Ah, it's great to live in a free country where anyone can lift themselves up by their own bootstraps and someday get a $400 million golden parachute when retiring from Exxon.
But an even better example of the big benefits of big business in the good ole US of A is the exciting news that Halliburton has been awarded a $385 million contract to build large-scale detention centers in case of an "emergency influx" of immigrants.
This is a win-win. Not only does Halliburton get to benefit and build on their best year of profits ever, but now we have a place to put all those pesky illegal immigrants, evildoers and naysayers.
Link to the story after the fold:
http://www.commondreams.org/...
This is the proudest I've been to be an American, since last night when I filled my 14 gallon gas tank for $46.
While thousands of people were celebrating the contribution America's undocumented immigrants make to our economy, and demanding justice and recognition for workers who are denied basic rights, the government was making plans for large-scale detention centers in case of an "emergency influx" of immigrants.
KBR, the Halliburton subsidiary recently reprimanded for gross overcharging in its military contracts in Iraq, won a $385 million contract to build the centers. According to the Halliburton website--www.Halliburton.com--"the contract, which is effective immediately, provides for establishing temporary detention and processing capabilities to augment existing ICE Detention and Removal Operations Program facilities in the event of an emergency influx of immigrants into the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs."
It also means record profits for Halliburton, which declared 2005 "the best in our 86-year history." David Lesar, Halliburton's chairman, president and CEO, declares on the company website, "For the full year 2005 we set a record for revenue and achieved net income of $2.4 billion with each of our six divisions posting record results."
Not bad for a company that has been repeatedly cited for inflating charges and wasting taxpayer money in Iraq.
Perhaps, as someone who speaks out against the war, I will be one of the lucky few who get to see the inside of what is sure to be the coziest place to live since the Superdome.
I still love our country. But man, I hate some of its CEOs.