Your Tax Dollars At Work

I just read two articles that have me convinced the crazies are running the asylum. After reading them I have to wonder how long the American people will put up with this crap! Incompetence, greed, or maybe pure hubris I don't know. It will all make for some very interesting elections in the next two years.

I don't mind spending the money if were getting something done. But to just throw it at Halliburton stockholders .... No Way! If we had only planed the post-invasion the way we planned the invasion. It all just seems such a waist when there is so much to be done.

The two articles are the rolling Stone cover story "The Worst President In History" and a New York Times piece "Rebuilding of Iraqi Oil Pipeline as Disaster Waiting to Happen ". Both are great reading if you want to get depressed.

"The Fatah project went ahead despite warnings from experts that it could not succeed because the underground terrain was shattered and unstable. It continued chewing up astonishing amounts of cash when the predicted problems bogged the work down, with a contract that allowed crews to charge as much as $100,000 a day as they waited on standby. The company in charge engaged in what some American officials saw as a self-serving attempt to limit communications with the government until all the money was gone". NYT

NYT - Rebuilding of Iraqi Pipeline as Disaster Waiting to Happen
Rolling Stone - The Worst President In History?

If you really want to get into it:

Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction
SIGIR assessment Al Fatah Crossing pdf.