Hightower Lowdown

Among the horrible news coming out of Iraq is that contract workers for Halliburton and other war corporations are being brutally killed and their bodies barbarically desecrated. Naturally, our first reaction is shock and outrage —but then two obvious questions arise: Why has so much of our military been corporatized, and who are Halliburton and their ilk hiring for these dangerous jobs? .

Answer No. 1: Our military is now more than ever a gold mine for big business. Corporations not only provide the weaponry, but increasingly the war personnel —everyone from armed troops to essential supply squadrons. The rationale is that a Halliburton can do it cheaper. But do they? To get people to go to Iraq, Halliburton pays $80,000 to $100,000 a year for a truck driver or mess cook, plus health care and life insurance. Not to mention Halliburton's overhead and profit—and all this is paid for by us taxpayers. A soldier doing comparable work is paid a fourth of that. .

Answer No. 2: By deliberately pushing outsourcing, union-busting, and low-wage Wal-Mart jobs, our corporate and political leaders have created a huge pool of working poor. These are the people who, out of necessity, will take Halliburton's paycheck, even though it means separation from family, 14-hour days seven days a week, and exposure to kidnapping, torture, and death. And, unlike soldiers, these contract workers are poorly prepared —they get only one week of training.