Audit: ‘Disarray’ on $1.2 billion Iraq contract

mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
edited October 2007 in A Moving Train
U.S. can’t account for DynCorp performance in training police, report says

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21428395/

The State Department "does not know specifically what it received for most of the $1.2 billion in expenditures under its DynCorp contract for the Iraqi Police Training Program," the audit says. The federal watchdogs, with the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, or SIGIR, said that they even had to suspend their audit because there wasn't enough data to check the books, which were in “disarray.”

This is just ridiculous. Our government spends $1.2 billion of our tax dollars and they don't even know what for.
"When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • jlew24asujlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    it is such a shame how careless our government is with spending money. even down to the local level.

    even here in chicago, people who wash public buses make 50k a year with a nice pension and health benefits. and we wonder why our (in chicago) public transportation system is on the brink of shutting down.

    all of it absolutely sickens me.
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    jlew24asu wrote:
    it is such a shame how careless our government is with spending money. even down to the local level.

    That's because it's not their money so they don't care how they spend it.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • jlew24asu wrote:
    it is such a shame how careless our government is with spending money. even down to the local level.

    even here in chicago, people who wash public buses make 50k a year with a nice pension and health benefits. and we wonder why our (in chicago) public transportation system is on the brink of shutting down.

    all of it absolutely sickens me.


    Hell, I'd wash buses for $50k and city benefits/pension... that's about what I make now and I'm sure the hours and stress level are much easier to deal with :)
    My whole life
    was like a picture
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    ― Abraham Lincoln
  • floyd1975floyd1975 Posts: 1,350
    mammasan wrote:
    That's because it's not their money so they don't care how they spend it.

    If we could just have more people who thought this way, the tax system would be vastly different in this country.

    Instead we have people who never see the money that is deducted from their paychecks and look upon their tax refund as a bonus rather than an interest free overpayment.
  • jeffbrjeffbr Seattle Posts: 7,177
    floyd1975 wrote:
    If we could just have more people who thought this way, the tax system would be vastly different in this country.

    Instead we have people who never see the money that is deducted from their paychecks and look upon their tax refund as a bonus rather than an interest free overpayment.

    Wow, it sounds like you are opposed to having your money taken from you through threat of force and used for "the greater good." You must hate people. You sound like a greedy bastard. ;)
    "I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/08
  • chopitdownchopitdown Posts: 2,222
    mammasan wrote:
    That's because it's not their money so they don't care how they spend it.
    and even if it was their money; most of the members in congress don't really have to worry about spending or budgeting.
    http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/overview.asp?type=I
    http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/overview.asp?type=W&cycle=2005&filter=A
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  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,225
    jlew24asu wrote:
    it is such a shame how careless our government is with spending money. even down to the local level.

    even here in chicago, people who wash public buses make 50k a year with a nice pension and health benefits. and we wonder why our (in chicago) public transportation system is on the brink of shutting down.

    all of it absolutely sickens me.
    ...
    I think the greater problem is not the 50K salaries in Chicago... rather, the 1.2 Billion dollars poured onto a tire fire in Iraq. At least the 50K is going to an American citizen living here in the U.S.
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • jlew24asujlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    Cosmo wrote:
    ...
    I think the greater problem is not the 50K salaries in Chicago... rather, the 1.2 Billion dollars poured onto a tire fire in Iraq. At least the 50K is going to an American citizen living here in the U.S.

    yea I agree.

    but those 50k salaries are causing the CTA to shutdown. its a problem at the local level. its all great the an american citizen is getting the money. but not so great that I'm (and many other americans in chicago) going to be forced to be find a new way to get to work. enough about that, its a whole different topic.
  • jlew24asujlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    Hell, I'd wash buses for $50k and city benefits/pension... that's about what I make now and I'm sure the hours and stress level are much easier to deal with :)

    yea no kidding. that can easily be outsourced to someone who is willing to do it for minimum wage. it would save millions.
  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,225
    jlew24asu wrote:
    yea I agree.

    but those 50k salaries are causing the CTA to shutdown. its a problem at the local level. its all great the an american citizen is getting the money. but not so great that I'm (and many other americans in chicago) going to be forced to be find a new way to get to work. enough about that, its a whole different topic.
    ..
    In that case... you can say the same thing about the schools, the police and the fire departments. I hear that arguement about schools all the time, for example... "Why should I pay taxes for schools? I don't have kids." Fact is, me... personally... I don't have kids, but I gladly surrender my taxes towards my school district because i happen to like having schools.
    As for mass transit systems... look at the details of your tax bill and tell me how much per year you are kicking in. Your local taxes go towards you local police, fire and schools... as well as your road services and local politician's salaries. How much is actually going towards that Bus guy's livelihood?
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • jlew24asujlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    Cosmo wrote:
    ..
    In that case... you can say the same thing about the schools, the police and the fire departments. I hear that arguement about schools all the time, for example... "Why should I pay taxes for schools? I don't have kids." Fact is, me... personally... I don't have kids, but I gladly surrender my taxes towards my school district because i happen to like having schools.
    As for mass transit systems... look at the details of your tax bill and tell me how much per year you are kicking in. Your local taxes go towards you local police, fire and schools... as well as your road services and local politician's salaries. How much is actually going towards that Bus guy's livelihood?

    I dont even know where you are going with all of this. all im saying is that certain jobs at the CTA are overpaid and unnecessary. millions can be saved if managed correctly......now we are faced with a shutdown of many services. same goes for Iraq spending, which in that case would be billions.
  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,225
    jlew24asu wrote:
    I dont even know where you are going with all of this. all im saying is that certain jobs at the CTA are overpaid and unnecessary. millions can be saved if managed correctly......now we are faced with a shutdown of many services. same goes for Iraq spending, which in that case would be billions.
    ...
    Where I am going is... All Taxes are not bad. And even the ones that appear to be bad, such as the 50K salary for a guy that washes busses, may not appear to be as bad as they seem... or as they are reported.
    For example, it all depends upon how old the guy washing the busses is... how many years has he been washing busses. If he is 22 and has been washing busses for a year... then, yeah, I see your point about 50K a year waste. But, if he is 55 and has been washing busses for the past 32 years and only makes 50K... is that much of a waste?
    I am just pointing out that I agree... Tax Dollars are wasted. But, we need to look at the waste and decide where to focus our dissent. I think we need to focus on the ones that are killing us right now... and when those are gone, we can focus on the one that are nickle and dimeing us.
    That's all.
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • jlew24asujlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    Cosmo wrote:
    ...
    Where I am going is... All Taxes are not bad. And even the ones that appear to be bad, such as the 50K salary for a guy that washes busses, may not appear to be as bad as they seem... or as they are reported.
    For example, it all depends upon how old the guy washing the busses is... how many years has he been washing busses. If he is 22 and has been washing busses for a year... then, yeah, I see your point about 50K a year waste. But, if he is 55 and has been washing busses for the past 32 years and only makes 50K... is that much of a waste?
    I am just pointing out that I agree... Tax Dollars are wasted. But, we need to look at the waste and decide where to focus our dissent. I think we need to focus on the ones that are killing us right now... and when those are gone, we can focus on the one that are nickle and dimeing us.
    That's all.

    gotcha. and as far as I understand, starting salary for bus washers is 50k+ plus expensive benefits, etc.
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