With billions in surplus, Iraq doesn't share much of the burden

[Rebel]

Iraq slacking on paying for reconstruction

Sorry, I am ALL for this war and know we did the right thing, but it's time for the f'ers to start manning up. It's THEIR country we're rebuilding, it's time for THEM to start taking over.

BTW, a little suggestion:

Buy some dinars.

[Airwolf]

Damn right they should.

[PatriotGame]

I agree. They should be sending the American people 100 million barrels of sweet crude a day, no charge.

[Wretched Excess]

your post doesn't conform to Breaking News Forum Guidelines  :innocent:

[Chris_]

your post doesn't conform to Breaking News Forum Guidelines  :-) :innocent:

Yes -- where in the heck are the pics of the naked Asian chicls?

[Rebel]

your post doesn't conform to Breaking News Forum Guidelines  :innocent:

Which one, in particular?

[Chris_]

Iraq slacking on paying for reconstruction

Sorry, I am ALL for this war and know we did the right thing, but it's time for the f'ers to start manning up. It's THEIR country we're rebuilding, it's time for THEM to start taking over.

BTW, a little suggestion:

Buy some dinars.

Ya know, Reb, I am so with you on this one.

They owe us and owe us big.  We need some nerd in the White House keeping a tape on the costs and holding Iraq to the financial costs we have sustained.

And if we can't get the direct costs, the wounded and the families of our fallen should be reimbursed handsomely.  Not as a quid pro quo (bad precedent), but as gratitude.  A billion divided by thousands is still millions.

[Chris_]

I looked at dinar/USD exchange rates a couple years ago and noticed a huge jump in the value of the dinar after the start of the war.  I thought, "maybe all the easy money has been made", it was that much of a leap.  I guess I thought wrong... I didn't figure into the drastically de-valued dinar at the time.  I have a friend that made a few thousand dollars investing in penny stocks that went up an average of 20%.  I don't even think this takes a huge amount of effort.  Go to the nearest money changer (usually an international airport), swap out some American cash for dinars, and stick it in a safe somwhere.

The dinar has nowhere to go but up.  I'm bothered by the Iraqi government's reluctance to burden the cost of what we've done to  benefit them, but holding billions of dollars in reserve only bolsters the value of their currency.  Invest now, and if the Democrats don't cut the country's legs out from under them, it will be worth it.

[franksolich]

Well, there is a problem here.

America has a tradition, a reputation, of being the altruistic good guy.

For example, America supported western Europe long past that time western Europe had recovered, meaning we were paying for things they didn't have to, and since they didn't have to, those countries adopted all these over-generous social services programs, giving us the spoiled brat eurotwits of today.

It's unfortunate, but what can one do?

My own attitude about the liberation of Iraq has been stated many times; when the genocidal homocidal Saddam Hussein was captured and then hanged, "mission accomplished."

I know I'm in a minority here, but to me, America's destiny is to free the world of oppressors and thugs, after which the newly liberated are to make their own choices.

Given our experiences with the ungrateful Europeans, I'm not fond of this "rebuilding" stuff; just remove the cancer by any means possible, and then let the body heal on its own, naturally.

If I had had my way, we would have been out of Iraq the morning after Saddam Hussein was hanged, as the mission was accomplished, and gone onto other places to free the world, carrying out John Kennedy's words, ".....to bear any burden, pay any price....." so that others may enjoy the blessings of freedom and liberty.

Of course, I didn't have my way; we're stuck with being noble and altruistic.

The blunt fact--and here comes another one of my minority opinions--is that if America feels compelled to "rebuild" Iraq after its considerable cultural, political, religious, financial destruction by Saddam Hussein, then when we went in, we should have gone in with the intention of making Iraq a colony, a protectorate, a commonwealth, or even the 51st state, all of us here benefiting from it.

I wouldn't have minded that, but that's just me.

Of course there would have been a worldwide uproar, but Hell, do we want long-term solutions or not?

[docstew]

i agree with rebel that they should shoulder more of the financial burden, which would also give them a greater feeling of ownership over the rebuilding.  they could take those billions and reinvest some of it in their economy and some of it in rebuilding their infrastructure.
i also agree with frank that we should not be demanding reparations, for several reasons.  1) our debt to france from our revolution was forgiven by them (and more than repaid since then, but i digress).  2) demanding money or oil would give validity to the protests of "no blood for oil".  3) it gives the appearance of a shakedown.

[Bondai]

The Iraqis are sitting on billions of dollars, all they have to do is pump it out of the ground. They could embark on a huge rebuilding program that would employ thousands of people and effectively end any lingering insurgency. Look at the UAE, they are building like crazy, turning their country into a giant business center.

All the Iraqi's lack is good sound leadership.

[TheSarge]

Amazing how the critics in here are all for Iraq rebuilding their economy and making money...as long as all of that money/oil is coming to us.

[dutch508]

The problem with Iraq, and this is IHO, is they don't know how to do shit.

After all those years under Saddam the people don't know how to be successful. They want to, but they don't understand what it takes. You walk down the street in a typical Iraqi town and you can see houses twice as large as anything we have in the states. The whole family lives there, sometimes three generations worth.

There are compounds with three houses, one for the family, one for the in-laws, one for the (eldest) son's family.  They'll have a generator out back supplying power. A well like something from the US's 1930s runs water into the homes. The walls of the compound may well be made of mud brick.

Life was so stiffled under Saddam, all advancement just stopped.

It will take a generation or two to fix it.

[Chris_]

Amazing how the critics in here are all for Iraq rebuilding their economy and making money...as long as all of that money/oil is coming to us. :whatever:

It is the difference between a handout and a hand.

[Rebel]

Amazing how the critics in here are all for Iraq rebuilding their economy and making money...as long as all of that money/oil is coming to us.

Doesn't have to all come to us. They can, however, shoulder SOME of the burden. They're sitting on 80 billion dollars worth of surplus while we're forking that over every year.

[rich_t]

$80 Billion isn't all that huge of a reserve, but yes, they do need to staer chipping in with the rebulding.

Don't forget that their pumping and delivery infrastructure is still not fully restored.

[Rebel]

$80 Billion isn't all that huge of a reserve, but yes, they do need to staer chipping in with the rebulding.

Don't forget that their pumping and delivery infrastructure is still not fully restored.

That's 80 billion in American dollars, Rich. Have you seen the exchange rate? That's a LOT of f'n Dinars.

[rich_t]

$80 Billion isn't all that huge of a reserve, but yes, they do need to staer chipping in with the rebulding.

Don't forget that their pumping and delivery infrastructure is still not fully restored.

That's 80 billion in American dollars, Rich. Have you seen the exchange rate? That's a LOT of f'n Dinars.

Yes, I have seen the exchange rate.  I was talking about American dollars Rebel.

When looking at the "big picture" it really isn't that much.  But like I also said, they do need to start chipping in with the rebuilding costs.

[Wretched Excess]

$80 Billion isn't all that huge of a reserve, but yes, they do need to staer chipping in with the rebulding.

Don't forget that their pumping and delivery infrastructure is still not fully restored.

That's 80 billion in American dollars, Rich. Have you seen the exchange rate? That's a LOT of f'n Dinars.

Yes, I have seen the exchange rate.  I was talking about American dollars Rebel.

When looking at the "big picture" it really isn't that much.  But like I also said, they do need to start chipping in with the rebuilding costs.

oh, I think that an investment in their money would be a great idea.  I have done it.

[Wretched Excess]

$80 Billion isn't all that huge of a reserve, but yes, they do need to staer chipping in with the rebulding.

Don't forget that their pumping and delivery infrastructure is still not fully restored.

That's 80 billion in American dollars, Rich. Have you seen the exchange rate? That's a LOT of f'n Dinars.

it will only go higher.

[rich_t]

$80 Billion isn't all that huge of a reserve, but yes, they do need to staer chipping in with the rebulding.

Don't forget that their pumping and delivery infrastructure is still not fully restored.

That's 80 billion in American dollars, Rich. Have you seen the exchange rate? That's a LOT of f'n Dinars.

Yes, I have seen the exchange rate.  I was talking about American dollars Rebel.

When looking at the "big picture" it really isn't that much.  But like I also said, they do need to start chipping in with the rebuilding costs.

oh, I think that an investment in their money would be a great idea.  I have done it.

WE,

I wish I had some spare cash handy to do the same.

I think your investment will do well.

[Wretched Excess]

$80 Billion isn't all that huge of a reserve, but yes, they do need to staer chipping in with the rebulding.

Don't forget that their pumping and delivery infrastructure is still not fully restored.

That's 80 billion in American dollars, Rich. Have you seen the exchange rate? That's a LOT of f'n Dinars.

Yes, I have seen the exchange rate.  I was talking about American dollars Rebel.

When looking at the "big picture" it really isn't that much.  But like I also said, they do need to start chipping in with the rebuilding costs.

oh, I think that an investment in their money would be a great idea.  I have done it.

WE,

I wish I had some spare cash handy to do the same.

I think your investment will do well.

BORROW it, and invest in the dinar!

rebel is right, this is the only sure thing out there.

[Rebel]

WE,

I wish I had some spare cash handy to do the same.

I think your investment will do well.

You can get about a million Dinars for about 1200 bucks. It used to be 900.

[TheSarge]

Doesn't have to all come to us. They can, however, shoulder SOME of the burden. They're sitting on 80 billion dollars worth of surplus while we're forking that over every year.

Like Dutch said...they don't know how to do it.

It will take a couple of generations for them to figure it out.

[rich_t]

WE,

I wish I had some spare cash handy to do the same.

I think your investment will do well.

You can get about a million Dinars for about 1200 bucks. It used to be 900.

Hmmm...  That much I can probably do.

I will seriously consider it.

1,200.00 USD = 1,422,600.13 IQD  as of today's rate.