As Washington prepares to tap taxpayers for a bipartisan bailout of the US financial system, is it out of order to ask our Iraqi friends who are sitting on $80 billion of oil profits to put a little something into their own pot?
After our expenditure of half a trillion dollars, $10 billion a month of American money is still going there. Our friends in Baghdad could ease the credit crunch here by taking over some of that tab from now on without going broke themselves.
The suggestion might be most palatable coming from their best friend, John McCain, who is presenting himself as responsible for their victory over chaos. Would we be leaving Iraq with less honor if they starting buying some of the blessings of democracy with their own money?
One incentive for such a selfless gesture might be the prospect of Barack Obama moving into the White House next January with his plans for troop withdrawals that would speed the day when the Iraqis run their own country and pay for its upkeep.
The old song of the 20th century Depression had a war veteran asking, "Buddy, can you spare a dime?" Nouri, old buddy, can't you spare a billion or two or three?
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4 comments:
Why is Nationalization of the banking and mortgage system referred to as a "bailout".
Is it because the US of A move to becoming a socialist state during a Republican administration is too hard to believe?
Maybe the that is the reason Senators sat in stunned silence when they were pre-briefed by Paulson and Bernake. They realize they are now members of the Politburo of the Central Committee.
The whole premise of your, presumably tongue-in-cheek, suggestion reeks of the twisted reasoning that got us into this mess. We invade a country, kill hundreds of thousands (I'm inclined to believe the Johns Hopkins/Lancet estimates) of their people, and destroy their economy. We destroy their civic culture (yes I'm one of those benighted few who look at where the poor Iraqis were, and fail to see any improvement). And, finally, when they finally get some money together, Americans think they owe us something.
Ugh!
I hope you were being ironic.
Richard York
How much of the 10 billion per month that we spend in Iraq goes for reconstruction? The fact is, the Iraqis should not have to bankroll an occupier, and the occupier should pay for the damage they did to infrastructure (and are still doing.)
Brother Can You Spare a Dime
new lyrics and audio for the Great Depression of 2008
http://www.dumbpolitics2008.com/wordpress/?p=169
Once I had a mortgage, an ARM
The rate was just below prime
Once I had a mortgage, that was then
Buddy can you spare a dime?
Once I had a broker, Merrill Lynch
Lehman Brothers, what a time!
Once there was a Bear Sterns and AIG
Buddy can you spare a dime?
Once I had investments, a 401(k)
They were just doing so swell
Once I had a pension, but it went away
Retirement’s gonna be hell
Say, don’t you remember, they said “invest!”
They said “invest” all the time
Now there is recession it’s such a mess
Say buddy, can you spare a dime?
They used to tell me to go buy a house
I didn’t need that much down
That’s when the market was good and high
But now I feel, like I’ll drown
They used to tell me to I was building some wealth
Invest and you’ll get ahead
Why should I feel so broke
I’d be better off dead
Once I had a Beemer, and an SUV
Guzzled gas all the time
Now it’s just the bus and a bike for me
Can you spare a dime?
Once I had some coffee, Starbuck’s best
The taste was just so sublime
Now I use the cup to beg hard-pressed
Can you spare a dime?
Once I had investments, a 401(k)
They were just doing so swell
Once I had a pension, but it went away
Retirement’s gonna be hell
Say, don`t you remember, they said “invest!”
your money will grow all the time
Now my money’s worthless, I am so depressed
Say buddy, can you spare a dime?
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