*sigh* that's about all I can say about any of that.. not really surprised though. shitty move on Haliburtons part. U S A WOOOO!!!!... now where's my passport?

Say what you will about Halliburton, their upper management is smart. They know the wind direction is changing, and changing seriously. They're getting out before they're all tried for treason as war profiteers.

The people who count have made their nut; they'll live in extreme comfort for the rest of their lives. I imagine Cheney will have some pretty nice perks once he's been pardoned by Bush when he leaves office.

What? You say Cheney hasn't been charged with anything yet, so what's to pardon? Think of it as political immunization.

So today on the news, Haliburton's statement was that they're definitely staying in the US, staying in Houston. They have no intention of leaving the country and they're definitely not taking any tax breaks by moving.

So, let's say I take them at their word on this, and they're *not* going to evade/shelter/whatever any of the corporate taxes due to Uncle Sam by moving the corporate HQ, and the CEO to UAE. Does that mean as a shareholder, I have an actionable cause for dereliction of their fiduciary duty by failing to take advantage of the more favorable tax (none, in designated zones) structure of UAE?

Somebody's getting screwed, the IRS or the stockholders, I wonder which one.

Maybe they're just opening a branch office so that they can be closer to their primary markets?

It looks to me like Halliburton is betting on peace. They are selling their interest in KBR, which is the sector that provides infrastructure and government sorta stuff, and thus returning to be just an oil construction services company. Thus they want to be where the oil is. And also, the US Gov won't be a customer, just the big oil concerns.

and I'm not saying it's not a good business decision.. I just think overall it's kinda crappy. and yeah, call me skeptical but methinks it's just a pre-post election avoidal (if that's a word) of potential criminal charges.

Anyone remember the MoHo project? Any guess as to what company got the creme from that tax paid deal?
"There was a project to drill through the Earth's crust - the Moho project. This developed into the Deep-Sea Drilling Project and the modern Ocean drilling Project."

KBR is a very good company. Used thier services for years. No one can do it better. As far a Haliburton leaving, I guess it is in thier right. And it is our right to remove any and all tax breaks they would get. Now that they may not be moving I wonder what pepole gave them as an incentive to stay. Backdoor deal???

The question is could any other company do as well as KBR for a lot less money and why they charged the government billions for services NOT rendered.

Oh, and if you read the thread you'd know they are not leaving. I lied.

I have heard this argument a million times. After years on active duty I can tell you one thing. At the time of the deployment, no company, absolutely no company had the ablity, capacity, infrastructure, and history to provide us with what we needed to go to war, of for any other deployment for that matter. Historically I think you can look at the system over the years, and I mean 20 or so, and judge the way this situation got to where it is now, meaning that how did one company so totally domintate this market. Well guess what, when troops need support neither I or anyone else really gives a crap about how or where it comes from, as long is it is there when you need it and on time in running order. After that it just doesn't matter who is doing the supplying. Understand?

Well I worked for B&R years ago. If you think those price fixing sobs are the cream of the crop, you need to do a little back ground work. Before Veitnam b & r wasn't even in the top 500 cos world wide. But was soon number 3 IIRC. Wonder who had an ass full of stock?
Right Kellog and Brown and root are great. No offence Merc., But I worked construction almost all over the world. IMHO. bb
OOOps I forgot to put Steve Becthel in that bunch.

All I know is that they were there when we needed them, provided the needs, food, roof, supplies, power, etc... and they delivered, every time. How they paid workers, how they operated thier board room, how they paid thier share holders, really not a damm bit of that mattered. None of it.

As an aside, Were you paying the bill?

Absolutely, every time they gave me a pay check they took out the money to pay for it, in taxes.

Of course he forgets to mention that the Pentagon also had same people who could have done it. What KBR provided is materials necessary for a long term occupation. Nobody wants to touch that issue because we were not there to take over the country, were we? Only Rush Limbaugh tells you how to think. Project for a New American Century was a little more honest. Note the boldface word is theirs: To protect our oil.