Say, about that...

More fun Iraq news:

Iraq needs up to $8 billion to revive neglected health sector
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Thursday, January 12, 2006

BAGHDAD: Iraq's neglected health system needs up to eight billion dollars over the next four years for reconstruction, the deputy health minister said. The U.S. pledged $786 million in 2004 to build clinics, repair neglected hospitals and buy modern medical equipment.

But some 25 percent of the money - which is fast running out - was spent on security as a bloody insurgency that emerged after the March 2003 US-led invasion targeted the projects, a U.S. health official said.

Asked in an interview how much money Iraq required to restore its health care system, which suffered decades of neglect under Saddam Hussein, Saffar said: "Over the next four years, we need seven to eight billion dollars just for reconstruction. This does not include the operational budget."

I know more than a few Americans that are wondering the same things about our own health care system.