| To add onto Kuzmich's post, there is more than just billions of dollars being spent, but a lot of money is being wasted in every sense of the word as well. The latest estimate I have heard is roughly a billion dollars having been mismanaged and lost completely. That's money that comes straight out of our tax dollars (well, not you two, Tronga and Kuzmich). Lots of it was lost by lack of paperwork and supervision. Many things not much more than oral contracts have caused a great deal of that money to go to waste.
The organizations in Iraq are losing vehicles. I mean literally misplacing them because of a lack of paperwork. Soldiers have been charged with stealing money, the biggest case I've read about being about 2.5 million USD. Then there are basic projects such as water purification projects, hospitals, schools, electrical projects, and others that are simply throwing money at the projects and not holding any accountability for a lot of projects not being finished. Some of its' due to having to up security costs and other given problems in Iraq, but a noticeable portion of the money has simply vanished.
And its' not only our money, but Iraqi money being lost too. I read an article how 10 billion USD worth of Iraqi oil money had 'disappeared' and no one could account for it.
Don't get me wrong, a lot of reconstruction is occurring, a lot of good is happening, but a lot of money and resources is being mismanaged by multiple organizations dealing with reconstruction in Iraq.
As for Tronga's post, do you really think any of those things would have happened if we hadn't gone to war in Iraq? I mean realistically, the money wouldn't have been spent because it would most likely be filling in our deficit. To add one last thing to your list, "Instead we could have filled in 1/30 (about 3.3%) our of national debt." Mine doesn't have the same emotion appeal, but it does show where the money most likely would have gone. |