"Sweet"
A commenter on Robert Pelton's site sizes up the Russia-Georgia conflict:
Apparently Iraq's carcass has been picked clean. On to Georgia for the next adventure and payday!
Sweet – this should create about 1500 contractor jobs, I have already heard from one recruiter. |
Apparently Iraq's carcass has been picked clean. On to Georgia for the next adventure and payday!
posted by The Cunning Realist at Tuesday, August 12, 2008
6 Comments:
"Ayyy, matey's!"
If you haven't head on over to Andrew Sullivan's for his video contest: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/08/taking-back-t-5.html
It'll put this whole thing into perspective.
There are Conservatives, Liberals, Libertarians, Green, a few others, and then these guys. I would hope it is the responsibility of all good folks, Christian, Muslim, and other, to keep these dogs on a short leash. What's that word Conservatives like to toss around, but just can't seem to follow-through on. Oh, yeh, accountability.
Why should this surprise anyone, especially someone from Wall Street. I went to an investment organization winter event a few years ago, and one of the group speakers was a representative for the "disaster capitalism" industry. What's scary is if these folks are creating their market through covert, immoral, illegal means (sort of like the fireman starting the fire to make money, which actually happened out west last year). There is also a fine line between providing a service/product and receiving fair compensation and taking advantage of people. If it isn't in your nature (maybe something like Star Trek, or Thomas More/Utopia, Adam Smiths/Moral Sentiments), to walk over people when they are down, this is really hard to stomach.
But lets be pragmatic for a moment. I'm assuming these contractors are doing jobs, hopefully short-term, positive, rebuilding jobs, in dangerous locations. Risk and reward go hand in hand.
But if we aren't helping the folks to do it themselves, and build depth of skills, products/services, we just end up making a country dependent, weaker, and the world becomes less secure. And the cycle continues. It is kind of depressing when you want the human race to evolve and do better.
From Time Magazine: "Over time, sustained food aid creates dependence on handouts and shifts focus away from improving agricultural practices to increase local food supplies. Ethiopia exemplifies the consequences of giving a starving man a fish instead of teaching him to catch his own. This year the U.S. will give more than $800 million to Ethiopia: $460 million for food, $350 million for HIV/AIDS treatment — and just $7 million for agricultural development. Western governments are loath to halt programs that create a market for their farm surpluses, but for countries receiving their charity, long-term food aid can become addictive. Why bother with development when shortfalls are met by aid? Ethiopian farmers can't compete with free food, so they stop trying. Over time, there's a loss of key skills, and a country that doesn't have to feed itself soon becomes a country that can't. All too often, its rulers use resources elsewhere — Ethiopia has one of Africa's largest armies."
The gravy train always needs a next stop, especially when the economy is weak.
Hey! That was my quote!
I am famous
wow if you talk about a job I need one, but I prefer to not go and work in a country with conflicts.
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