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American Crony Capitalism means failing upward all your life -- and
never having to say you're sorry.
Like George Bush Jr. himself, who failed his way to the top (his "management"
wrecked every business he ever ran), Bush crony Joe Allbaugh has also perfected
the art of failing upward.
Allbaugh was Bush's chief of staff when he was governor of Texas, then Bush's
campaign manager during the 2000 election and later the head of FEMA (Federal
Emergency Management Agency) -- courtesy of the "spoils system" of
American politics.
Allbaugh's latest venture is whoring ("working")as an influence
peddler ("consultant") for companies who want to cash in on the so-called
Katrina disaster relief and other Homeland \Security scams for Bush Family connected
insiders.
These scams are called "privatizing" government or "outsourcing",
so that Bush Family crony capitalists get more than their usual share at the
government trough.
"Now Allbaugh is the man to see if you want a contract in Iraq,
or a piece of the action on homeland security, or, apparently, a shot at rebuilding
New Orleans," writes Timothy Noah in his column
"Joe Allbaugh, Disaster Pimp" (http://www.slate.com/id/2125756/?nav=fo
).
Being a Katrina Disaster whore is paying off for Allbaugh and his clients
who have snagged lucrative contracts already
The first confirmed contract is for Shaw Group Inc. which got a $100 million
emergency FEMA contract for housing management and construction.
Shaw also bagged a $100 million contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The other Allbaugh deal was for Kellogg Brown and Root, the Halliburton subsidiary
formerly headed by Vice President Dick Cheney who still gets multi miullion
dollar kickbacks every year under the guise of "deferred compensation."
According to Reuters "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."
Halliburton's share of the loot has been unprecedented -- more than $9 billion,
much of it due to fraud, according to Pentagon audits.
"I don't buy the 'revolving door' argument," Allbaugh told the National
Journal last year. "This is America. We all have a right to make a living."
"A living" is Crony Capitalism jargon for whoring in Washington using
Bush Family contacts.
Whadda deal for Allbaugh and Bush's Crony Capitalism pals.
Even the Commies in the former Soviet Union never figured out how to
game the system like the Bush Cabal.
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