Let's Make A Deal

From the BBC News:

US civilian authorities in Iraq have been unable to account properly for nearly $100m (£53m) earmarked for rebuilding, US financial auditors say.

Two audits found signs of potential fraud regarding the money, which includes oil revenue and assets seized from Saddam Hussein's government.

A third questioned the use of almost $18bn in US taxpayers' money for reconstruction projects in Iraq.

The audits found "no assurance that fraud, waste and abuse did not occur".

So, here's my idea: let's withhold tax cuts in amounts identical to the taxpayer funds that have gone unaccountable in Iraq. Because if someone has to suffer because the government wasted money through fraud, waste and abuse, it shouldn't be poor sick people. It should be people who can probably handle the inconvenience of paying taxes at the rate they did in the 1990s.

Maybe, if the accounts can be straightened out, we can give some tax money back. But if we've been throwing money all over the desert, we probably need all the taxes we can raise, know what I mean?

And I gotta wonder, if their accounting for real money now is so bad, should we really expect them to be right about funding Social Security 40 years from now, and what to do about it?