Within the past nine years the American government has spent a total of $55 billion “rebuilding” Afghanistan. That’s approximately six billion dollars a year, and what do we have to show for it? Well, that’s where it gets a little complicated. As it turns out, the US hasn’t been too keen on keeping track of the money. The office of the Inspector General for the reconstruction of Afghanistan says the financials are a “confusing labyrinth.”

Supposedly, 7,000 contracted employees received about 17.7 billion dollars from 2007 to 2009, but all information prior to 2007 is too cryptic to decipher. Reports show that $5.5 million of taxpayers money went to the construction of six buildings that turned out to be completely unusable.

Due to this slight oversight in bookkeeping, the people may never know how much was actually spent on Afghanistan (though once the total can warrant the use of nine zeros, it’s a bit difficult to understand how much money that is anyhow).

According to our overseas correspondent stationed in Afghanistan, the company that he is employed by was granted millions of dollars last year just to “stand up two units,” which essentially means to deploy personnel and equipment, and to ensure that they are fully operational. Although he admits, that when they arrived, they were forced to build their own quarters from scrap wood fished out of dumpsters.

The reports also state that $1.8 billion dollars given to DynCorp International for police training and counter-narcotics work in Afghanistan. Which is interesting, as the US (specifically the CIA and numerous “non-existent” organizations) aids the transport of massive quantities of drugs from the Middle East.

As far as I’m concerned, the government should just dole out money to its citizens (i.e. ME), forget about Afghanistan, and let us “rebuild” America.