Monday, January 31, 2005

Sittin' here thinking...

. . . where does the money go?

Who got a slew of calls/emails/etc. asking them to donate money to the Dems' presidential run? I know I did. Would that I could find a suitor as ardent as the Dems in their pursuit of my pocketbook last fall. Then you read a story like this one, and you feel a little taken don't you? I do.

But Kerry's not the only one having trouble making it all add up. It seems there's a small matter of nine billion dollars unaccounted for in Iraq. There's a bit of belly bucking going on between the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction--who released an audit report on Sunday criticizing the lack of oversight in finances--and the Coalition Provisional Authority. For instance, among other findings, the audit reported that at one ministry, 8,206 guards were being paid, but it seemed there were only 602 actual guards. In another case, 1,417 received paychecks, but there were 642 guards. The CPA defended its actions, explaining that Iraqi families depended on those checks (so even if 90% of those families don't exist, one needs to think of the 8% or whatever it is that do). What's more, Bremer, head of the CPA, said, it was better to keep cutting checks than "to stop paying armed young men," which would represent a security risk. Freedom is on the march, folks.

And the third piece of money news: yes, it's true. If you've somehow missed hearing it, let me tell you, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates are getting out while they can. Because we're going down folks.

Everything's inflated
Like a tire on a car
Well, the man came and took my Chevy back
I'm glad I hid my old guitar

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