This is a huge reason we went to war - it's very, very profitable for friends of Bush-Cheney. Oil and war. That's why aggressive neocon politicians are so popular and sell so quickly in Washington.
Watching Romney, Newt, Perry, Bachmann and Santorum trip over each other at the debate the other day, trying to say how quickly they will bomb Iran, is neocon wet dream. Watching Romney brag about how he'll double the size of the navy, and immediately increase the army by 100,000 troops, should really bring in the PAC dollars.
And the below is exactly why Occupy exists. The American people, almost half of whom now live near or in poverty, have had enough.
The below wasted billions - given to Cheney and Bush's friends at Halliburton - would buy alot of food and healthcare for American citizens. Bailed out every single underwater mortgage. Bought college educations for hundreds of thousands.
But no! The Republicans scream we can't spend taxpayer dollars on .... the citizens who give them!
Quote:
The interim report from the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan points out that contractors in the war zones sometimes have exceeded the number of military personnel. Numbering 200,000, contractors now roughly match the military force.
"Misspent dollars run into the tens of billions," the report said. The 64-page report was released Thursday and will be followed up next week with a hearing on how to improve contractor accountability.
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-02-25/p..._s=PM:POLITICS
|
Quote:
Lost & Unaccounted for in Iraq - $9 billion of US taxpayers' money and $549.7 milion in spare parts shipped in 2004 to US contractors. Also, per ABC News, 190,000 guns, including 110,000 AK-47 rifles.
Lost and Reported Stolen - $6.6 billion of U.S. taxpayers' money earmarked for Iraq reconstruction, reported on June 14, 2011 by Special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction Stuart Bowen who called it "the largest theft of funds in national history." (Source - CBS News) Last known holder of the $6.6 billion lost: the U.S. government.
Missing - $1 billion in tractor trailers, tank recovery vehicles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and other equipment and services provided to the Iraqi security forces. (Per CBS News on Dec 6, 2007.)
Mismanaged & Wasted in Iraq - $10 billion, per Feb 2007 Congressional hearings
Halliburton Overcharges Classified by the Pentagon as Unreasonable and Unsupported - $1.4 billion
Amount paid to KBR, a former Halliburton division, to supply U.S. military in Iraq with food, fuel, housing and other items - $20 billion
Portion of the $20 billion paid to KBR that Pentagon auditors deem "questionable or supportable" - $3.2 billion
http://usliberals.about.com/od/homel...raqNumbers.htm
|