http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/CompanyFocus/WhosProfitingFromTheIraqWar.aspx
The Top 10
It's no surprise that KBR Inc. (KBR, news, msgs), a division of Halliburton (HAL, news, msgs) during the years we examined, tops the first list, compiled by Eagle Eye, with $17.2 billion in Iraq-related war revenue for 2003-2006. KBR is one of the largest construction and energy field-service companies in the world. It has a long history of collaborating with the U.S. government on war-related construction.- Videos: Recent news on Halliburton
"We are proud to serve the troops," says a KBR spokeswoman. "We are providing the troops with essential services and the comforts of home that allow them to stay focused on the dangerous and important missions they face daily."
But why does a private-equity shop called Veritas Capital Fund take the No. 2 slot? That's easy. It specializes in investing in defense and aerospace companies. So Veritas owns a portfolio of companies -- and has a stake in others -- that pull down big Iraq-related contracts.
DynCorp International (DCP, news, msgs), which Veritas bought in 2005 and spun out last year, offers security services and police training, as well as logistical services. Veritas' McNeil Technologies provides interpreter and translation services to the military and U.S. government agencies in Iraq. Another of its companies, Wornick, supplies military rations.
It's also no big surprise that U.S.-based companies like Washington Group International (WNG, news, msgs), Fluor (FLR, news, msgs), Perini (PCR, news, msgs) and Parsons are on our top 10 list. They've landed many of the contracts to restore, repair and maintain oil fields, power plants, schools, public water systems and military bases. But the award of contracts to build the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to First Kuwaiti General Trading & Contracting left many analysts scratching their heads.
Environmental Chemical does munitions disposal, while International American Products sets up systems that deliver electricity to military camps. L3 Communications (LLL, news, msgs) offers security screening services, linguists, training and law-enforcement services, and some equipment replacement.
Right-wingers want to erase how George Bush's "Homeowner Society" helped cause the economic collapse
Paul Krugman has been on fire and he's not only taking names, but he's beating back the myths.
There was a reason the GOP kept Bush off the airwaves until after the midterm elections: the man was so reviled. I wouldn't doubt that Roger Ailes had something to do with it, but that's just a theory. Anyway, the one and only panel I did with Andrew Breitbart was revolting for many reasons, but one of the biggest lies he told and is one often repeated by the zombies of the Tea Party (which took off after Rick Santelli gave them permission to do so on CNBC) -- namely, that the greedy poor people created the mortgage meltdown because they had the audacity to become homeowners. Krugman explains away that nonsense and Digby reminded me again of Bush's 2004 acceptance speech, where he bragged about his economic handiwork, and begged to turn America into the ultimate "homeowner society."
Now Americans are either packing their bags and fleeing from their homes without trying to pay their mortgages, or they're trying to get HAMP assistance. Some are still being kicked out even when they follow the rules, or are not eligible for HAMP; others are just are foreclosed on anyway because they can't afford to pay anymore.
First, there was a widely spread housing bubble, not just in the United States, but in Ireland, Spain, and other countries as well. This bubble was inflated by irresponsible lending, made possible both by bank deregulation and the failure to extend regulation to “shadow banks,” which weren’t covered by traditional regulation but nonetheless engaged in banking activities and created bank-type risks.He's beating back the people whose policies helped destroy the world's economy when George W. Bush was President. In another column called When Zombies Win, he then highlights the fact that all the people responsible for the meltdown in the first place haven't been shunned, but instead are leading the charge to only make things worse. Simply f*&king amazing.
Then the bubble burst, with hugely disruptive consequences. It turned out that Wall Street had created a web of interconnection nobody understood, so that the failure of Lehman Brothers, a medium-size investment bank, could threaten to take down the whole world financial system.
It’s a straightforward story, but a story that the Republican members of the commission don’t want told. Literally...read on
There was a reason the GOP kept Bush off the airwaves until after the midterm elections: the man was so reviled. I wouldn't doubt that Roger Ailes had something to do with it, but that's just a theory. Anyway, the one and only panel I did with Andrew Breitbart was revolting for many reasons, but one of the biggest lies he told and is one often repeated by the zombies of the Tea Party (which took off after Rick Santelli gave them permission to do so on CNBC) -- namely, that the greedy poor people created the mortgage meltdown because they had the audacity to become homeowners. Krugman explains away that nonsense and Digby reminded me again of Bush's 2004 acceptance speech, where he bragged about his economic handiwork, and begged to turn America into the ultimate "homeowner society."
I've got yer history for yah right here. Here's one of those bleeding heart liberals at the 2004 Republican Convention:(Bush starts his "Welcome to my home" rant at the 3:36 mark of the above video)
Another priority for a new term is to build an ownership society, because ownership brings security and dignity and independence.
...
Thanks to our policies, home ownership in America is at an all- time high.
(APPLAUSE)
Tonight we set a new goal: 7 million more affordable homes in the next 10 years, so more American families will be able to open the door and say, "Welcome to my home."
Now Americans are either packing their bags and fleeing from their homes without trying to pay their mortgages, or they're trying to get HAMP assistance. Some are still being kicked out even when they follow the rules, or are not eligible for HAMP; others are just are foreclosed on anyway because they can't afford to pay anymore.
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