New Orleans Or Iraq?

bvt-

There's two sorts of money.There's necessary investment and what may be termed frivolous investment.I would think Iraq is the former.Things like restaurants,fashion,in car enertainment,beauty products etc are possibly frivolous.A cut back in those could provide enough resources.

One might say that you could rebuild NO by making the pips squeak and Iraq will have to be gone through with whether the pips squeak or not.
It comes down to what anybody thinks your administration's motives are for Iraq.I wouldn't build any theories on my assessment of that because I don't know.I do know we are in it and we don't go into things of that nature for anything trivial.I trust my government-who else is there?

Well, I'm not American (obviously) but I believe the US (along with Oz & the UK, etc) has a moral obligation to clean up the mess that's been made of Iraq before moving on & out. Basic things like restoring infrastructure damaged by the invasion. Ensuring clean water supply, restoration of electricity supply, repairing roads.... And so much more ... like medical assistance to Iraqis that have been physically impaired by the invasion & ongoing fighting. Just a start. Obviously extremely expensive. But it would be a totally reasonable expectation that the nations that caused so much damaged paid for the reparations.

so given the choice of spending our money domestically or in Iraq you would choose Iraq, is that correct? Remember in this scenario you cannot do both.

Unfortunately we cannot put the spilt milk back in the bottle. The US is between a rock and a hard place. And like it or not must find the funds to support both. There is no either/or option.

come on guys.... in this pretend scenario there is no option...it's one or the other... surely someone must have an opinion about how to proceed under that scenario?

This isn't a pick a fight thread, just a what if thing.....

However I must say, Iraq is not spilt milk. Iraq is an actual broken bottle. You don't keep wiping up milk if the bottle is broken, because you end up with more spill all over the place, so you just discard the bottle.

bvt-

Forced by your strictures to choose I would make Iraq the priority.A policy can't afford to be blown off course by a hurricane.

Blue
No we cannot cut and run.
As for your thread. Sorry fantasy is not my thing. I have enough problems dealing with reality.

fair enough.

I myself believe in what I call the Turkey leg theory. Let's the au family or the spendius family is at the table with the Bear family. Now I wish you no harm or misery or problems and hope you and yours prosper and do well and I would help if I could were you in a tight spot.

However, if it gets down to one Turkey leg only and either you or the Bears live or die by it then life's a bitch and I hate it for you but that Turkey leg is for the Bears as far as I'm concerned.

I think most people would probably feel the same way and that's just human condition stuff IMO.

Blue
If I have the gun you are in a lot of trouble. :wink:

So you like my Turkey Leg theory?

A comment from one of the poodle's citizens.

Channel all of your money into making the USA a nicer place for its people.
Channel as much as possible towards areas that have been devastated, use any leftover money to provide a decent health service, and for research into renewable energy.

In so doing, Iraq will be left in chaos ......WE THINK.

What will probably happen is that civil war will reign for a year or so, which will probably end up including Iran, who will send over all types of asistance to support their Shia brethren, including armed troops.

Iraq will become a Shia state, very much like Iran, which was the probable endgame of the whole thing from the moment our forces invaded.

The USA and its poodles will have to accept the worlds condemnation for messing up the whole bloody thing, but we would have to go through this one day, as the present situation is not getting any better. Nor will it in the forseeable future, so why keep everyone waiting for the inevitable, and suffer more losses for the poor sods out there.
Our forces have no choice in the matter. You join up, you folow orders. I say get out of Iraq for their sake, as well as for the civilians going through this hell.

Whether it is right or wrong, doesn't come into it. The present state of play indicates that this could go on indefinitely, day after day, year after year.

Iraq will either subdivide into ethnic and religeous groups, as per Yugoslavia......or more likely, be taken over by Shia dominance.

If you want to go the other way and stay, you must be prepared for billions of more dollars being spent, and a lot more grief, so that in ten years time, you can still be discussing the same question, as the situation will not have changed, only the historical statistics.

GWB does not understand the Arab/Muslim mindset. Those that feel aggrieved will not give up, and are extremely resourceful. It is as simple as that. We may consider that the insurgents are lunatics and/or totally brainwashed...but the fact remains that they are there, they are not diminishing in numbers and...... They - will - not - give - up. Period.

When he took his decision, he had no endgame in mind. He had not a clue as to the reaction of the Arab world.

His "Shock and awe" is almost the exact opposite of how the Arab world has been known to fight.

They follow a much more hit and run code of fighting, and have done for centuries.
One of their sayings "It is foolish to hunt a tiger, when there are plenty of sheep to be had", epitomises their style of warfare.
They will hit small and hard, out of the blue, day after day, consistently.

Get out now, for everyone's sake. If the counter argument goes that the country will become a fundamentalist state, and therefore a threat, I have just one comment in reply.

George should have put some thought into it before making his decision.
He should now think of his own people out there, and get them the hell out.

So I can put you down for "Spend the money domestically"

Methinks I am becoming well known for going on a bit.

Sorry!

I can't officially enter your poll, as I do not pay tax in the USA.

But, yes to your question, in a non contributory in the financial sense, sort of way.

blue wrote-



You're on a roundabout blue.Once you say NO is the turkey leg you allow others to say that the turkey leg is Iraq and you are back where you started.

off course pal... the money is the turkey leg.

double post...

New Orleans.

I'm not buying in to your ludicrous scenario. Finance both.