Things are better?

I haven't looked at the Inside Iraq blog for quite a while. This is a blog written by Iraqi journalists working for McClatchy and it can be tough to take. For example, the most recent entry, Gone with the Wind, is one journalist's cry of despair, despair at the evil of Saddam and despair at how awful things have gone since our invasion. The previous entry, Country of Orphans, recounts the condition of orphans in Iraq today. The author claims that of the 3,000,000 orphans in Iraq today only 469 "are living under the care of the state". These numbers are hard to prove , but I suspect that one could fairly easily prove this number - 2,000 dinars. That's how much the government provides monthly for the care of each orphan in state orphanages. 2,000 dinars is worth $1.50. Conversely, the monthly salary of some officials approaches $40,000 a month.