WASHINGTON, April 29, 2007
Iraq Rebuild: Your Tax $ At Work (Not)
American Investment in Iraq Reconstruction Projects At Risk, Inspector General Report Finds
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Iraq: Another New Way Forward?
President Bush plans to discuss another way forward with Congressional leaders. Meanwhile a car bomb explosion in Karbala has provided another setback for progress in Iraq. Joie Chen reports.
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Walls For Security In Baghdad
West Baghdad has now become a safer place. U.S. troops have found an effective way of keeping murder rates down, they build walls. Mark Strassmann has details.
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Petraeus: Army Making Progress
Army Commander Gen. Petraeus tells David Martin the U.S. is making progress in Iraq but will not make a prediction of victory or defeat. He says he will know the fate of the invasion by September.
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An inspector general report on Iraqi reconstruction projects found that of 8 sampled projects declared successes and turned over to Iraqi control, 7 are no longer functioning properly, if at all. (Getty Images/Chris Hondros)
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Iraq: 4 Years Later
The conflict wears on as the nation struggles to rebuild.
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In The Spotlight
Bush's New Iraq Strategy
A glimpse at some of the key elements in President Bush's new plan for Iraq.
Inspectors from the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, which is charged with reviewing Iraqi reconstruction projects that are financed by the U.S., visited eight facilities throughout the country, to determine whether the buildings were operating at full capacity.
What the inspectors discovered is that, even though those facilities had been completed and declared to be successes, and subsequently met the stated "objectives" of reconstruction, they were not functioning properly.
Sites suffered from deterioration, poor or no maintenance, or were not even being used by the people for whom they were built, at a cost to U.S. taxpayers of approximately $150 million.
And these were sites that the United States had previously declared to be signs of Iraq's rebirth: police stations, a military base, a maternity hospital, a recruiting center.
While officials said the eight sampled projects could not be the basis for solely judging the success or merits of U.S.-backed reconstruction efforts in Iraq, the functionality of the facilities raised serious concerns about the rebuild effort, which to Washington has been almost as important as a military victory.
For example, at a recruiting center in Al Hilla, inspectors found bathrooms with floors buckled by what appeared to be sewage backups, makeshift electrical wiring, and sewage holding tanks that were never evacuated because concrete barriers blocked access to the rear of the building where the tanks are located. The inspectors concluded that the quality of the recruiting center's construction met objectives, but that the problems, if left unresolved, would significantly shorten the useful life of the facility.
At a maternity and pediatric hospital in Erbil, inspectors again found a sewer system that was occasionally clogged, possibly as a result of improper disposal of large amounts of medical wastes, and a water purification system that was not working.
During the site visits there, inspectors saw needles, bandages and other examples of medical wastes in the sewer system's traps and septic tank. A new incinerator was not in use because those initially trained in running it were no longer employed. Also, workers were using an excessive amount of water to clean floors, leading to considerable amounts of water being absorbed into the walls.
The inspections were more positive for two police stations that were reviewed, both in Mosul. Each appeared to be able to operate at full capacity, the inspector general said.
At the Gaugli-Asher station, in particular, inspectors said that "full capacity operations over the long term will likely result" if Iraqi police continue to properly use and maintain the building and its equipment.
However, the review of a second station showed that some of the contractor work did not meet requirements; razor wire was secured by sand bags; and no one knew how to fix or run the generator providing electricity.
"As a result, the new generator system, which cost $79,000, is not being used and the repaired and upgraded electrical system and components have been degraded," inspectors said.
At Baghdad International Airport, $11.8 million worth of new electrical generators had been installed. The inspectors found that $8.6 million worth were no longer working.
"These first inspections indicate that the concerns that we and others have had about the Iraqis sustaining our investments in these projects are valid," Stuart W. Bowen Jr., who leads the office of the special inspector general, told The New York Times for an article published Sunday.
The inspector general's quarterly report on Iraq reconstruction is being released Monday. Reports dealing with specific aspects of the reconstruction were released over the last few days.
In Other Developments:
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See all 62 Commentsthe envelope please .....
Republican "greedership" ....
the conservative agenda is clearly indefensible ...
And these were sites that the United States had previously declared to be signs of Iraq's rebirth: police stations, a military base, a maternity hospital, a recruiting center.
Is this another example of the Iraqi government unable to manage their nation? A government unable to set aside sectarian differences and end the violence this should come as no surprise.
We created the situation by removing their dictator and no one or government has been able to fill his shoes. A nation that is unable to govern itself in any fashion will cease to exist.Responsibilty for creating this continual void is ours. The question now is can the continuing power vacumm be filled or will it splinter into three nations and how do we leave Iraq?
I am trying to start a new welding shop, and the money I am spending in taxes would go a long way toward making me a more productive citizen in my own country. I never feared an Iraqi, but I do fear the hurt the IRS puts on me to pay for wars.
http://www.aliciapatterson.org/APF0801/Cohn/Cohn.html
One after another of these fiascos keep being exposed, and apparently no one really cares.
Keep in mind that this country is being run by non-elected officials. Only Bush and Cheney went through the motions of running a campaign, everyone else was appointed by them. Cheney needs to take Bush dove hunting.
on top of its immorality
on top of its criminality
besides the lies we were told
in spite of the hidden agenda
despite all this.....
we are witnessing only the begining of the biggest most flagrant rip-off in history.
WHY SHOULD'T THEY HATE YOUR GUT? YOU HAVE DESTROYED THEIR COUNTRY BY FOLLOWING A MADMAN THAT YOU CAN"T CONTROL. THAT WAS A BUEATIFUL COUNTRY UNTILL YOU ATTACKJED A INNOCENT, HELPLESS PEOPLE,THEN STAND AROUND WITH "HERSEY BARS AND COKES"WONDERING WHY THEY HATE YOU.
OPEN YOUR EYES AND SEE WHAT YOU ARE GUILTY OF.
But one wonders, is it incompetence or deliberate negligence?
Perhaps all this "reconstruction" is a cover, a scam to rip the American taxpayers of billions of dollars.
The real reason for the war is to bomb the country to shreds, and then use American tax dollars to "rebuid" it with guess what, ******** Cheney's old trusty company, "Halliburton."
So far over $20 billion in war contracts.
What is ********'s cut?
No wonder they don't want to end the war. They don't want to kill their golden goose.
War is great for business!
Posted by skyk at 11:00 AM : Apr 29, 2007
The name "Bush" will enter the language as a synonym for incompetence.
If it hasn't already, beyond the phrase "bush league."
I don't even know what to say. I guess I'll go plant flowers and try to forget this mess. Please vote Democrat next time everybody.
"Within just a few years [of Saddam Hussein taking power in 1969], Iraq was providing social services that were unprecedented among Middle Eastern countries. Saddam established and controlled the "National Campaign for the Eradication of Illiteracy" and the campaign for "Compulsory Free Education in Iraq," and largely under his auspices, the government established universal free schooling up to the highest education levels; hundreds of thousands learned to read in the years following the initiation of the program. The government also supported families of soldiers, granted free hospitalization to everyone, and gave subsidies to farmers. Iraq created one of the most modernized public-health systems in the Middle East, earning Saddam an award from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)."
Wikipedia, with independent sources of information
This is a crime. We have spent billions rebuilding Iraq, yet much of New Orleans lays in ruins still. But consider: Iraq has oil. New Orleans has black people and Democrats. Which do you suppose Republicans are going to be more interested in helping? :)
The current regime in Washingtoon is a fascist, Republicon band of thieves and murderers. There is not one socially redeeming value under this 'administration', as history will record.
The last six years has been a time of Constitution trashing and gutting the treasury.
Otherwise, I agree with you. And if America needs to remind the world that we are not irrelevant, all our politicians need do is stop handing out the money to them. Ditto to the big corporations who don't need the welfare (aka 'government subsidy').
As for globalization, the day it pertains to helping the world rather than tearing us down to migrate everything overseas is the day I'll support it without question. I don't mind helping others, but the cost is becoming too high. Unless there's something I'm missing, but as a bankruptcy lawyer once told me, it's a "race to the bottom". I didn't declare, I took the high road, but many people who are trying to pay back their debt lose their jobs... then ask why credit card companies want to give cards to illegal immigrants and one has to wonder what is going on? Why the two-facedness on debt? Is it good, or isn't it?
, Let's hope history gets it right...Listening to Condi Rice defend against George Tenent's book this morning,, Condi seems to think history will show something other than real time & past failures.
Also, why the talk of taxation? President Bush has lowered taxes for the last 6 years. If you ask me, taxes aren't the problem. The exponentially increasing cost of living is - if 60% of us are now living in poverty. :Shrug: I dunno.
drop in the bucket compared to 500 billion to keep our Armed Forces running for a year...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Worldwide_military_spending_2005_%28horizontal%29.svg
Excellent post. The times in my life at which I've felt most confused have been when someone was cheating me and misleading me about. That answers your question about whether debt is good or evil. Or you can look at our founding fathers, with their quotes such as "banks are worse than standing armies". That was their honest opinion, not a witticism, and today our standing army and our banks are impoverishing us.
It is going to be a very tough fight to get this nation back, to get decency back. Those in power today have no respect for morality, for God, for patriotism, no shame, no pity for their fellow man. All they care is about power itself, and the decadent lifestyles they lead with their ill-gotten wealth. The only message we can give them, thus, is the exercise of power, the only emotion they will respond to is fear. When leadership gets this corrupt, these are times of great social struggles. When power respects only power, our power can only come through awareness followed by organization followed by action.
Think Cheney made money or lost money on the Iraq conflict? ( I avoid calling it a war since it's undeclared)
The neo.con righties don't care how many of our troops are torn up or how many tax dollars go down this rat hole because the have made billions!!
Lets see there's umm or hmmm uh aaw hmmmm
And THAT'S the GOOD news!
Posted by firststate at 02:00 PM : Apr 29, 2007"
Now that Bu$h is dictator, no one has to shine...
Americans - Asleep at the wheel.
'My money is funding Bush's revenge for his father'
It's not revenge.
And it's not because Bush Sr was his father,it's because Bush Sr was a FORMER PRESIDENT.
QUOTE:
'we are losing good men and women all for the sake of who knows what'
Our military personel are fighting and sacrificing their lives so that there will never be another 9/11 type attack. The war in Iraq is about preventing another 9/11 type attack by installing democratic governments throughout the Middle East,starting with Iraq.
QUOTE:
'Millions of innocent Iragi families are also dying'
Millions? WRONG. Try 68,000:
iraqbodycount.org
QUOTE:
'And terrorism continues world wide'
Where? Except for Iraq,terrorism is down all over the world. And there have been no terrorist attacks on US soil since 9/11.
LOL! LBJ and the CHIMP, what a pair! We do not need any more lying, self-righteous,
warmongers like them.
People like Bush would rather have the biggest deficits in US history than make of the government a place every citizen can count on as a last refuge.
Then they have nothing to worry about, since "al-Qaeda-in-Iraq' is little more than an imaginary black-propaganda fable.
Re: "A sniper shot to death an Iraqi woman near a market in western Baghdad, police said."
We know that an Iraqi sniper would have no reason to shoot an Iraqi woman, so are we talking about another U.S. soldier killing another Iraqi civilian?
'THE BEAUTIFUL MOSQUES THAT HAVE BEEN DESTROYED BY THE U.S'
The insurgents are disgracing and debasing Islam by using mosques to fire on Coaltion forces.
UNAMI, reported that 34,452 civilians were killed and 36,685 were wounded in 06 alone..
CNN 4-25-06.
If you do the math over four plus years, that would push the figures a bit higher than 68,000.
Lets see, 68,000, or millions, well, its just iraqi's RIGHT? I wonder how many were children? How many more innocent Iraqi citizens will die?
Last count I read, was 99 American troops died this mongh alone. Well over 3300 so far. Mission Accomplished. Major Combat Is Over. Stay the course.
I'll bet that the friends and families of these soldiers would not have burried this story in the "Iraq after Saddan" section, the way that CBS Newz editors have done in this case.
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