Since Halliburton is such a big part of the "rebuilding" of Iraq, a few notes on the company that Dick Cheney, as a master of understatement, once described as "a unique kind of company." Some highlights from the VP’s reign:
Total value of contracts given to Halliburton for work in the Bush-Cheney "War on Terror" since 2001: More than $15 billion
Amount that Halliburton pays to the Third World laborers it imports into Iraq to do the work in its dining facilities, laundries, etc.: $6 per 12-hour day (that is , Halliburton pays 50 cents an hour)
Increase in Halliburton's profits since Bush-Cheney took office in 2000: 379 percent
Halliburton's campaign contributions in Bush-Cheney election years:
In 2000: $285,252 (96 percent to Republicans)
In 2004: $145,500 (89 percent to Republicans)Plus $365,065 from members of its board of directors (99 percent to Republicans)
And no summary would be complete without a reference to the cost of oil during the Bush administration:
1999 – Oil at $19 a barrel
2006 – Oil at over $70 a barrel
[Thanks to Hightower Lowdown]
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