WASHINGTON - Millions of dollars of lucrative Iraq reconstruction contracts were never finished because of excessive delays, poor performance or other factors, including failed projects that are being falsely described by the U.S. government as complete, federal investigators say.
The audit released Sunday by Stuart Bowen Jr., the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, provides the latest snapshot of an uneven reconstruction effort that has cost U.S. taxpayers more than $100 billion.
The special IG's review of 47,321 reconstruction projects worth billions of dollars found that at least 855 contracts were terminated by U.S. officials before their completion, primarily because of unforeseen factors such as violence and excessive costs. About 112 of those agreements were ended specifically because of the contractors' actual or anticipated poor performance. In addition, the audit said many reconstruction projects were being described as complete or otherwise successful when they were not. In one case, the U.S. Agency for International Development contracted with Bechtel Corp. in 2004 to construct a $50 million children's hospital in Basra, only to "essentially terminate" the project in 2006 because of monthslong delays.
The audit comes amid renewed focus in recent months on potential abuse in contracting government-wide, such as Iraq reconstruction. Last year, congressional investigators said as much as $10 billion — or one in six dollars — charged by U.S. contractors for Iraq reconstruction were questionable or unsupported, and warned that significantly more taxpayer money was at risk.
My question is why are talking about whose pastor is the craziest, wackiest or scariest. Rev. Wright, John Hagee , Rod Parsley, Pat Buchanan etc. They truly are not the issue when this country is struggling with issue like stated above, no health care, our veterans bravely serve our country and return home and get no support (after the parade is over) they have no medical, mental healthcare, they have lost their jobs, can't pay their bills many complain that they can't even get a return phone call from the government, we have an educational system that is falling behind internationally, jobs are leaving this country, we import far more than we export, we are fight an elective war, on credit no less, we lowered taxes during wartime (never ever done in the history of this country), we love our children but we handing them the bill for an elective war. We have higher crime rate than any industrialize,educted nation, statistically we have higher a abortion rate also, shall I continue... Yet we sit back and talk about whose pastor is the scariest. My mom is prettier than your mom, my dad can beat up your dad, your friends are more radical and controversial than mine, now what. Rev Wright as offensive as you may find his comments he did not start the war in Iraq, did not vote against healthcare reform, did not refuse to sign the bill to support the veterans, he did not cause the current mortgage crisis, did not vote for NAFTA, he does not perform abortions, he did not deny your car loans or foreclose on your house, he did not lay you off or close your company, he did not raid your 401k or retirement fund, he is not responsible for children not being able to get in to their college of choice, or if they do get in he is not responsible for the fact that they more than likely will live near poverty level ( as the middle class is becoming the working poor) with a college education because of cost of the loans that they will be paying off until their 30's. People better know their candidates views on war, the economy, taxes, education, healthcare, foregin trade, free trade, import/export, civil rights for starter, yet our debates continue to be non issues. There is a reason for the separation of church and state and why there is no religous litmus test for POTUS. No one objected to GWB minister and look where that has gotten us, to be fair to his pastor he on numerous occassions voiced his oppostition to the war for all the good that did. At the end of the day, Rev. Wright, Hagee or Parsely are men and they are entitled to their opinions even if some find it objectional or offensive this is still america with freedom of thought. Has anybody wondered why if all christians go to church and worship the same God , why is sunday morning is the most segregated time in amercia (to quote Dr. King)?
