No news is bad news
Talking to one Washington lobbyist this morning, he related there is still no breakthrough in farm bill discussions. He observed that Congress doesn't act until they are faced with losing vacation time, so a short term extension of the farm bill until Memorial Day may be in the cards. Trying to find $10 billion in offsets over 5 years in a $288 billion farm bill - how tough can it be? Tough enough, evidently.
By the way, readers can't seem to decide who to blame the farm bill mess on, with votes in the Fresh Talk poll (closing in mere minutes) evenly split between the White House and Congress.
posted by Tom Karst @ 9:57 AM
1 Comments:
"Marine Corps spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Roseann Lynch, said Monday that the war is costing the US about $4.5 billion a month in military "operating costs," not including procurement of new weapons and equipment."
"U.S. Daily Spending in Iraq - over $270 million, in November 2007"
That's what? About 2 months cost to support the farm bill?
Additionally:
"Lost & Unaccounted for in Iraq - $9 billion of US taxpayers' money and $549.7 milion in spare parts shipped in 2004 to US contractors. Also, per ABC News, 190,000 guns, including 110,000 AK-47 rifles.
Missing - $1 billion in tractor trailers, tank recovery vehicles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and other equipment and services provided to the Iraqi security forces. (Per CBS News on Dec 6, 2007.)
Mismanaged & Wasted in Iraq - $10 billion, per Feb 2007 Congressional hearings
Halliburton Overcharges Classified by the Pentagon as Unreasonable and Unsupported - $1.4 billion
Amount paid to KBR, a former Halliburton division, to supply U.S. military in Iraq with food, fuel, housing and other items - $20 billion
Portion of the $20 billion paid to KBR that Pentagon auditors deem "questionable or supportable" - $3.2 billion"
You do the math.
http://usliberals.about.com/od/homelandsecurit1/a/IraqNumbers.htm
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