Berkeley CSUA MOTD:Entry 10972
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2025/07/09 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
7/9     

2003/11/7 [Transportation/Car, Politics/Foreign/MiddleEast/Iraq] UID:10972 Activity:kinda low
11/6    Doubts about the profiteering motives of the Iraq action?
        http://www.hillnews.com/news/110503/profiteering.aspx
        \_ And they say there's no looting:
           "At a Democratic Policy Committee hearing, Melanie Sloan,
           executive director of the watchdog group Citizens for
           Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, testified that
           "Halliburton [formerly headed by Vice President Dick
           Cheney] has charged an average price of $2.65 a gallon
           of gasoline imported into Iraq from Kuwait, despite experts'
           conclusions that the total price should be less than $1 a
           gallon."  Sloan added that Iraq's state oil company is
           importing "the exact same gas" for 97 cents.
           \_ Experts?  Which experts?  Gas in a war torn country still
              suffering partisan attacks should pay half of what I do in
              the most stable country on the planet?  I think not.  Also,
              that's not called looting.  The word you're looking for is
              'gouging'.  The real gouging is going on right here in the
              Bay Area.  I'd bet a buck you're one of the RIDE BIKE! folks
              who think high gas prices here are a good thing while at the
              same time you're bitching about the high price somewhere else.
              \_ personally, i believe gas prices, like other prices,
                 shoule be determined by the free market.  Maybe the
                 market would set prices in iraq at 4 bucks per gallon,
                 and at one dollar per gallon in the bay area, but
                 we won't know until we try will we?  It's ironic
                 that the profiteers who have taken control of our
                 federal gonvernment claim to be pro-free market
                 and then appear to be socialists when it makes their
                 business associates rich.
              \_ (1) Iraq is in an area where people are swimming in oil,
                     and they don't have to ship it half way around the
                     world, yet they are paying $2.65 which is much higher
                     than what most of this country is paying.
                 (2) There is a big difference between higher gasoline
                     prices due to taxes (that goes to pay infrastructure
                     improvements and pollution control, etc.) and
                     higher gasoline prices due to price gouging that
                     goes straight to pockets of fat cats like Dick Cheney.
                  \_ If location is so important please explain to me why I
                     pay 25 cents more per gallon living near a few refineries
                     than I do when I drive to the more remote parts of the
                     Bay Area which is getting their gas from the same
                     refineries?  It's called price gouging.  As for your
                     second point, you have absolutely no idea what the price
                     breakdown is for taxes,fuel costs, transport, security or
                     anything on Iraqi gas (or US gas either I'd guess).  The
                     real price gouging is going on right here in the Bay Area.
                     Tell me, you out there RIDING BIKE!?
                     \_ Since you insist on being a moron, I will explain
                        it to you.  Difference in transportation cost is
                        insignificant between where you live and other areas
                        of the Bay Area compared to the other costs of
                        the gasoline.  However, difference in tranportation
                        cost becomes significant when it is half way around
                        the world compared to right at the doorstep (i.e.
                        Kuwait to Iraq).  As for the breakdown of price,
                        the Iraqi state oil company is selling at $1 per
                        gallon, so can you tell us which of the factors
                        you mentioned (tax, fuel, transport, security) is
                        the cause of the additional $1.65 Halliburton is
                        charging?
                        \_ You completely ignored my question about why I pay
                           more living next to a refinery than I do when I
                           drive 200 miles in land where gas comes from the
                           same refinery.  If you're going to call someone a
                           moron and then explain why they're a moron, at least
                           put some effort into your proof.  This is the point
                           where I'm supposed to call you a moron in return but
                           I won't.  Your intellectual dishonesty speaks for
                           itself.
                        \_ BC raised taxes throughout his administration and
                           you're worried about a measly $1.65?  Grow up.
                           \_ Non-sequitor post of the day.
                              \_ free Kevin!!
                           \_ That totally follows...
                              OP: Something bad has happened in the Bush
                                  Administration.
                              Rep: It's Bill Clinton's fault!!
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7/9     

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Cache (3221 bytes)
www.hillnews.com/news/110503/profiteering.aspx
A decision by the House Republicans to strip the Iraq supplemental bill of an anti-profiteering provision has outraged the Democrats. Some Democrats have accused the White House of pulling the strings on the effort to nix the language. The White House and House GOP leadership didnt want the provision in there, charged Sen. A Senate Democratic aide said, Several House Republican conferees were clearly empathetic, but they had to look to a higher authority. That higher authority was the White House, which had sent the marching order to strip this from the bill. Another Democratic aide said that the White House got to House Republicans. The aide pointed to Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenners R-Wis. Leahy added that he believes with the amount of money flowing into Iraq, there will be a lot of greedy fingers. Leahy indicated that he was willing to compromise on the provision. He agreed to include a firm sunset provision advocated by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens R-Alaska. Stevens, Democratic aides said, was very supportive of the provision throughout the conference committee process. However, in conference, House Republicans spurned any compromises. House Appropriations Committee spokesman John Scofield said other reasons for rejecting the provision included that it would have also applied to international assistance and that it did not define what constitutes excessive profiteering. Leahy this week introduced stand-alone legislation targeting war profiteering. However, if it passed, it would go into effect later than the supplemental and would not cover the upcoming time period, thus lessening its effectiveness. Leahy said yesterday it would be a long road before the stand-alone legislation is completed. Leahys measure would slap penalties on those who materially overvalue any good or service with the specific intent to excessively profit from the war, military action, or relief or reconstruction activities in Iraq. Sloan added that Iraqs state oil company is importing the exact same gas for 97 cents. She concluded that between $286 million and $339 million of the $900 million the administration has requested for the importation of petroleum products could be wasted if Halliburtons pricing practices are not stopped. Durbin said the Iraq spending bill opens the door for fat and sloppy good-old-boy contracts. The lawmaker said that those seeking greater transparency were unable to examine many contracts because they are classified. Asserting that this has nothing to do with security, Durbin added, This administration classifies anything that might be embarrassing. While it was House Republicans who wanted the profiteering provision stripped out in conference, Durbin pointed out that Senate Republicans, who had supported the provision in committee and on the floor, did not stand up and fight for the language. We cant dump the whole bill just because a provision on profiteering isnt included. Domenici added that some thought the amendment was written in a political way. Other attempts by Congress to require more accountability for spending the money, especially the reconstruction funds, were for the most part watered down or removed.