Beyond Blackwater
Posted by Paul at September 22nd, 2007
Well, it’s official. Private contractors outnumber U.S. troops in Iraq. That’s right: there’s now more profiteering than soldiering. Guess it’s pretty clear why it was so important we invade.
Billions in taxpayer dollars are funneled to these contractors, much of it fraud and waste. Of course we only hear about trigger-happy security firm Blackwater on the evening news because they’re badass mercenaries. But Blackwater is just the tip of the iceberg. One example: it cost what it takes to erect a mega-skyscraper in New York to build a three-story building in Baghdad with plumbing so terrible it had to be demolished (And no, you can’t have that money back). Also, with an open-ended quagmire in the Middle East to keep prices up, oil companies have made record profits on the backs of U.S. consumers. So corporate cronies reap Treasury and energy dollars: it’s win-win!
Congress has now assured the profit bonanza in Iraq will continue after Bush/Cheney have washed their hands of it. Seventy percent of the American people may want out, but sorry, one hundred percent of the corporate profiteers like it there just fine.
Mission accomplished.
More here from Bill Maher
