| I'm not generally one to go out "Bush Bashing". I | | | | has however been a rush on copper, pushing its |
| don't enjoy high prices or the war in Iraq, so I put | | | | demand beyond cheap levels of supply. Us, |
| up with both often in silence. | | | | DIYers (Do It Yourself) aren't to blame though. |
| Last week I found myself at the local hardware | | | | Apparently, in case you've been asleep or under a |
| store purchasing a (ten dollar) piece of copper | | | | rock the last four years, there has been a war in |
| tubing for a home repair. At the cash register the | | | | Afghanistan and Iraq. To put this into perspective |
| clerk rang up my purchase and cheerfully | | | | for the layman, The US military issues M-16 rifles |
| announced, "That'll be $18.34 sir." She must have | | | | to its estimated 161,000 plus troops in Iraq and |
| noticed the look of astonishment on my face | | | | Afghanistan. These rifles fire rounds made of |
| because her cheery smile instantly turned | | | | gilding metal alloy, which is predominantly copper. |
| up-side-down and the explanations started pouring | | | | Now its true that one bullet doesn't weigh much |
| out of her. It seems, according to her, the high | | | | and you certainly can't fault any soldier for lawfully |
| cost of fuel is to blame because for the last | | | | squeezing the trigger, but according to John Pike, |
| several months copper has been increasing in | | | | director of the Washington military research group |
| price by leaps and bounds. Not only finished | | | | GlobalSecurity.org, based on the GAO's figures, US |
| copper but also scrap pricing has sky-rocketed | | | | forces have expended around six billion bullets |
| and there have been thefts. In fact, a large | | | | between 2002 and 2005. I'm just guessing here |
| building fire by a wharf has been attributed to | | | | but I think I have found out where the missing |
| two homeless men burning insulation from copper | | | | copper went that led to a supply and demand |
| wiring so they could sell it for scrap. | | | | issue that just doubled the price of my home |
| After paying the clerk and loading my pipe I | | | | repair. |
| began pondering the souring copper price issue on | | | | A 7.62 military round weighs 9.33 grams. Simple |
| the drive home. Later at lunch, I found myself | | | | math deduces almost 123 million pounds of copper |
| doing math in my head. Sure fuel has doubled but | | | | bullets expended. This guestimate may be way |
| labor costs haven't, at least not in my neck of | | | | off in left field but I can tell you it does represent |
| the woods. | | | | 85,307 miles of ½ inch copper tubing. |
| Throughout the day the question of copper | | | | More deductive reasoning says that since I |
| companies gouging hard working Americans kept | | | | shouldn't and won't blame our troops, I can |
| popping in my head. Why, when the country is so | | | | instead follow the chain of command up the |
| hard hit with energy costs, would the giants of | | | | ladder all the way to the commander in chief and |
| copper companies suddenly decide to double the | | | | lay the blame squarely on his shoulders. This |
| price. Was it fuel costs or greed? | | | | would be President George Bush. |
| The game is a foot and the answer may be less | | | | Congress said the war would cost us billions. They |
| diabolical than one would expect. After a novice | | | | were counting tax dollars. If you add in additional |
| attempt at research, my conclusion is, it is indeed | | | | out of pocket expenses it easily becomes trillions |
| economics but not greed or fuel prices. It is the | | | | and this is why I feel somewhat exonerated for |
| law of supply and demand that doubled my home | | | | my current round of "Bush Bashing". I don't know |
| repair costs. | | | | when our troops are coming home but I hope it is |
| No, there hasn't been a sudden rash of home | | | | before the number of lost lives doubles like the |
| repairs depleting supplies of copper tubing. There | | | | price of copper has. |