AP IMPACT: US wasted billions in rebuilding Iraq-thank you, dimson

[babylonsister]

AP IMPACT: US wasted billions in rebuilding Iraq
AP

By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer Kim Gamel, Associated Press Writer – 38 mins ago


KHAN BANI SAAD, Iraq – A $40 million prison sits in the desert north of Baghdad, empty. A $165 million children's hospital goes unused in the south. A $100 million waste water treatment system in Fallujah has cost three times more than projected, yet sewage still runs through the streets

As the U.S. draws down in Iraq, it is leaving behind hundreds of abandoned or incomplete projects. More than $5 billion in American taxpayer funds has been wasted — more than 10 percent of the some $50 billion the U.S. has spent on reconstruction in Iraq, according to audits from a U.S. watchdog agency.

That amount is likely an underestimate, based on an analysis of more than 300 reports by auditors with the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction. And it does not take into account security costs, which have run almost 17 percent for some projects.

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100830/ap_on_bi_ge/ml_iraq_us_reconstruction_legacy

[NC_Nurse]

1. More Repub money-wasting. Pin this deficit-funded shit right on their asses

where it belongs.

[ixion]

2. Not "wasted." More like "stolen", "looted", "robbed", "defrauded"

something along those lines.

[customerserviceguy]

5. No doubt

that a goodly portion of this money is sitting in various Iraqis' Swiss bank accounts, awaiting the day they bug out with the last helicopters, ala Vietnam.

[babylonsister]

6. Iraqis? How about Halliburton, KBR, Cheney, et al? nt

[ixion]

12. Yep, that's where the money went

would be my bet.

[marmar]

9. Various Iraqis? How about various western corporate accounts?

nt

[customerserviceguy]

11. Those are in open accounts

I'm sure al-Maliki and those of his inner circle have numbered accounts right in the same Swiss banks that Karzai and his cronies have theirs in.

There's enough graft and greed to go around in these sorts of things.

[gratuitous]

3. Someone got paid a lot of money to do a half-assed job

Oh well, that's just looking backward to the past, playing the blame game and not looking forward to the future. We'll never be able to sort it all out, especially since we're not going to investigate, so why don't we just forget about it?

[babylonsister]

4. I hope there's a straw somewhere that will

inspire the powers that be to do something. I do understand the obstacles they've had to overcome up to this point to at least attempt to right * wrongs, but this is just wrong, too. Add it to the list? Point out very publicly what happened and why? I'm sure we can figure out who was responsible for this disgusting waste, and perhaps more important, who benefited financially.

[w8liftinglady]

7. i rec'd-bushie's buds are active tonite

[babylonsister]

8. Out in force on a lot of threads.

:hi:

[Fumesucker]

10. K&R for looking backward..

[babylonsister]

13. This needs scrutiny, not that the "media" will ever talk about it. nt

[Fumesucker]

14. Obama doesn't seem terribly interested either.. n/t

[babylonsister]

15. The story posted was written today. Damn, Obama failed again!

:eyes:

Here's a thought. Let 'the media' make this a huge issue, and maybe the President would follow suit. But unless he has the ear of the people, who the hell cares, especially about history, which this admin isn't supposed to concentrate on?

Lose, lose, we all lose.

[Fumesucker]

16. Right, no one knew anything about money being stole... err.. wasted in Iraq until today..

I mean only pallets of shrink wrapped hundred dollar bills disappeared into thin air..

:eyes: right back at ya..

[babylonsister]

17. On dimson's watch. I hope 'the media' makes it a huge issue,

but that won't happen. It's just not that important, despite this country sinking into ever more poverty.

And how long would trials go on? Is this country ready for that? Can we afford it, for starters?

I don't know.

I think it's totally wrong that people are getting away with this, but I don't have an answer.

[Fumesucker]

18. I don't have any answers either..

And I don't think anything will ever be done.

Which ends up pissing me off because our nation is incredibly judgmental toward those at the bottom of the social ladder while being incredibly lax towards those at the top.

[slipslidingaway]

19. knr - and all those votes for war funding :( n/t