[Lokutus]

The way to make big money fast is to show no mercy while the going's good. Rip 'em off for as much as you can for as long as you can befire they finally wake up.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')raq for Sale: Director Robert Greenwald on Real Time

Robert Greenwald, Director of the new film Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers, talks to Bill Maher about the egregious war profiteering taking place in Iraq by private companies like Halliburton, CACI, Bechtel and Blackwater. These for-profit companies are taking advantage of the American taxpayers at the expense of the troops and the Iraqi people and have been allowed by the rubber-stamp GOP congress to operate with impunity. You can buy a copy for $12.95 and support Greenwald here or view the film in full here. If there's one good thing a Democratic Congress will bring, it's oversight of these horrendous (yet status quo) practices.

[Lokutus]

Sorry, screwed up the video link.

Video

[Denny]

I saw the video, but I did not see what specifics they allege against Bechtel. The statements int his seem to deal wiht service ocntracts and food, etc, as opposed to construciton. I am an enigneer, and this would concern me, as Bechtel is well respected in our community. They hire the brightest.

I understand the general overview, that the Iraq war has become a gold mine for costplus contracts. But, that is pretty much the nature of most wars. This even extends into the military realm today more than the past, but its all just more of the same.

I think over the course of history, its tragic and revolting how people in power will seek war for the bottom line. It happened in World War I, when monster corporations on both sides made out like bandits while a large part of a whole generation was slaughtered. Now, it seems like that evil is back. It seems that the search for oil and control of oil is a lot like the battles over gold in times gone by. Seemingly civilized people will kill over it, yet claim they are doing God's will. Both sides.

Hopefully, the realization of where greed takes us will cause thinking men and women to wake up and seek peaceful solutions.

[AgentR]

A lot of people get outraged about some of the excesses that inevitably result from costplus. But, as a government agency, you have to select your risk.

Lowest qualified bidder.. If the bidder underestimates their costs to far, they go belly up, you're out a lot of money, and nothing got done. You can't command product out of a bankrupt company no matter what threats you might use.

Cost plus.. You're pretty much guaranteed to get what you specifiy and are willing to inspect, but you can badly underestimate the costs; and there is a greater tendency to place change orders, thus driving up the cost even higher.

Its not like there is a Walmart that sells "Hospitals in a Box" that will magically appear where your contract calls for them to be placed.

[Lokutus]

I think it's about Helliburton not Bechtel.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... q+for+sale