New twist on Iraq aid: U.S. seeks donations

[gatorboy]

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/politics/12679449.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - From the Indian Ocean tsunami to the church around the corner, Americans have shown time and again they are willing to open their pocketbooks for charity, for a total of about $250 billion last year alone.

But now, amid pleas for aid after Hurricane Katrina, the Bush administration has launched an unusual effort to raise charitable contributions for another cause: the government's attempt to rebuild Iraq.

Although more than $30 billion in taxpayer funds have been appropriated for Iraqi reconstruction, the administration earlier this month launched an Internet-based fundraising effort that it says is aimed at giving Americans "a further stake in building a free and prosperous Iraq."

Contributors have no way of knowing who's getting the money or precisely where it's headed, because the government says it must keep the details secret for security reasons.

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[Erika]

1. One last reach via Bushco/Halliburton to get our $

A new definition and expansion of redistribution of wealth from the working class to the rich. W/Rove doesn't miss a trick.

[kentuck]

2. We've turned into a nation of beggars ?

It seems that way sometimes. We are too stingy to pay for what we want or need so we ask for donations...

[Tom Joad]

3. How about a Jerry Lewis telethon?

Has he rested up since Labor Day weekend?

[ugarte]

6. I'm trying to think of some of the acts...

All Country Western, Christian rock, and Britney and Jessica.

[AlamoDemoc]

4. heck! I thought all the war expenditures were to be paid by

the Iraqi oil revenues. That prediction was made by the current World Bank president Mr. Wif'wit's

[shadowknows69]

5. Every day I think I've seen everything

they never cease to surprise and amaze me. hold a fucking concert or something like the hurrican victims had to.

[Alpharetta]

7. point your pro-war friends to the charitable website

Make sure they know they can put their wallet where their mouth is.

http://www.iraqpartnership.org/

So they can send their money to those secret rebuilding projects.

[seabeyond]

8. be sure to ask our repug friends sporting the ribbons

w stickers and we stand united if they have donated to bush's war yet

[American in Asia]

9. this is so incredibly offensive.

We start an illegal war, and destroy a country's infrastructure.

We neglect to plan properly for its reconstruction, and don't budget nearly enough because we're too busy paying to deal with all the violence we've unleashed.

We've got a situation so dang dangerous that most donors and aid agencies can't even operate there to DO any reconstruction.

We've got $1 billion at least that's gone missing already with no accountability for it.

We're giving tax cuts hand over fist to the wealthiest among us, none of whom are sending their kids to die in Iraq.

And now we want some middle class "religious" and "generous" and "patriotic" folk in the heartland of America to open their wallet and cover the bill for Uncle Sam who can't seem to afford to manage it on its own, because they gave all our damn money away to the rich folks and the Halliburtons.

Do I have that about right?

Assholes.

[gatorboy]

10. Looks like the story has made Yahoo.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/chitribts/20050918/ts_chicagotrib/newtwistonaidforiraqusseeksdonations