Katrina Cleanup Contract goes to...not surprisingly, Halliburton subsidiary

[rpm]

I'm nowhere near hissy fit mode, just not surprised Halibuton gets their foot in the door first. I'd prefer to see the government contracts go to companies based in the south where they need the money before they go lining more of Haliburton's pockets with my tax dollars. Haliburton will make plenty enough private dollars rebuilding the oil platforms in the Gulf without suckling at the government teat once again.

[VOR]

Originally posted by rpm
I'd prefer to see the government contracts go to companies based in the south where they need the money before they go lining more of Haliburton's pockets with my tax dollars.  

Agreed, but wouldn't you agree this is a job that needs to be done quickly and correctly? Who can reasonably compete with the end state and timeline Haliburton can deliver?

While it would be nice to see Haliburton face some serious competition, this disaster recovery seems like an inappropriate time to practice some form of corporate affirmative action. It's time to hire the right man for the job, even if he's a friend of Dubya.

[Gunslinger]

Originally posted by rpm
I'm nowhere near hissy fit mode, just not surprised Halibuton gets their foot in the door first. I'd prefer to see the government contracts go to companies based in the south where they need the money before they go lining more of Haliburton's pockets with my tax dollars. Haliburton will make plenty enough private dollars rebuilding the oil platforms in the Gulf without suckling at the government teat once again.

Like the shaw group who got double the size of contract than Haliburton and is based out of Baton Rouge?  

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by Krusher
Reuters reports that companies with a web of connections to the Bush administration are winning the first contracts to rebuild New Orleans. The story notes that the Shaw Group (search) of Baton Rouge, which has been awarded $200 million in clean-up contracts, employs former Bush campaign manager and FEMA director Joe Allbaugh (search) to provide "general business consulting."

The Shaw Group's founder and CEO is J.M. Bernhard of Baton Rouge, Louisiana who is the chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was co-chairman Governor Kathleen Blanco's transition committee, a fact left out of the Reuters story.

If this is so this shouldnt surprise anybody.
 Just check out your local munincipalities for more of the same.
You really think that road paving company repaving your street got the contract cause he gave a really good pricequote?

LOL that may happen from time to time but it certainly isnt the norm.

Same thing only on a higher level

Last week when this story first broke one of my brother in laws who is a Bush hater was moaning and groaning the same thing.

Now he has a contracting company and has one of our larger townships all locked up.
I just smiled at him and Said "Hmm kinda like how you got your contract huh"

He shut right up cause he knows I know EXACTLY how he got his big contract.
and trust me it wasnt on the up & up.

Guy is a real lowlife,always has been. And I know its only a matter of time before he gets caught up in something dirty.

I cant wait for it to happen but Im biding my time waiting to savor the moment when it does. Cause it couldnt happen to a person that deserves it more.
 Im thinking that will be a good time to also let him know about the affair his wife is having with the cop the next town over.

Why? Because I owe him one. Payback is a beotch and revenge is a dish best served cold:D

[VOR]

Note to self: don't show incriminating photos to Dred.

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by VOR
Note to self: don't show incriminating photos to Dred.

Naaa I normaly as a rule dont hold serious grudges. Its usually not worth it. And you have to have done something pretty funky and unforgivable for me to do so.

To date there are only two. Him and one other dating back to when I was a kid about 25 years ago.

 But when I do hold em I hold em. And Im very patient:D

[rpm]

Originally posted by Gunslinger
Like the shaw group who got double the size of contract than Haliburton and is based out of Baton Rouge?  

I'm sure there are 1000 companies in La, Miss and Bama that would be able to do just as good a job as Haliburton. Their employees probably need the jobs a lot worse, too. If Haliburton is the only construction company that can do a decent job, this country is in much worse shape than I care to think.

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by rpm
I'm sure there are 1000 companies in La, Miss and Bama that would be able to do just as good a job as Haliburton. Their employees probably need the jobs a lot worse, too. If Haliburton is the only construction company that can do a decent job, this country is in much worse shape than I care to think.

Dunno. If it is true what Hilts says that " They specialize in disaster and war cleanup, especially involving the petroleum industry and other industries."

How many could there be with those kind of qualifications?

I heard a report on the radio th other day saying they are finding things in that water they cant even identify.

Dont think you can hand out cleanup contracts like that to just anyone. Not to mention the sheer magnitude of the situation.  I dont think you cant just have 100 different companies doing the work either or we would probably end up with another debacle like what happened with the aid situation.
Would also make for difficult accountability when one or some comapies try to cut corners in order to pad profit and/or not do everything they are supposed to.

I do however beleive that economically in the effected area this disaster will turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Economically speaking.
There is going to be lots and lots of building and rebuilding that is going to come from this for years to come. That means jobs. Lots and lots of jobs.

[Gunslinger]

Originally posted by rpm
I'm sure there are 1000 companies in La, Miss and Bama that would be able to do just as good a job as Haliburton. Their employees probably need the jobs a lot worse, too. If Haliburton is the only construction company that can do a decent job, this country is in much worse shape than I care to think.

I am sure there are 1000 companies in LA, Miss and Bama who do not have the man power because their employees don't have houses anymore OR that their infastructure was wiped out by the hurricane.


PS

Haliburton is like VOLT or any other contractor.  They do not have large emplyee base of tradesmen they usually hire alot of those locally.

[BTW]

More BS flowing through the national media. I want to a Home Depot today. First question asked to me when I walked in the door "Do you want to work here?" Want to a Breaux Mart supermarket - big sign "WE NEED WORKERS."  Buses are going through neighborhoods looking for workers. Its a workers market. There are more jobs than workers. There are very few people left in the New Olreans area, and companies are desparate for workers. No one is gonna be screwing workers because all they have to do is walk a half a block down to where they will be appreciated. More BS by our wonderful lieing media.

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by Wolfala
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/09/10/katrina.contracts.reut/


WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Companies with ties to the Bush White House and the former head of FEMA are clinching some of the administration's first disaster relief and reconstruction contracts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

At least two major corporate clients of lobbyist Joe Allbaugh, President Bush's former campaign manager and a former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, have already been tapped to start recovery work along the battered Gulf Coast.

One is Shaw Group Inc. and the other is Halliburton Co. subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root. Vice President Dick Cheney is a former head of Halliburton.

Bechtel National Inc., a unit of San Francisco-based Bechtel Corp., has also been selected by FEMA to provide short-term housing for people displaced by the hurricane. Bush named Bechtel's CEO to his Export Council and put the former CEO of Bechtel Energy in charge of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

Experts say it has been common practice in both Republican and Democratic administrations for policy makers to take lobbying jobs once they leave office, and many of the same companies seeking contracts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina have already received billions of dollars for work in Iraq.

Halliburton alone has earned more than $9 billion. Pentagon audits released by Democrats in June showed $1.03 billion in "questioned" costs and $422 million in "unsupported" costs for Halliburton's work in Iraq.

Watchdog groups take notice
But the web of Bush administration connections is attracting renewed attention from watchdog groups in the post-Katrina reconstruction rush. Congress has already appropriated more than $60 billion in emergency funding as a down payment on recovery efforts projected to cost well over $100 billion.

"The government has got to stop stacking senior positions with people who are repeatedly cashing in on the public trust in order to further private commercial interests," said Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight.

Bush appointees at Halliburton
Allbaugh formally registered as a lobbyist for Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root in February.

In lobbying disclosure forms filed with the Senate, Allbaugh said his goal was to "educate the congressional and executive branch on defense, disaster relief and homeland security issues affecting Kellogg Brown and Root."

Melissa Norcross, a Halliburton spokeswoman, said Allbaugh has not, since he was hired, "consulted on any specific contracts that the company is considering pursuing, nor has he been tasked by the company with any lobbying responsibilities."

Allbaugh is also a friend of Michael Brown, director of FEMA who was removed as head of Katrina disaster relief and sent back to Washington amid allegations he had padded his resume -- which he denies.

A few months after Allbaugh was hired by Halliburton, the company retained another high-level Bush appointee, Kirk Van Tine.

Van Tine registered as a lobbyist for Halliburton six months after resigning as deputy transportation secretary, a position he held from December 2003 to December 2004.

On Friday, Kellogg Brown & Root received $29.8 million in Pentagon contracts to begin rebuilding Navy bases in Louisiana and Mississippi. Norcross said the work was covered under a contract that the company negotiated before Allbaugh was hired.

Cheney's relationship with Halliburton
Halliburton continues to be a source of income for Cheney, who served as its chief executive officer from 1995 until 2000 when he joined the Republican ticket for the White House. According to tax filings released in April, Cheney's income included $194,852 in deferred pay from the company, which has also won billion-dollar government contracts in Iraq.

Cheney's office said the amount of deferred compensation is fixed and is not affected by Halliburton's current economic performance or earnings.

Allbaugh's other major client, Baton Rouge-based Shaw Group, has updated its Web site to say: "Hurricane Recovery Projects -- Apply Here!"

Shaw said on Thursday it has received a $100 million emergency FEMA contract for housing management and construction. Shaw also clinched a $100 million order on Friday from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Shaw Group spokesman Chris Sammons said Allbaugh was providing the company with "general consulting on business matters," and would not say whether he played a direct role in any of the Katrina deals. "We don't comment on specific consulting activities," he said.

Why do you post in here?  IN!

Karaya

[Saintaw]

Don't your shoulders hurt from all this patting on the back? heh.

[Bodhi]

LOL, find a company with the credentials of Halliburton to complete a job of this magnitude.  Then go back to your corner when you realise there are none.

Oh, and keep in mind the amount of sub-contracts that will goto local companies from Halliburton.  But thats not money in the local area at all.  

[Krusher]

Originally posted by Bodhi
LOL, find a company with the credentials of Halliburton to complete a job of this magnitude.  Then go back to your corner when you realise there are none.

Oh, and keep in mind the amount of sub-contracts that will goto local companies from Halliburton.  But thats not money in the local area at all.  

There isn't one.

Every president from Kennedy to Bush has used Halliburton.

[Thrawn]

Originally posted by Maverick
Oh goody, another conspiracy unveiled. Just how did Boosh and Co. manage to get the hurricane to do their bidding?  

That's not what people are arguing.  They are saying that Bush et al. are using the crisis caused by the hurricane to pad their friends bank balances.  No need to twist arguement.