Here we go again - Bush Cronyism

[Magnetic Poles]

I know the yellow dog Bushies will say this is ethical, but for the rest of us, imagine this scenario. Let's say you are President. First you break Iraq and award contracts to your buddies. Now you take advantage of a natural disaster to line the pockets of your pals with "the people's money". I guess when Bush talked about "the people's money" we forgot to ask "which people" he thought it belonged to!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9282533/

EXCERPTED:

Firms with Bush ties snag Katrina deals

White House connections attract renewed attention from watchdog groups

Updated: 4:04 p.m. ET Sept. 10, 2005

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 George W. 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.

 

[Priscilla Ann]

Leave it to Bush's buddies to be the first to benefit from someone else's hardship!

 

[LadyEagle]

Yep, good old Halliburton strikes again! The President has stated he is loyal to his friends.

 

[poncho]

No! No! No! I Don't Want To Hear It!

 

[Martin]

I love how "the left" takes advantage of these type of stories. The "buddy system", as I call it, is a long standing thing. Whether you are talking about government or private businesses people tend to do business with their friends and supporters. I don't care if they are liberal or conservative, republican or democrat. This is the way it is. Like it, love it, or hate it, it is the way it is.

So for every liberal who points a finger at Bush for using the "buddy system" there are several liberals doing the same thing Bush is doing (same for conservatives who point fingers).

When the political types get outraged about the "buddy system" in their own party (and in their own people, and in themselves) then,AND ONLY THEN, will I believe their outrage is sincere. Right now it is nothing more than political spin .

This is the hard truth that both liberals and conservatives need to face. Each side, each political party, plays this game. They point out the faults in the other side while excusing those very same faults in their own side! This is something Christians cannot do. That is why I believe Christians should exit the political scene. WHAT?!? Yes, Christians should exit the political scene. Why? Because the political scene is by its very nature dishonest, hypocritical, and full of compromise. Christians cannot be any of those things (1Cor 6:9-10, Rev 21:8,27, Eph 5:1-7). Am I saying we should not vote? No, we should vote. Am I saying we should not make our "voices" heard? O, we should make a voice heard, but not our voice...the voice of Christ! We should be preaching the Gospel. On every issue we should realize and preach the FACT that the Gospel is the solution (not political games). That is the mission of the church and of Christians...to preach the gospel. Our mission is not social reformation or moral reformation without spiritual regeneration (for that only leads to a worse judgment...2Peter 2:20-22). We should call sin what it is, SIN! We should preach the Gospel without any compromise (those who compromise the gospel are lost- Gal 1:6-9). Our mission, by its very nature, will cause us to have a hard time supporting either political party.

In Christ,
Martin.

 

[carpro]

Originally posted by Magnetic Poles:
I know the yellow dog Bushies will say this is ethical

Your ethics will probably be decided by your political leanings.

My main question is, was it legal and above board?

Beyond that you can cry and whine all you want.

 

[hillclimber]

Originally posted by carpro:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Magnetic Poles:
I know the yellow dog Bushies will say this is ethical

Your ethics will probably be decided by your political leanings.

My main question is, was it legal and above board?

Beyond that you can cry and whine all you want. </font>[/QUOTE]exactly

 

[StraightAndNarrow]

Originally posted by Martin:
I love how "the left" takes advantage of these type of stories. The "buddy system", as I call it, is a long standing thing. Whether you are talking about government or private businesses people tend to do business with their friends and supporters. I don't care if they are liberal or conservative, republican or democrat. This is the way it is. Like it, love it, or hate it, it is the way it is.

So for every liberal who points a finger at Bush for using the "buddy system" there are several liberals doing the same thing Bush is doing (same for conservatives who point fingers).

When the political types get outraged about the "buddy system" in their own party (and in their own people, and in themselves) then,AND ONLY THEN, will I believe their outrage is sincere. Right now it is nothing more than political spin .

This is the hard truth that both liberals and conservatives need to face. Each side, each political party, plays this game. They point out the faults in the other side while excusing those very same faults in their own side! This is something Christians cannot do. That is why I believe Christians should exit the political scene. WHAT?!? Yes, Christians should exit the political scene. Why? Because the political scene is by its very nature dishonest, hypocritical, and full of compromise. Christians cannot be any of those things (1Cor 6:9-10, Rev 21:8,27, Eph 5:1-7). Am I saying we should not vote? No, we should vote. Am I saying we should not make our "voices" heard? O, we should make a voice heard, but not our voice...the voice of Christ! We should be preaching the Gospel. On every issue we should realize and preach the FACT that the Gospel is the solution (not political games). That is the mission of the church and of Christians...to preach the gospel. Our mission is not social reformation or moral reformation without spiritual regeneration (for that only leads to a worse judgment...2Peter 2:20-22). We should call sin what it is, SIN! We should preach the Gospel without any compromise (those who compromise the gospel are lost- Gal 1:6-9). Our mission, by its very nature, will cause us to have a hard time supporting either political party.

In Christ,
Martin.

Can you provide us with examples of Democratic croneyism anywhere as big as the $9B Halliburton has gotton with over $1B in disputed charges?

 

[ballfan]

All elected officials tend to appoint their friends to positions. The liberal media might think thats news but it isn't.

What they've glossed over is whether or not those people are qualified for the job or not. Its far trickier that it sounds or looks. I mean is a failed hat salesman qualified to be President of the United States? Todays media might scoff but Harry Truman was qualified.

 

[Baptist in Richmond]

Notice that, once again, Halliburton is somehow the company that gets a piece of the contract.

Amazing.......

To quote Mr. Zimmerman:
"How many times can a man turn his head, and pretend that he just doesn't see?"

Regards,
BiR

 

[KenH]

Republicans in power reward their buddies. Democrats in power reward their buddies. Same old song and dance in Washington, D.C.

 

[ballfan]

Originally posted by Baptist in Richmond:
Notice that, once again, Halliburton is somehow the company that gets a piece of the contract.

Amazing.......

To quote Mr. Zimmerman:
"How many times can a man turn his head, and pretend that he just doesn't see?"

Regards,
BiR

All in all your post is completely meaningless.

 

[ballfan]

Originally posted by KenH:
Republicans in power reward their buddies. Democrats in power reward their buddies. Same old song and dance in Washington, D.C.

Exactly

 

[ASLANSPAL]

I think James D Witt was a competent appointment..
listen to this quote from an insider.


"... I went to Florida a few days after President Bush did to observe the damage from Hurricane Andrew. I had dealt with a lot of natural disasters as governor, including floods, droughts, and tornadoes, but I had never seen anything like this. I was surprised to hear complaints from both local officials and residents about how the Federal Emergency Management Agency was handling the aftermath of the hurricane. Traditionally, the job of FEMA director was given to a political supporter of the President who wanted some plum position but who had no experience with emergencies. I made a mental note to avoid that mistake if I won. Voters don't chose a President based on how he'll handle disasters, but if they're faced with one themselves, it quickly becomes the most important issue in their lives." Bill Clinton, My Life (p. 428)

 

[Martin]

StraightAndNarrow:

You said:
Can you provide us with examples of Democratic croneyism anywhere as big as the $9B Halliburton has gotton with over $1B in disputed charges?

==Are you honestly trying to tell me, or imply, that democrats are innocent here? Or that they are some how "less guilty" (whatever that means) than Bush? Come on. I am not going to sit here and list out their guilt nor the republican's guilt. Everyone knows this stuff goes on. I am asking everyone to be honest and admit that both sides play this game. Surely this is not debatable.

Martin.

 

[Ps104_33]

I have a greast idea! Why not put Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton in charge of the clean-up and rebuilding of the city of New Orleans. They can award all the contracts to black consulting firms and black construction companies , clean-up crews etc. Just because Halliburton is the best at what they do is no reason to award the contract to them. Lets give black entrepenuers in this country a chance to bring some jobs to their own community.

 

[OldRegular]

 

[Terry_Herrington]

Originally posted by Martin:
I love how "the left" takes advantage of these type of stories. The "buddy system", as I call it, is a long standing thing. Whether you are talking about government or private businesses people tend to do business with their friends and supporters. I don't care if they are liberal or conservative, republican or democrat. This is the way it is. Like it, love it, or hate it, it is the way it is.

So for every liberal who points a finger at Bush for using the "buddy system" there are several liberals doing the same thing Bush is doing (same for conservatives who point fingers).

When the political types get outraged about the "buddy system" in their own party (and in their own people, and in themselves) then,AND ONLY THEN, will I believe their outrage is sincere. Right now it is nothing more than political spin .

This is the hard truth that both liberals and conservatives need to face. Each side, each political party, plays this game. They point out the faults in the other side while excusing those very same faults in their own side! This is something Christians cannot do. That is why I believe Christians should exit the political scene. WHAT?!? Yes, Christians should exit the political scene. Why? Because the political scene is by its very nature dishonest, hypocritical, and full of compromise. Christians cannot be any of those things (1Cor 6:9-10, Rev 21:8,27, Eph 5:1-7). Am I saying we should not vote? No, we should vote. Am I saying we should not make our "voices" heard? O, we should make a voice heard, but not our voice...the voice of Christ! We should be preaching the Gospel. On every issue we should realize and preach the FACT that the Gospel is the solution (not political games). That is the mission of the church and of Christians...to preach the gospel. Our mission is not social reformation or moral reformation without spiritual regeneration (for that only leads to a worse judgment...2Peter 2:20-22). We should call sin what it is, SIN! We should preach the Gospel without any compromise (those who compromise the gospel are lost- Gal 1:6-9). Our mission, by its very nature, will cause us to have a hard time supporting either political party.

In Christ,
Martin.

No! No! No! I Don't Want To Hear It!

The Bushbots are alive and well on the Baptist Board.

 

[OldRegular]

Originally posted by Ps104_33:
I have a greast idea! Why not put Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton in charge of the clean-up and rebuilding of the city of New Orleans. They can award all the contracts to black consulting firms and black construction companies , clean-up crews etc. Just because Halliburton is the best at what they do is no reason to award the contract to them. Lets give black entrepenuers in this country a chance to bring some jobs to their own community.

J. C. Watts, former Republican congressman from Oklahoma and a black, called jesse jackson a poverty pimp. I believe al sharpton is at least one up on jackson.

 

[church mouse guy]

Originally posted by LadyEagle:
Yep, good old Halliburton strikes again! The President has stated he is loyal to his friends.

Over the top again. Halliburton specializes in the kind of work that no one else does.

The American political system works on the theory that to the victor goes the spoils. Since it is a pork barrel system, it is inefficient but it pleases the American people who love pork.

If Kerry had been elected, the Democrats would have had all of their usual suspects in charge.

The truth of the matter is that no one really wants ot live and work in Washington DC. The cost of living is so high there that government salaries are low in comparison. So the top jobs under the spoils system go to people who are privately wealthy and are willing to do some public service. It works the same way in state government as far as I can tell from my 20 years in the Hoosier capital.

Hoosier Kin Hubbard, a turn-of-the-century humorist, noted that, "Now and then, an innocent man is sent to the legislature."