(flashback) Relax! The Iraq war rebuild will only cost us... $1.7 Billion

[gatorboy]

This was mentions on The daily Show last night but I just had to find the original transcript:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/temp/natsios042303.html

TED KOPPEL
(Off Camera) The Marshall Plan was $97 billion.

ANDREW NATSIOS
This is 1.7 billion.

TED KOPPEL
(Off Camera) All right, this is the first. I mean, when you talk about 1.7, you're not suggesting that the rebuilding of Iraq is gonna be done for $1.7 billion?

ANDREW NATSIOS
Well, in terms of the American taxpayers contribution, I do, this is it for the US. The rest of the rebuilding of Iraq will be done by other countries who have already made pledges, Britain, Germany, Norway, Japan, Canada, and Iraqi oil revenues, eventually in several years, when it's up and running and there's a new government that's been democratically elected, will finish the job with their own revenues. They're going to get in $20 billion a year in oil revenues. But the American part of this will be 1.7 billion. We have no plans for any further-on funding for this.

[BlueEyedSon]

1. Op-chart from the NY Times, a few months ago:

[lapfog_1]

6. More fun with math

1,372 Billion is about $54,880 for every man, woman, and child in Iraq.

Perhaps it would have been a *lot* cheaper to just take out an advertisement in the local paper with the offer of a "buyout" (if you and your family leave Iraq we will meet you at the border with a check for $10,000 per person... we get your oil).

[BlueEyedSon]

7. So the only question is how many Iraqis had a net worth of more then $10k

They would stay, given that offer

[lapfog_1]

10. More like how many families

would have a net worth of 10,000 x number of family members...

I'd say something like $50,000 or so per family, or $80,000 to $100,000 for extended family group. And remember that this is a cost savings to us of 5 times the estimated total cost from this thread.

I have a few Iraqi (expat) friends... and even though there was an educated secular society in Iraq, complete with state run health care and cheap gasoline, after years of world sanctions, most families were doing so bad there that driving a taxi or something here (and these are people with engineering degrees) was much preferred. If one were to cut checks as I suggested, I think 99 percent of Iraqi's would take us up on the deal (not that I'm being all that serious with this)... I'm damn sure that they would have done so instead of the mess that we've made of their country.

[BlueEyedSon]

12. But who would have taken them in? Maybe we need an extra 10k/person

to grease a foreign gov't.....?

[lapfog_1]

15. Ok... I give

how about an advertisement like this:

Dear Iraqi's:

We have a problem with your leader, Saddam Hussein. If you would so kindly rise up in revolt and remove this person and his party from power in Iraq, we will immediately transfer to each surviving Iraqi person the sum of $10,000 USD. In addition, should you then institute a democratic reform to your political process, we will lift all sanctions and promise to help you restore all of the infrastructure in your country that was destroyed in the first Gulf War or that has fallen into disrepair since then. All that we ask in return is that you remove Saddam, renounce WMDs and to sell us oil at the OPEC set rate. Please consider our good faith offer and realize that should you not accept it, we have an idiot mis-leader who thinks that you are behind 9/11 and whose intentions are to spend 5 times this amount of money destroying your country.

[BlueEyedSon]

17. Poppy fucked 'em on a similar deal. Fool me once, shame on.. uh....

[zbdent]

18. There's a $315 BILLION dollar error in that chart

They included "Veterans costs" . . . Isn't that cut from Bush's plan? Health care and benefits, along with (not recognized) "Long-term disability pay" . . . ?

[rkc3]

2. Maybe he meant that the war will cost every American $1.7 Bn.

Sounds more reasonable at this point.

[phusion]

16. Exactly!

They just left off the apostrophe.

"ANDREW NATSIOS
Well, in terms of the American taxpayer's contribution, I "

[stray cat]

3. We will be greeted with flowers

exploding flowers.

[gatorboy]

4. I'm still waiting on my chocolate...

eom

[BlueEyedSon]

8. Mini IEDs

[joefree1]

5. Those are some expensive Freedom Fries

[BlueEyedSon]

9. The only ones free are the US ruling elite...we got "fried"

[Hugin]

11. Heck! We'll probably make money going to war!

Heeyuk.

(I heard many a zombie say that a few years ago, really.)

[BlueEyedSon]

13. Don't be so naive, somebody made a fucking fortune.

[Hugin]

14. True... But, it wasn't the folks who were saying that.

They were the stooges waiting for theirs... (and still waiting as far as I can tell)