Thursday, September 16, 2004
Iraqi Reconstruction a Banal Joke `
11 months ago, the Bush Administration got $18.4 Billion from the US Congress to fund Iraqi reconstruction. This kind of thing was supposedly central to W's ambitions, "spreading freedom, planting hope, bringing democracy" (or whatver crappy abstractions-of-the-moment). Judge for yourself by the numbers.
Overall, "$7.1 Billion of the $18.4 billion fund has been set aside for contractors, but little has been spent on the planned work." The State Department accounting:
$4.200 Billion for Water + Sanitation : only $16 Million (0.3%) spent;
$0.786 Billion for Health : only $02 Million (0.2%) spent;
$0.367 Billion for Roads + Bridges : only $07 Million (1.9%) spent;
$1.000 Billion for Public Safety + Courts : only $42 Million (4.2%) spent.
If this rate were maintained, we would have to be in Iraq 500 years to finish the last project.
The clincher: now they want to siphon off $3.5 Billion (19%) in reconsctruction funds and use it for temporary "security" costs. Sound like a winning idea? No chance for corruption, right? Wait, what about all the other money we gave you for the whole war thing?!
So when you hear about how great it is we're building so many schools and hospitals w/ all that money in Iraq, you can ask yourself how many times in the next 500 years they are going to tap that fund for security costs.
Source: Scripps Howard News Service:
Senate Republicans and Democrats on Wednesday criticized the Bush administration's slowness in rebuilding war-torn Iraq, saying that delays risk failure at ending terror and securing peace.
The slow pace of the White House in spending a congressionally approved $18.4 billion fund for Iraq reconstruction reveals that the Bush administration did not make adequate postwar preparations, said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, R-Ind.
"It's beyond pitiful. It's beyond embarrassing. It's now in the zone of dangerous," said Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., describing the administration's pace in meeting its promises to rebuild Iraq's schools, hospitals, water, sewer and electricity systems.
And those are top Republicans on the issue. Check the link for the Dem's view.
Overall, "$7.1 Billion of the $18.4 billion fund has been set aside for contractors, but little has been spent on the planned work." The State Department accounting:
$4.200 Billion for Water + Sanitation : only $16 Million (0.3%) spent;
$0.786 Billion for Health : only $02 Million (0.2%) spent;
$0.367 Billion for Roads + Bridges : only $07 Million (1.9%) spent;
$1.000 Billion for Public Safety + Courts : only $42 Million (4.2%) spent.
If this rate were maintained, we would have to be in Iraq 500 years to finish the last project.
The clincher: now they want to siphon off $3.5 Billion (19%) in reconsctruction funds and use it for temporary "security" costs. Sound like a winning idea? No chance for corruption, right? Wait, what about all the other money we gave you for the whole war thing?!
So when you hear about how great it is we're building so many schools and hospitals w/ all that money in Iraq, you can ask yourself how many times in the next 500 years they are going to tap that fund for security costs.
Source: Scripps Howard News Service:
Senate Republicans and Democrats on Wednesday criticized the Bush administration's slowness in rebuilding war-torn Iraq, saying that delays risk failure at ending terror and securing peace.
The slow pace of the White House in spending a congressionally approved $18.4 billion fund for Iraq reconstruction reveals that the Bush administration did not make adequate postwar preparations, said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, R-Ind.
"It's beyond pitiful. It's beyond embarrassing. It's now in the zone of dangerous," said Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., describing the administration's pace in meeting its promises to rebuild Iraq's schools, hospitals, water, sewer and electricity systems.
And those are top Republicans on the issue. Check the link for the Dem's view.
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