Bremer to Dismantle Iraqi Food Distribution System

[Theophylact]

He thinks it's a dangerous socialist anachronism:

A more substantial assault on Saddam's legacy is under way in the Republican Palace, where the occupation authority is making preparations to dismantle the food distribution system which gave free rations of flour, rice, cooking oil and other staples to every Iraqi.

Described by the UN as the world's most efficient food network, the system still keeps Iraqis from going hungry. But the US civilian administrator of Iraq, Paul Bremer, views it as a dangerous socialist anachronism. The coalition provisional authority (CPA) is planning to abolish it in January, despite warnings from its own technical experts that this could lead to hunger and riots. [emphasis added]

Further down in the story, we find this gem:

Almost all of the bureaucrats at the information ministry have done very nicely for themselves since the war. The government minders who spent their days reporting to the intelligence services on foreign reporters or doing their best to obstruct their work have gone on to well-paid jobs - for the same foreign news organisations they once hounded.

The second-in-command at the information ministry, who spent his days reading the reports the minders wrote about visiting foreign journalists, has been employed by Fox News. [emphasis added]

You couldn't make this stuff up.

[M_Six]

There you go infecting me again, Theo.

[tony_j15]

What are you spouting about this time? The UN's oil for food program? Your link is not clear at all.

[M_Six]

"The affairs of Iraqi society cannot be managed without a great deal of violence and power," he says. "Iraqi society cannot be controlled by someone who treats them in a nice way. It cannot be run by someone open minded.

"It needs someone all-powerful, ready to use force or violence to get the people to do what he wants."

As frightening a thought as that is, it may well prove to be true.

If people grow up in a certain environment, that's the environment they'll want to be in, regardless of their social situation.

[Omardeth]

the problem is , the way it is set up now , no american company can make money off it so they have to change it so they do .

[Epidemic]

Yea ok good one omardeth.

Or you could look at it this way. No evil dictator can use food to control the population as easily.

[shahani]

Bush and the Administration seem to revel in making such decisions. I think these actions are only going to backfire in the long run.

[ClubMed]

This is what RADAR would call building a better world for the Iraqis.

Yes, I think I begin to see his vision.

[shahani]

When you try and impose a system, any system, be it political, cultural, sociological, religious... on people there is bound to be adverse reaction.

How would we react if communism was imposed on us?