US-backed plan sees shiny future for embattled Green Zone »
Posted By DiffeeOnline 5 months, 1 week ago in NewsForget the rocket attacks, concrete blast walls and lack of a sewer system. Now try to imagine luxury hotels, a shopping center and even condos in the heart of Baghdad.
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Aidenag5 months, 1 week ago
Anyone who says this war wasn't about money need only look at this proposal... Luxery hotels? an Amusement park? Condo's? shopping centers? If you add in a few casino's, this sounds like Las Vegas.... Heck, the guy responsible for it is acting like its his land, and his neighborhood even:
"When you have $1 billion hanging out there and 1,000 employees lying around, you kind of want to know who your neighbors are. You want to influence what happens in your neighborhood over time," said Navy Capt. Thomas Karnowski, who led the team that created the development plan.
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Teech5 months, 1 week ago
..."Now try to imagine luxury hotels, a shopping center and even condos in the heart of Baghdad...."
Sounds like a money maker to me! Too bad the no bid, cost plus contracts to build all this stuff, at middle class taxpayer expense, will be awarded in secret so poor scmucks like us won't be able to buy stocks in the companies and at least make a few pennies out of this. Or, when the "winners" are announced, the prices will have already spiked out of our reach.
But the real beauty is that most of the stuff will never be built. The billions and billions in "borrowed from the national debt cash" will evaporate like water in that desert. What little that gets built, like what we have now, will see 200-400% cost over-runs, and oh, damn, it just got blown up! Sh!t ! Now we have to rebuild it!
Sure am glad we're helping those poor Iraquis instead of pi$$ing it away on socialist style health care or crap like that.
Yup, war is gooooood for business!
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newbie04205 months, 1 week ago
"Anyone who says this war wasn't about money need only look at this proposal..."
So, because they want to make the place nicer by adding hotel's, amusement parks and condos, it's all about the money.
Sounds alot like "Americanizing" them...
I guess we should just build them some mud huts instead. No wait, we'd be cruel and inhumane then.
There's just no pleasing some people....
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quackpot5 months, 1 week ago
When you attempt to cast everything as extremes, it is indeed hard to please most people.
There might be a middle area between, something decidedly American and mud huts.
Perhaps this will be designed by representatives of the people who will be living and working there and with Iraqi oil money rather than U.S. tax payer dollars.
I wish them success in turning what is currently a disaster into something nice.
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djn3nunez35 months, 1 week ago
as long as MBI International puts up it's won money and pays the US for security services, I don't have too many problems with it.
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Jaydee405 months, 1 week ago
No there is not a way to please everyone, but the ones who should be pleased in Iraq is the Iraqi's and I doubt this is what they want, invaders turning their country into a tourist destination. Just throwing away more US dollars but that seems to be popular now that they aren't worth as much these days.
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libsRfunny5 months, 1 week ago
"If you add in a few casino's, this sounds like Las Vegas...."
And your problem with that is what? I just moved to Las Vegas. Why? Because it has a stable growth economy and much greater job opportunities than the manufacturing-based Midwest states/economies I just left. That and the long, cold, bitter winter that still continues despite all the "global warming" hype.
Build those hotels! That means JOBS and lots of them for Iraqis. Construction jobs, service jobs, professional jobs. You liberals just never will get it, will you?
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quackpot5 months, 1 week ago
No problem with jobs for Iraqis as long as the payroll is being provided either by private investors or by Iraqi oil revenues.
What needs to stop is the Bush-promoted gravy train of U.S. tax payer dollars that has been flowing out of the U.S. and into Iraq for the past five-plus years.
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blowback5 months, 1 week ago
> "If you add in a few casino's, this sounds like Las Vegas...."
And your problem with that is what?
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The problem is Cultural Genocide as a consequence of:-
Cultural Imperialism
Military Imperialism
Economic Imperialism
IMPERIALISM
Function: noun
the policy, practice, or advocacy of extending the power and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial acquisitions or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other areas; broadly : the extension or imposition of power, authority, or influence
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imper...
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CRYMTYPHON5 months, 1 week ago
LibrsRFunny said "You liberals just never will get it, will you?"
How can we get it?
You tell us over here, that throwing money at a problem doesn't solve it.
You tell us the government should stay out of things like making jobs and building housing and providing health care.
But it is good policy in Iraq?
You are making the whole war up as you go along; and the domestic economy as well.
We get that.
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AtheismIsRealityComment removed: User banned.3 Replies
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AtheismIsRealityComment removed: User banned.1 Reply
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djrevelky5 months, 1 week ago
This is proof that Iraq might be calming down. Corporations don't invest millions of dollars to build luxury condos, hotels, and sprawling shoppings centers if they know it is going to be blown up within minutes of opening.
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Charlson5 months, 1 week ago
Reminds me of Jim Baker's Amusement park for Christians. The neocon's playground! And it'll go bankrupt just like Heritage USA and the tax payers will be left holding the bag!
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hefaa15 months, 1 week ago
Renovate the Green Zone!?!? I thought Netscape was B.S.ing me at first. Too funny. Just throw alot more taxpayer MONEY (that's were the term GREEN ZONE came from)and everything will be alright.
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nikkibabe5 months, 1 week ago
People outside this green zone have been without water, electricity, food and schools for their kids. Half of the country has been bombed end destroyed including hospitals.
Who can prosecute the people responsible for crimes against humanity?
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NoWayMan5 months, 1 week ago
whatever. its been five years and they can't even get the electricity up and running. electricity that happened to be up and running before we got there.
this story should be in the "humor" section.
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HanymanComment removed: User banned.
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