NO, it's not government connections at all!

[Berzerker]

I see, so when opponents of communism cite Stalin and they're told that wasn't really communism, that's a valid refutation except when leftists want to blame capitalism for corporate welfare? Btw, Stalinism is a common variant of communism? I thought that was just an example of a dictator using an ideology to further his agenda. Oh yeah, that is common under communism.

If this is capitalism, does that mean the public schools are capitalistic too? Government contracts (closed to bidders or not) and services are not capitalism... Capitalism is you deciding if you want to buy someone's product, not me forcing you to buy it.

[Edan]

Originally posted by Agathon
So the Bush administration is bent...

..tell me something I didn't know.

The square root of PI is approximately ~1.772

[Ramo]

Oh god, sorry guys, I honestly didn't mean to do this to the thread.

I see, so when opponents of communism cite Stalin and they're told that wasn't really communism, that's a valid refutation except when leftists want to blame capitalism for corporate welfare?

Who are you arguing against? Me or the personification of the imaginary monolithic left?

Btw, Stalinism is a common variant of communism? I thought that was just an example of a dictator using an ideology to further his agenda. Oh yeah, that is common under communism.

No, Stalinism is a subset of communism. It was somewhat prominent in communist circles before the Berlin Wall fell. Again, who are you arguing against?

If this is capitalism, does that mean the public schools are capitalistic too? Government contracts (closed to bidders or not) and services are not capitalism... Capitalism is you deciding if you want to buy someone's product, not me forcing you to buy it.

That's your definition of capitalism. Not most people who consider themselves capitalists.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
If the Pentagon can get toilet seats cheaper at the Wal-Mart down the street, why pay a defense contractor 500$ a pop for them? My faith in the general stupidity of government has been confirmed too many times for me to stop now.

It's not stupidity or incompetence, DD--it's called corruption. And it's quite deliberate.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Edan


The square root of PI is approximately ~1.772

Thanks I needed that...

*slaps self*

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov


It's not stupidity or incompetence, DD--it's called corruption. And it's quite deliberate.

Not to mention incredibly obvious.

[Kidlicious]

Let's give DD some credit. Maybe the members of the Bush administration are idoit saphants (sp).

[Ramo]

So the Bush administration is bent...

..tell me something I didn't know.

Oooh this'll be fun. The inverse of the lifetime of a hydrogen atom in an excited state is the summation over all states it can transition to of 4/3 times the seperation frequency (making the phrase up, I have no real idea what it's supposed to be called) between the two states squared times the square of the magnitude of the matrix element between the two states of the radial vector divided by the quantity of the speed of light cubed times planck's constant over 2pi.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Kidicious
Let's give DD some credit. Maybe the members of the Bush administration are idoit saphants (sp).

Sig material on a silver platter.

[GePap]

update:

Pentagon Finds Halliburton Overcharged
2 hours, 11 minutes ago Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo!


By MATT KELLEY, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - A Pentagon (news - web sites) investigation has found overcharging and other violations in a $15.6 billion Iraq (news - web sites) reconstruction contract awarded to Vice President **** Cheney (news - web sites)'s former company, a defense official said Thursday.


AP Photo



An ongoing audit of Halliburton's Kellogg, Brown & Root subsidiary found substantial overcharging for fuel and other items, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The problems go beyond overcharging, the official said, declining to elaborate.


The Defense Contract Audit Agency has talked with KBR executives during the audit, the official said.


A KBR spokeswoman, Patrice Mingo, did not immediately return telephone and e-mail messages seeking comment.


Democratic Reps. Henry Waxman of California and John Dingell of Michigan have accused KBR of price gouging for gasoline used in Iraq. The two congressmen said Halliburton charges the Army $2.65 a gallon for gas under a no-bid contract, while another Pentagon agency imports fuel from Kuwait to Iraq at a cost of $1.09 to $1.15 per gallon.


The Army is to open its KBR contract to competitive bidding next month.


Halliburton has denied any price gouging. The company has said it needs to charge a high price because the fuel must be delivered in a combat zone.


Several KBR workers have been killed or wounded in attacks by Iraqi insurgents.


Some of the Democratic presidential candidates have said the awarding of several no-bid contracts to Halliburton appears to be a political payoff to a firm whose executives were Bush campaign donors. Bush administration and Halliburton officials have denied politics played any role in awarding the contracts to KBR, which also has Pentagon contracts for food service and other support for troops in Iraq and other countries.


Cheney, a former defense secretary, stepped down from Halliburton when he became Bush's running mate in 2000 and has said he played no role in contracts for his former company.

from http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...burton_probe_4

[chequita guevara]

I really, really hope the media makes an issue of this.

[chequita guevara]

Berserker,
it's like this. Before communism ever took power, we had an idea of what it was supposed to be like, how it was supposed to run, etc. Stalin comes along, and it looks nothing like it. One can then reasonably say, "Not the same thing."

Capitalism has been around for hundreds of years. It changes, it grows, it evolves. Then libertarians come along and say, "no, real capitalism is supposed to be something I just made up." While the arguments appear similar in form, in essence they are different.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov


It's not stupidity or incompetence, DD--it's called corruption. And it's quite deliberate.

Well duh -- they would not accidentally buy the best toilet seats they can possibly find, now would they?

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Kidicious
It's capitalism and it's corporate welfare.

That statement proves your vast ignorance. The two are mutually exclusive.

[Kuciwalker]

Who are you arguing against? Me or the personification of the imaginary monolithic left?

Most of the communists on this board.