Paying the price: A new study by the Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy in Focus finds that the war in Iraq--which has already has a $126 billion pricetag--will end up costing each American family$3,415. The "annual costs would be enough to provide healthcare for more than half of the 43 million US citizens who lack medical insurance," reports The Guardian. The IPSFPF study also does body counts (figures are for deaths prior to June 16 and therefore don't include death tolls from this week's nationwide attacks):

- Up to 11,317 Iraqi civilians have been killed
- 6,370 Iraqi soldiers or insurgents have been killed
- 952 coalition trips killed, including 853 Americans
- Around 694 troops were killed after George Bush declared the end of major combat operations on May 1, 2003
- 50–90 civilian contractors and missionaries killed
- 30 journalists

More math: Mayor Bloomberg assures New Yorkers that the inconvenience of holding the Republican National Cenvention in the city will pay off, bringing an estimated $250 million into the local economy over four days. Matthew Yglesias crunches the number and questions whether almost $7 per day per New Yorker is really worth it. "The city will, I assume, be spending a lot of money on police overtime, barricade construction, etc., which will probably bring the average net economic gain down even further. Then you've got to consider that beyond inconveniencing NYC's 8 million residence, there are millions and millions of people living in Long Island, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Westchester who work in the city and will also be paying the inconvenience tax."