties to regulate commerce; The Americans would never submit to the Stamp Act, or to any other tax on the same principle; North America would contribute to the support of Great Britain if engaged in a war in Europe

It is often easier to assemble armies than it is to assemble army revenues.

War begun without good provision of money beforehand for going through with it is but as a breathing of strength and blast that will quickly pass away. Coin is the sinews of war.

Not One More Death. Not One More Dollar

This war so far has cost us $125 billion and counting, because largely we decided to do it on our own, with only the United Kingdom as a paying, fully participating partner.

We are spending $1 billion a week in Iraq.