Like all jokes, good and bad [and this one is pretty bad], there is a kernel of truth at the core. This joke speaks to the depth of corruption that pervades the effort to rebuild. Simply throwing money at the problem is not enough. There has to be a renewal of moral authority to accompany the good intentions.
"Three Iraqi contractors were bidding for a contract for the construction of a wall around a local municipal council. The first contractor proposed a bid of $1000 ($400 for construction materials, $400 for the laborers, and a profit of $200). The second contractor proposed $700 ($300 for materials, $300 for workers, and a profit of $100). The third contractor offered a bid of $2700. The head of the municipal council angrily asked the contractor why he proposed such a high bid. "It's very simple," said the contractor, smiling. "A thousand for me, a thousand for you, and we'll give the $700 to the second contractor to finish the job."
And as soon as I had posted the first version of this I was reminded, from Baghdad, that corruption in contracts is merely a drop in the bucket. Why, to even get a job one must pay up to $ 2000US to a 'broker' and then you get the interview. Of course no one gets arrested for this, so that implies come collusion on the part of law enforcement, and so on, and so on...
