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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices

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To: Road Walker who wrote (221704)3/3/2005 9:58:02 AM
From: Raymond Duray  Read Replies (1) of 1573922
 
Hi John,

Re: Anyway, this discussion started over the question, "are things getting better in Iraq?". My point is that at best we don't know.

Many observers disagree.

Lets look at a few parameters, shall we?

Category | As of Three Years Ago vs. Today

*Electricity:

March, 2002: Service 24/7 without interruptions

March, 2005: Sporadic service throughout the country. In Baghdad neighborhoods have service for as little as two hours per day on no set schedule, making normal tasks such as typing out emails extremely frustrating.

*Retail Gasoline:

2002: Subsidized fuel readily available, no waiting lines at service stations.

2005: Huge daily lines several kilometers long is the norm at government controlled stations. Black market operations at high prices relieve part of the strain on the intentionally broken system.

*Potable Water:

2002: Scattered rural areas suffer from poor water conditions

2005: The preponderance of potable water systems are malfunctioning.

*Sewerage:

2002: Scattered areas suffer from inadequate sewage treatment

2005: War damage plus inadequate reconstruction create vast areas of the country with raw sewage either standing on the surface or flowing into rivers untreated.

*Employment:

2002: Fewer than 10% of the population are under- or unemployed.

2005: More than 50% of the population is unemployed, state industries are struggling to maintain their existence.

***
There are many other parameters to consider, but in nearly every instance, the people of Iraq are certainly worse off in every category other than political repression by the Ba'ath Party. And even there, the CPA and the Iraqi governing authorities still censor the media and prevent any public discussion in newspapers about the necessity to end the illegal occupation.
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