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Towlie

(5,575 posts)

25. The title is an understatement by a factor of 661.

Wed Mar 6, 2013, 01:50 PM

Mar 2013

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/report-too-much-money-spent-in-iraq-for-too-few-results.php?ref=fpa

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ten years and $60 billion in American taxpayer funds later, Iraq is still so unstable and broken that even its leaders question whether U.S. efforts to rebuild the war-torn nation were worth the cost.

A $100 bill weighs about one gram. $60 billion in $100 bills would be 600,000,000 bills, which would weigh 600,000,000 grams, or 600 tonnes ("metric tons&quot

, which equals about 661 tons of the 2,000 pound variety. The thread title, which is also the title of the referenced article, is therefore an understatement by a factor of 661. We didn't waste a ton of money, we wasted 661 tons of money.

Incidentally, at 0.0043 inches of thickness per bill, this amounts to a stack of $100 bills over 40 miles high.

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Govt Report: We Wasted a Ton of Money in Iraq [View all] meegbear Mar 2013 OP

DUers have known that ever since Blackwater got the contract, along with KBR and Halliburton loudsue Mar 2013 #1

Yep. It was a big 'ole siphon from the US Treasury to the 1%. CrispyQ Mar 2013 #4

Great video, sad, but great ybbor Mar 2013 #30

It's killing our spirit too. CrispyQ Mar 2013 #32

I think the Bush administration accomplished it's mission. the relocated the treasury from the govt. olddad56 Mar 2013 #27

Cheney's net income going to 400% while VP pretty much tells this story. lark Mar 2013 #34

since we were spending about 2 billion a WEEK between afghanistan and iraq, that 60 billion niyad Mar 2013 #2

I think that it's just for reconstruction efforts Kber Mar 2013 #12

The post above mine is absolutely right Victor_c3 Mar 2013 #66

Waste. Steal. Funny how fluid word meanings can be. nt valerief Mar 2013 #3

I'd say the word most of the culprits likely use is "invest". kentauros Mar 2013 #7

Yep, they all ransack the Treasury and put the dough in their vests. valerief Mar 2013 #14

Well that's AP for ya. n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #20

"America's 'waste' is our MegaBucks. Smirk. Sneer." - WarProfiteers, Inc. (R) Berlum Mar 2013 #5

That's just in reconstruction grants. Add $2trillion in war costs and $12 billion that went MISSING blm Mar 2013 #6

No mention of L. Paul Bremer... IthinkThereforeIAM Mar 2013 #35

Life after public service OmahaBlueDog Mar 2013 #49

Three colleigate-level Iraqis and a trained monkey could have run that occupation better than Bremer Volaris Mar 2013 #73

That is a question that needs to be answered. I've seen on DU where loudsue Mar 2013 #50

No **** iandhr Mar 2013 #8

And more than a ton of.... AlbertCat Mar 2013 #9

Way more than a ton... corkhead Mar 2013 #10

Baghdad may have been the intended destination, but there is no doubt LuckyLib Mar 2013 #19

Don't forget L. Paul Bremer... IthinkThereforeIAM Mar 2013 #36

Candidate for this year's "You Call This NEWS?" Award rocktivity Mar 2013 #11

good one, anyone who even begins to take this story serious is in danger of becoming a republican. olddad56 Mar 2013 #60

They're just now figuring that out? Pararescue Mar 2013 #13

We needed a study to show this? AllyCat Mar 2013 #15

A few questions. R. Daneel Olivaw Mar 2013 #16

My "I told you so" file is over stuffed They_Live Mar 2013 #17

WOW!!! Really?!? Who knew? Oh, wait... n/t TygrBright Mar 2013 #18

No shit! Carolina Mar 2013 #21

What an amazing revelation jsr Mar 2013 #22

It's only trendy with the "liberally-biased media" NOW because zbdent Mar 2013 #23

$60 billion. That is horseshit. The cost is over a trillion. olddad56 Mar 2013 #24

exactly and the Blackwater filthy costs too, RedCloud Mar 2013 #28

More like three trillion* ..... Botany Mar 2013 #29

60 billion is likely only reconstruction funds. Running an army is far higher. Selatius Mar 2013 #57

Or more. How much of the two trillion Rummy "lost" (as he told us 9/10/01) valerief Mar 2013 #59

+1 Blue_Tires Mar 2013 #68

The title is an understatement by a factor of 661. Towlie Mar 2013 #25

I think it's the "schools and hospitals" budget, not the "killing people" budget Kolesar Mar 2013 #54

The mind wobbles. Solly Mack Mar 2013 #26

How About American Aide? Left Turn Only Mar 2013 #31

Does that include the missing $20 billion in cash? aint_no_life_nowhere Mar 2013 #33

$60 billion... Oh now that's cute... n/t Earth_First Mar 2013 #37

Does this include the $900 M Embassy? benld74 Mar 2013 #38

Or the 6.6 Billion in pallets of $100 dollar bills flown to Iraq that was "lost" progressoid Mar 2013 #42

That was Iraqi money Mnpaul Mar 2013 #62

All over the world Dyedinthewoolliberal Mar 2013 #39

but...but..those were Conspiracy Theories formercia Mar 2013 #40

...and killed alot of innocent people. ..nt TeeYiYi Mar 2013 #41

More like 80 tons eringer Mar 2013 #43

These wars impoverished America and their future lovuian Mar 2013 #44

But you can't force "austerity" without using up all the money and owing serious debt. n/t Fire Walk With Me Mar 2013 #45

Yeah but the M.I.C. made out like bandits. MH1 Mar 2013 #46

That money wasn't wasted, it was looted and stolen from taxpayers. WHEN CRABS ROAR Mar 2013 #47

^ THIS ^ magellan Mar 2013 #48

+1 - "Lost" in the "fog of war"= major theft, money laundering - ask KBR, Halliburton, Blackwater wordpix Mar 2013 #58

That's okay! We can use our Social Security to make up for it! KansDem Mar 2013 #51

More than just a ton! indie9197 Mar 2013 #52

"wasted" is not exactly the right word. unblock Mar 2013 #53

$500 Billion (in twenties) = 27,500 tons kristopher Mar 2013 #55

What happened? I passed out in a faint from this shocking news 6 hours ago SaveAmerica Mar 2013 #56

No sh!t, Sherlock. blkmusclmachine Mar 2013 #61

One from the archives Mnpaul Mar 2013 #63

In other news, cats are aloof Kennah Mar 2013 #64

I'm telling you, if we get many more of these stories, I'm going to demand tavalon Mar 2013 #65

NO NO NO, it's the welfare mamas and immigrants Heather MC Mar 2013 #67

on the other hand, if we had not blown up the country in the first place, we wouldn't have niyad Mar 2013 #69

But then, "shock and awe" wouldn't have worked as well as it did. [Sarcasm] kiranon Mar 2013 #76

And because of this, TIME TO EAT YOUR PEAS, GRANDMA & GRANDPA!! bullwinkle428 Mar 2013 #70

Rummy on 9-11 90-percent Mar 2013 #71

In another similar study - conclusion reached was "water is wet" MillennialDem Mar 2013 #72

But private contractors saves us money, I tells ya quakerboy Mar 2013 #74

We've been wasting it since we went in there! sakabatou Mar 2013 #75

OMG Really? No way! Quantess Mar 2013 #77

Will there be a government report tommorow about how the sky is blue? ButterflyBlood Mar 2013 #78

To say nothing of 100,000+ innocent Iraqi dead primavera Mar 2013 #79