U.S. Fears $53 Billion Spent On Reconstruction In Iraq Will Go To Waste

[Christa]

U.S. Built Hospitals, Schools, Prisons Remain Empty And Shuttered

In its largest reconstruction effort since the Marshall Plan, the United States government has spent $53 billion for relief and reconstruction in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, building tens of thousands of hospitals, water treatment plants, electricity substations, schools and bridges.

But there are growing concerns among American officials that Iraq will not be able to adequately maintain the facilities once the Americans have left, potentially wasting hundreds of millions of dollars and jeopardizing Iraq's ability to provide basic services to its people.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/21/us-fears-53-billion-spent_n_366378.html

[jwirr]

1. To begin with rebuilding a country in the middle of a war was an

insane idea. When have we ever done that before? As to their being able to maintain the facilities - these people survived without us for thousands of years - I suspect they are capable of it again IF we leave them alone.

[AndyA]

2. What a surprise. How is it everyone seems to know this except for the people

at the top spending the money? They are either too fucking stupid to do their jobs properly, or they are corrupt and getting something in return for the contracts. Either way, they should be fired, investigated, and prosecuted.

We can't let people have health care in this country, but we can WASTE TRILLIONS on other things. The priorities are truly FUCKED UP.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

3. Ingrates. We should teach them a lesson by not blowing up their country next time.

That'll show 'em.

[kenny blankenship]

4. How much of this drumbeat of "worry about" this and that in Iraq and Afghanistan

is designed to paralyze public opinion and to keep it tied to our "sunk costs" there? Lots of people in the propaganda business are employed to maintain the status quo of empire. They are not all working where you might think such people would work. Judith Miller did not work for FOX News.

STOP WORRYING ABOUT IRAQ. It was an insane act of mass murder carried forward on a raft of deliberate lies. You cannot undo it, or make amends. Nothing you can do now will mitigate that crime by one iota. There's nothing to worry about because your "worrying" will NOT do anyone any good. "Worrying" about what Iraq might have or might do is what propelled you to kill a million of its people. Yes the money is gone. Down the shitter. That is the LEAST of your valid causes for worry and guilt. GET OUT OF IRAQ NOW.

[Overseas]

7. +1 . Well said. Thank you. //nt

[Lorien]

9. They aren't worried about Iraq. They're worried about the military industrial

complex and war profiteers who won't like being told "no".

[DJ13]

5. Duh?

Did they ever find the large amount of money that has already been "lost" (stolen) in the early years of the occupation?

Seems like a no brainer to monitor any money used there.

[kenny blankenship]

6. It's like they never heard of the word "rathole"

(with apologies to our rodent companions.)

[Cha]

8. And, what happened to that

$9 Billion that went missing in Iraq?

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/01/30/iraq.audit/

That's not petty cash.

[WinkyDink]

10. The POINT was to break Iraq and GIVE BILLIONS to Halliburton/KBR/etc. to re-build. PERIOD.

"USE" was a "Who cares?" aspect.

[Bullet1987]

11. $53 billion to reconstrust Iraq

and America's infrastructure is falling apart! WTF?