War Profiteering Exposed To The Light Of Day [View All]

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http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_thomas_l_070208_war_profiteering_exp.htm

<snip>Yes folks, this war and its uniquely Republican method of steering billions, not millions of taxpayers' dollars toward the dreamy GOP philosophy of privatization, has been an unprecedented boon for these corporations.

Let me be clear here; the deaths of our young soldiers has been good---damned good, for these companies.

Want some examples?

Lockheed Martin has made $94 billion on Iraq. That's about $30 million per dead kid. Boeing was second, with $81 billion. Raytheon weighs in with $40 billion, and Northrup Grumman and General Dynamics have each pocketed about $34 billion. Lockheed Martin has spent over $53 million in lobbying, and six million dollars in campaign donations since 2000. Lockheed gets more money annually from our government than do either the Departments of Justice or Energy.

Since the Iraqi invasion, Halliburton profits have risen 500%. Halliburton was fined $8 million last month for overcharging our government during military operations in the Balkans while Cheney ran Halliburton. In January of last year, the administration overrode the Pentagon in a battle with Halliburton over $199 million in disputed charges, ordering the Pentagon to pay the bill. That same month, Halliburton reported 2005 profits as being "the best in our 86-year history." After taking a $30+ million dollar retirement for five years service, Cheney received over $400k in deferred earnings. While he was their CEO, he doubled government contracts, at the same time doubling their political contributions. Imagine that.