

This is just an amazing insult to the U.S. middle class and tax payer. While our social security is being decimated under the Congressional and Administration made debt ceiling crisis, a new report shows the United States is losing billions in Afghanistan. Literally the money disappears.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction released an audit that shows, literally, our U.S. tax dollars are disappearing and probably into the hands of those who are trying to kill us.

efforts to safeguard U.S. cash entering the Afghan economy and to develop the Afghan financial sector have been hampered by limited interagency coordination, inconsistent Afghan cooperation and insufficient cash controls. SIGAR found that U.S. agencies have limited visibility over U.S. cash that enters the Afghan economy -- leaving it vulnerable to fraud and diversion to the insurgency. SIGAR also found that poor cooperation by the Afghan government has impeded U.S. efforts to help develop the Afghan financial sector. "The United States has poured billions of aid dollars into a country plagued by corruption, insurgency and the narcotics trade. It is essential that we use all available tools to ensure that U.S. dollars are protected from fraud and diversion to the insurgency. We must also ensure that the Afghan government is a full partner in efforts to set a fledgling financial sector on sound footing,"said Herbert Richardson, acting Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

How much money is at risk? The press release quotes over $70 billion in U.S. taxpayer funds have been funneled to Afghanistan for security and other purposes since 2002. So, the amount is some percentage of these funds.

How did this happen? For one, U.S. contracting regulations do not prohibit prime contractors from using unlicensed hawalas to pay subcontractors. This is the same black market money system that funded the 9/11 hijackers. Even worse, Afghanistan is blocking audits and financial reforms.

If one recalls billions disappeared in Iraq as well. Literally $12 billion in shrink wrapped $100 bills disappeared. To this day they cannot account for at least $6.6 billion and admit it's probably stolen. $6.6 billion.

Nice work if you can get it huh?

The next time you hear we must force America's retired, aged, poor, sick and vulnerable into abject poverty in order to reduce the deficit, think of this. $100 billion of a debt ceiling increase would fund the government until September. Yet the cost of war since 2001 is hitting $4 trillion dollars.

If only the United States poured those funds into rebuilding America's infrastructure. Seems policy generally is anybody but American workers and citizens.