Re: Well, duh!

On 19 Jun 2008 18:13:32 GMT, Bart Goddard <goddardbe@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

Wingman <wing98@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
news:bf7l54l77tm4q7fq68aunfmjf66228au6g@xxxxxxx:


A huge amount goes to Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, General Motors and
Proctor & Gamble as well. Please, don't try to sell me on the idea
that you picked Halliburton with no secondary motive.

I'm sure not aware of any gov't contracts held by Coca-Cola.
Keep trying to think: The chain goes like this: BGC (Big
Gov't Contractor) needs the gov't to buy their stuff. It's
the sole reason for its existence. To do this, they
lobby, buy senators (and pages), take officials to fancy
dinners, etc. The result is that Congress decides to buy
their stuff. In order to buy their stuff, Congress needs
money. So a tax (or tax-increase) "happens".

I'm afraid Halliburton would exist without the US Gov't
contracts...not as big but they would exist, just like MITRE,
Schlumberger, Rand, Motorola, etc. Many of their procurement and
quartermastering contracts with the feds came about because they had
the largest services business in the region (oil bidness) and their
supply channels were already established. When the military was
downsized in the 1990's and were therefore forced to contract out
supply services no one else had the experience and resources to
rapidly take over that task. As all procurement companies do, they
get a percentage for everything they supply. The gov't entities get
to pick the commodities they receive. So when the specifications call
for the $500 toilet seat or the $300 hammer, Big H buys it from the
gov't approved vendor and adds their percentage to it and delivers it
to the right place at the right time. In the minds of the people who
cut the quartermastering functions out of the gov't and the military
the percentage charged by Big Evil H is less costly than keeping
personnel directly on the Big G payroll. I've never seen anyone
publish comparison numbers.

And, yes, before I decided to sell cigars for a living I worked for a
few of the companies selling to the gov't both directly and through
the bandits. So, I also ate at the government trough.


Coca-Cola won't fit in this picture because Coke isn't
selling stuff to the gov't. Haliburton does. Haliburton
lobbies, wines and dines in order to get Congress to tax
me so they have enough money to buy stuff. Coke relies on
my addiction to caffeine.

Once again, wrong. Coke has to bid for the gov't business just like
everyone else. They may use partners (beltway bandits) but they're in
there pitching their products just like everyone else.


For that matter, a bunch of tax dollars go into your hands.

I, also, don't sell things to the gov't.

UT (note I'm being charitable and giving you your capital letters,
there must be something wrong.) operates on considerable Federal
funds. You are selling your considerable instruction skills to the
university and therefore to the gov't.

We both profited from the taxes (and taxes and taxes and taxes)


Wingman


"When you find yourself in command, take charge. When faced with a decision, do what is right. Nothing else matters." - Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf
.