Iraqis the last to get a slice of rebuilding pie

[dArKeR]

Baghdad - Salim al-Mussawi has spent the past year trying to win contracts to rebuild Iraq that typically go to foreigners and he feels this trend is adding fuel to the unrest as frustrated Iraqis turn to violence.

Mussawi, who owns an electronics firm in Baghdad, is not alone in his view.

Clutching CVs, qualifications and examples of their work, hundreds of Iraqi contractors who recently met a group of largely American firms tasked with spending a multi-billion-dollar US reconstruction fund for Iraq hold a similar view.

Give us jobs, turn on the electricity, get the water running and Iraqis will stop fighting the US-led occupation, many said at the networking event.

http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=552&fArticleId=2117996

[daleo]

1. They are the pie

The pie can't eat a slice of itself, can it?

[dArKeR]

3. LOL! You nut! LOL!!!

[madrchsod]

2. to most americans

iraq is a backwards country who`s people live in mud huts and tents. they have no idea that at one time iraq was a first world country, that was untill bush the lesser was forced to fire saddam on behest of the saudis and israel.

[dArKeR]

4. Sadly to say, I think 'most americans' have no ability to empathize with

any thing outside of the USA.

I met a lady walking dogs in the park, 4 hours ago. She look about 60. She's a 'military brat.' Lived in Japan, PI, Brazil and Spain with her Army Dad. she's traveled all over Asia and loves every place she's been. She was in very near Korea when the Korean War broke out. (On a Japanese Isand.)

Today, she is so disgusted with the media and feels the media is the problem today.
She says every poor country she's ever been too it's a few wealthy people with all the money and 99% poor and the 1% aren't going to give up their money for anything. Nothing has changed in 60 years. She feels Christian religion is a key factor for the terrible problems in Christian countries, (Philippines and South America). The people are so little resources but yet you have the church telling them to not reproductive controls.

The area this lady lives the homes are minimum $1mil. You can't tell me all rich and/or military people are immoral republicans!

[ElectroPrincess]

8. I'm with her ...

I lived in Singapore for a couple of years, and the lady you met today IMHO is correct. There's two classes in most of the world: The Wealthy and the Poor. And trust me on this ... you get a sinking feeling seeing the masses of disenfranchised people. You don't want to be Poor overseas.

[OneBlueSky]

5. if we were serious about helping Iraq, every penny of rebuilding money . .

would have gone to Iraqi firms, not to Halliburton and Bechtel . . .

[leftchick]

6. Some of these disgruntled Iraqis are bankrolling the resistance....

There is a great article in this months Harper's about the Resistance fighters. Who they are, how they have evolved over the past year. Bushco* is fucking up so badly, their dream of US bases and the world's biggest embassy in Iraq? ROFLMAO!

[2Design]

7. Institute a WPA program like FDR did.....I have not understood

why that has not been done....just like we don't like the foreigners coming here and taking our jobs....H1B visas.....the same thing was said in Saudi Arabia....high unemployment....

these people should be able to find work in their own country and be paid a decent wage.......

And we the taxpayer are instead paying haliburton overpriced wages and mecenaries.....for a whole lot less we could have the whole country working to help themselves....

But that's right.....our government doesn't believe in the New Deal that FDR brought about and have been systematically dismantling it since Reagan was in office....including our dear Clinton and NAFTA and welfare reform.....

Bush likes to compare himself to great presidents like FDR yet he and the aministration are unwilling to act in responsible ways.....

We the usa need the NEW DEAL to come back and the middle EAST countries need a NEW DEAL implemented......

There is no reason that we are being 'bilked' for exorbinant fees for usa workers in foreign countries.....

we pay 100,000 for some guy to drive people places.....we could pay an iragi for a whole lot less and help them stay out of trouble.

[Ms. Clio]

9. Another reason this isn't WW2 and we aren't the guys in the white hats

It's my understanding that American firms were barred from doing the reconstruction work in Germany, precisely so that it wouldn't turn into this gut-churning greed fest.