Iraq Budget Surplus May Hit $80 Billion...

The little guy never gets a dime back. Get that idea out of your head. However, with reports of 80 billion in revenue from a product that we consume the majority of I see changes coming down the line. Every Iraqi has health coverage and some form of government aid. Not so in the good ole' USA. Iraqis pay something like $.35 per gallon for gasoline. No so in the good Ole' USA. It seems that we are entitled to some of that oil. We shouldn't even be in Iraq never mind spending the absurd amounts of money we are spending. Iraq isn't exactly a third world country. It is one of the richest countries in the world. We liberated them... Isn't it time for a little payback. Maybe in the form of light sweet crude :)

Just another example how we get hosed by people we help in an ungrateful world. We have even gone and forgiven any debt owed in the past under the Baath rule. Annie, this is one of those times I agree with you 100%. I'm all for doing what ever we can to help them finish stabilizing their nation. It's actually in our interest to do so. I'm even for staying on for a while in a military support and advisory role until such time they can do it themselves. I'm all for economic advice, helping utilities get up and running, helping schools set up. ANYTHING they may need help with. But for Christ sakes, how much are we expected to pay for it? It's not like they are a poor destitute country. They have resources, and not just oil. They have a tourist industry. They have a cultural attraction and archaeological wealth. No excuses any more. Pay up Iraq. We did our part and then some.

I never thought of all that, you are right they are a rich country why is anyone else paying for anything, something sounds a bit wrong there... gee they can afford to give the rest of the world a bit....

you are very right! lots of unforeseen complications are making the US forces stay in Iraq a long and tedious one. mounting fuel costs add to the woe. I think US tax payers should be reimbursed for so big a folly of the government, though it may not happen in the near future!!!

Yes we should but will we heck NO. I guess this is one more reason why our troops should be brought home. Congress should come off of their vacations do whatever makes the Republicans happy and then start something to either get us out of Iraq or to stop the funding for rebuilding. It doesn't appear that they need our broken dollar to fix their country.

I was very surprised to hear about this this morning. Gas prices all over the world are shooting up at insane levels and they might actually have an $80 billion surplus?? What the h***! Gas prices here in my 3rd world country has almost doubled already, and even if it still is cheaper compared to the price in the US, the increase has affected so many people and businesses. And to answer your question, I don't think US taxpayers will ever be reimbursed. If you talk about this with some anti-US people, you will definitely be scorned upon. There are so many people around the world who are against the US interfering with Iraq (and other countries) and they will tell you that it's your fault that you went there and attacked the country in the first place.. And about the rebuilding thing, your troops can always leave without helping the country, that's actually how war goes right? But I guess the US is a little too nice?

i heard this on CNN earlier today and it was all i could do to not have a conniption fit!! it is utterly unbelievable that they have a surplus THAT HUGE and WE are still there, still paying for whatever they need! they spoke with Rudy Guilianni and he was basically saying that Iraq SHOULD NOT pay us back!! that we should use this information for building a stronger political ally" WTF?! sure giving us some of that oil would be great! reimbursing the US for the gargantuan amount of money we have been pouring into their country would be BETTER! strike that...DO BOTH YOU!!! ok..ive gotten mad again about this...i seriously dont understand how every single person in the country AND on capitol hill isnt foaming at the mouth about this!

Good day.. Just being level - minded here but who started the war? I mean those who started the war should pay right? Like Japan paid the other southeast asian nation because it started the war right? Who started the war?