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I want to know where my $8.7 billion went!

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Subdivisions Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-27-10 02:38 PM
Original message
I want to know where my $8.7 billion went!
Fiscal Responsibility? The DoD Loses Track of 8.7 Billion Dollars

When you hear the Republicans talk about fiscal responsibility, you should really just laugh in their faces. Consider http://thinkprogress.org/2010/07/27/defense-department-96-iraq/">this:

A US federal watchdog has criticised the US military for failing to account properly for billions of dollars it received to help rebuild Iraq. The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction says the US Department of Defence is unable to account properly for 96% of the <$9.1 billion allocated for Iraqi reconstruction>. Out of just over $9bn (£5.8bn), $8.7bn is unaccounted for, the inspector says. <...>

The funds in question were administered by the US Department of Defence between 2004 and 2007, and were earmarked for reconstruction projects. But, the report says, a lack of proper accounting makes it impossible to say exactly what happened to most of the money.


When liberals say that Republicans use the federal treasury for looting, this is what we mean. Maybe you object to spending tax money on hunger or health care for kids. Maybe you don’t want blacks and latinos to get a helping hand from the federal government. But how do you feel about the Department of Defense losing track of 8.7 billion dollars? We gave them over nine billion dollars to rebuild Iraq and they can’t even tell us where they spent five percent of the money. That is looting. That is a total lack of accountability that enables people to walk off with pallets of U.S. dollars without anyone asking questions.

...snip...

http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/07/27/fiscal-responsibility-the-dod-loses-track-of-8-7-billion-dollars/


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flyarm Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-27-10 02:43 PM
Response to Original message
1. Do a goggle search on 2.3 trillion missing under Rumsfeld..your head might explode! eom
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Bitwit1234 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-27-10 02:44 PM
Response to Original message
2. Send Bachman an email and ask her is she knows. After
all she was in office them. I am composing one right now. And I think I am going to send it to every republican I can think of who rants and raves about fiscal responsiblity. That almost 10 billion dollars would make sure social security and medicare would stay fully funded for years and years to come.
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polly7 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-27-10 03:04 PM
Response to Original message
3. It was Iraqi oil and gas money.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLDE66Q23O._CH_.2420

They felt Iraq should pay for its own reconstruction.
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JuniperLea Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-27-10 03:10 PM
Response to Original message
4. We need to take a clue from the citizens of The City of Bell...
They rose up, began protesting, and they are STILL taking it to the streets! This will hopefully put Jerry Brown in a very good light as well. Win, win, I hope!


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/07/attorney-general-issues-subpoenas-in-bell-salary-scandal.html

"These outrageous pay practices are an insult to the hard-working people of Bell and have provoked righteous indignation in California and even across the country," Brown said. "I'm determined to get to the bottom of these exorbitant payouts and protect the state's pension system against such abuses, and today's subpoenas are an important step in that process."

The Times reported that Bell's city manager, Robert Rizzo, was earning nearly $800,000 in annual pay, making him the highest-paid government manager in the nation. Police Chief Randy Adams was paid $457,000 a year, and Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia made $376,288.

Under pressure from residents, all three have resigned. At a City Council meeting Monday night, Bell residents are expected to push for the resignations of four of the five council members; each of the four makes $100,000 a year for a part-time job.



I do believe it really is time for taking it to the streets...

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Rex Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-27-10 03:25 PM
Response to Original message
5. So, we can't help the unemployed BUT we can lose track of BILLIONS
in warzones...that is s'kay...got it. :eyes:
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oldlib Donating Member (549 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-27-10 03:26 PM
Response to Original message
6. It's strange
that money of this magnitude is missing. This minimizes the amounts that the GOOP is complaining about, almost daily.
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sixmile Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-27-10 03:38 PM
Response to Original message
7. Who will be outraged with me?
This will be quickly forgotten once the media finds out what Lindsay Lohan is having for dinner tonight...
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KeepItReal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-27-10 04:00 PM
Response to Original message
8. George Clooney should make "Three Kings II" and talk about looting US taxpayers money
in this latest Iraq War.

This time it would be a documentary.
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onethatcares Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-27-10 04:37 PM
Response to Original message
9. $365,000,000 kinda disappeared the first days of the war
that's a bunch of money, it was BenFranklins wrapped in plastic, put on pallets and taken to the Iraq Provisional Authority headquarters, where it was stuffed into file cabinets and desk drawers, I think Paul Bremer was in charge at that time but he was never questioned about that money going missing.

They did bust a spec4 in Manila playing poker with about 100K in his pockets and boots they traced back to the loot. (who'da thunk they'd bust a low ranker instead of a high roller?)

But we can't afford universal healthcare or upkeep on our infrastructure cause it just plain costs too much.:argh: :banghead:
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DFW Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-27-10 04:40 PM
Response to Original message
10. If this eases your pain
It's only about $25 for every man, woman and child in the USA. The fact that just about all of it disappeared
into Republican hands is something they'd obviously prefer we overlook.
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