Why Iraqis can't govern themselves

[maha]

From today's New York Times:

In a 6,000-mile end run around American and British occupation authorities, leaders from the Iraqi Governing Council say they will go to Congress this week to argue that American taxpayers could save billions of dollars on Iraq's reconstruction by granting sovereignty more rapidly to the council, the 25-member interim government here.

In interviews, the Iraqi leaders said they planned to tell Congress about how the staff of L. Paul Bremer III, the American occupation administrator, sends its laundry to Kuwait, how it costs $20,000 a day to feed the Americans at Al Rashid Hotel in Baghdad, how American contractors charge large premiums for working in Iraq and how, across the board, the overhead from supporting and protecting the large American and British presence here is less efficient than granting direct aid to Iraqi ministries that operate at a fraction of the cost.

"The Americans are spending money here to secure themselves at a rate that is two to three times what they are spending to secure the Iraqi people," said Ahmad al-Barak, a human rights lawyer and a member of the council. "It would be better for us if we would be in charge of how to spend this money and, of course, they could monitor how it is spent." (Patrick E. Tyler, "Iraq Leaders to Press Congress for Control Over Rebuilding," The New York Times, September 22, 2003)

Of course, it makes perfect sense in light of the Bush Regime's stated goals that these jobs be turned over to Iraqis as quickly as possible. This would not only save U.S. taxpayer dollars but would also provide jobs to Iraqis and get more money circulating within the Iraqi economy.

With the Bushies, however, the stated reason for doing anything are not the real reason. So corporate fat cats, consultants, and various Bushie hangers-on are living high on the hog ('scuse me, it's a Mulsim country; let's say "raking it in") at the expense of Iraqis and American taxpayers -- why, my dear, that was the plan all along! And, it's working swimmingly!

I mean, why would Bush care about putting Iraqis back to work, when the U.S. is shedding good manufacturing and tech jobs as fast as it can? Why should any of us expect to live well in the Bushieworld to come? We ordinary folks are just cost as far as the wealthy are concerned, and we'd better adjust. The only job skills we'll need involve food serving, shoe shining, opening limo doors, and saying, "yes, massah!"

The Iraq governing council, to show us how cost-cutting is done, cancelled the $5,000-a-day food service contract arranged for them by Paul Bremer and found less expensive ways to feed themselves.

Clearly, these Iraqis will never amount to anything. In the Bushie value system, if you aren't wasting and consuming more than you produce, you aren't worth holding the reigns of power. Economy, like paying taxes, is for the little people

http://www.mahablog.com/2003.09.21_arch.html#1064243341353