Treason Has Its Privileges

Look how anodyne this significant bit of information is presented in this AP report on Halliburton's third-quarter profits:

HOUSTON - Halliburton Co. continues to benefit from placing greater emphasis on its operations in the Eastern Hemisphere, where expanding business helped the company post a 19 percent rise in third-quarter earnings.

The Houston-based oilfield services company said Sunday its net income rose to $727 million, or 79 cents a share, in the July-September period from $611 million, or 58 cents a share, in the year-ago period.

The most-recent results included a favorable income tax benefit of $133 million, or 15 cents a share.

"Placing a greater emphasis" on Eastern Hemisphere operations is a bit of code. What they're trying to say is that Halliburton ditched the country that provided the bulk of its fortune over the past six years, instead moving its headquarters to Dubai. The "favorable income tax benefit" is nothing but TAX AVOIDANCE as a result of that offshoring.

If an individual tried to do this, they would be thrown in jail. It occurs to me at points like this just what a bunch of traitors these corporate CEOs are, particularly defense contractors. They make practically their entire living off the largesse of the federal government, and then when it's time for them to give back to a country that has given them so much, they skip town like they're walking out on lunch before the bill.

Let's call this what it is: treason. Real patriots love their country so much they think it's worth paying for. Paper patriots like these "defense" contractors want nothing more than to bleed America dry. Similarly, Blackwater is being questioned for saving tens of millions of tax dollars by classifying its personnel as "independent contractors. Whether or not this is an illegal action is an open question, actually. But there's no question that the purpose of the classification is to push the burden of taxation onto the individuals, and ultimately to save money. These corporations have absolutely no connection to this country anymore, which makes you wonder why they are still chartered to do business here.