1.5 BILLION to build an Embassy in Iraq

[Sysbuilder05]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975

1.5 BILLION for a fuvking BUILDING?? Don't tell me,another hush,hush no bid contract for Halliburton and Bectel?? This is beyond comprehention and an absolute RIP OFF of the tax payer.

How much do you really know about Halliburton...it is not considered a no bid contract if no other companies are willing or capable of taking on the mission in question.

The problem is many OTHER companies wanted to bid on the work but were turned away by the Bush Administration,they had several contractors on 60 minutes about two years ago--go look it up for yourself. They've also been under investigation for Oil price ripoffs and food service problems.

we never have enough for National Health Care system

Maybe because our medical system is inflated by insurance companies that take too large a piece of the pie, doctors who over prescribe medication to avoid lawsuits, and patients who demand prescriptions for every cough, sniffle and sore throat...we have ourselves to blame for the state of the health care system in this country...and health care is not an entitlement anyway.

So...instead of health care for the people of THIS country we provide an election "entitlement" for Iraqs at the cost of 1400 lives and $300 BILLION. I love your priorities.

If we have $300 BILLION to toss away so someone can pull a handle in a voting booth in Iraq then we have enought to provide AFFORDABLE Health care to all US citizens.

 

[Ozoned]

Originally posted by: Sysbuilder05
1.5 BILLION for a fuvking BUILDING?? Don't tell me,another hush,hush no bid contract for Halliburton and Bectel?? This is beyond comprehention and an absolute RIP OFF of the tax payer.

[*]It would be better to do it on the cheap. It would after-all make it so much easier for fanatics to atttack and kill our citizens that are serving our country....


[*]I can afford quality Health care and I don't want any help from the government to pay the cost of it. I do understand that some people want welfare, though...


[*]The per capita cost of this embassy is roughly $5.00. I gave a c-note to the guy standing at the corner of wal-mart yesterday. I guess I will find him and get it back so I can pay your share and the share of some of the others who are equally outraged..


[*]1.5 billion does sound a bit extreme, but I would need more information before I could pass judgement on it.

 

[Engineer]

$0.01 is too much. Was for the beginning!!!

PERIOD!!!

 

[GroundedSailor]

Originally posted by: Sysbuilder05
So...instead of health care for the people of THIS country we provide an election "entitlement" for Iraqs at the cost of 1400 lives and $300 BILLION. I love your priorities.

If we have $300 BILLION to toss away so someone can pull a handle in a voting booth in Iraq then we have enought to provide AFFORDABLE Health care to all US citizens.

Actually if we didn't spend the $300 billion to provide voting booths we could have enough to provide affordable health care to all US citizens.

I'm in construction too and 1.5 Billion sounds incredible!!

 

[BBond]

Originally posted by: yankeesfan

Originally posted by: umbrella39

Originally posted by: bamacre
This will end up being the most secure building in all of Iraq. And needingly so.

Are you joking? The billions we are throwing over into Iraq for the past several years has not helped them figure out how to stop the litany of terrorist willing to drive cars stocked with explosives into buildings. Nor the ones with them strapped to their vests who walk up to the front door. This building better be burried far beneath the ground if it is truely to be the safest in Iraq.

What do you suggest the government do?

Not lie to us and needlessly invade other nations?

 

[Mookow]

Originally posted by: GroundedSailor

Originally posted by: Sysbuilder05
So...instead of health care for the people of THIS country we provide an election "entitlement" for Iraqs at the cost of 1400 lives and $300 BILLION. I love your priorities.

If we have $300 BILLION to toss away so someone can pull a handle in a voting booth in Iraq then we have enought to provide AFFORDABLE Health care to all US citizens.

Actually if we didn't spend the $300 billion to provide voting booths we could have enough to provide affordable health care to all US citizens.

I'm in construction too and 1.5 Billion sounds incredible!!

$300 Billion would not provide affordable healthcare for all Americans for a year. Plus it would be an annual expense.

 

[GroundedSailor]

Originally posted by: Mookow

Originally posted by: GroundedSailor

Originally posted by: Sysbuilder05
So...instead of health care for the people of THIS country we provide an election "entitlement" for Iraqs at the cost of 1400 lives and $300 BILLION. I love your priorities.

If we have $300 BILLION to toss away so someone can pull a handle in a voting booth in Iraq then we have enought to provide AFFORDABLE Health care to all US citizens.

Actually if we didn't spend the $300 billion to provide voting booths we could have enough to provide affordable health care to all US citizens.

I'm in construction too and 1.5 Billion sounds incredible!!

$300 Billion would not provide affordable healthcare for all Americans for a year. Plus it would be an annual expense.

Keep your eyes glued to the TV - Iraq will also be an annual expense for at least the next 4 years and maybe more.....

 

[judasmachine]

1.5 billion for a 2 million dollar building the rest is lining someone's pockets. besides isn't the antichrist supposed to rebuild babylon?

 

[HalosPuma]

Originally posted by: Sysbuilder05
1.5 BILLION for a fuvking BUILDING?? Don't tell me,another hush,hush no bid contract for Halliburton and Bectel?? This is beyond comprehention and an absolute RIP OFF of the tax payer.

Again, you guys still don't know how to work the system in your favor. Instead of complaining about Halliburton making money off of these contracts, why don't you buy Halliburton stock and profit as well?!

Here's a 5 Year Chart of HAL. HAL peaked in 2000 with the dot-com mania, dropped after 9/11, but has made a strong comback since. And since the War on Terror will not end any time soon, it's a good bet that HAL will continue to get contracts and will continue to bring in profits for us shareholders.

Seriously, some of you guys wouldn't know how to make money if a bag of gold was dropped at your feet.

 

[BBond]

Originally posted by: HalosPuma

Originally posted by: Sysbuilder05
1.5 BILLION for a fuvking BUILDING?? Don't tell me,another hush,hush no bid contract for Halliburton and Bectel?? This is beyond comprehention and an absolute RIP OFF of the tax payer.

Again, you guys still don't know how to work the system in your favor. Instead of complaining about Halliburton making money off of these contracts, why don't you buy Halliburton stock and profit as well?!

Here's a 5 Year Chart of HAL. HAL peaked in 2000 with the dot-com mania, dropped after 9/11, but has made a strong comback since. And since the War on Terror will not end any time soon, it's a good bet that HAL will continue to get contracts and will continue to bring in profits for us shareholders.

Seriously, some of you guys wouldn't know how to make money if a bag of gold was dropped at your feet.

And we all know that making money is all that really counts, right?

 

[Aimster]

This embassy must have 10 apartment buildings, a cafeteria and a mall too.

 

[jpeyton]

I hope the budget includes a bullseye big enough to drape over the exterior of the building. That thing will be the target of insurgent attacks for years.

 

[TuxDave]

Come on guys, you don't even know what the building plan is yet. I mean, it could have a moat... filled with sharks... with frickin' laser beams on their frickin' heads....

 

[Bowfinger]

Originally posted by: judasmachine
[ ... ] besides isn't the antichrist supposed to rebuild babylon?

Isn't that what the OP is about?

:evil:

 

[judasmachine]

Originally posted by: Bowfinger

Originally posted by: judasmachine
[ ... ] besides isn't the antichrist supposed to rebuild babylon?

Isn't that what the OP is about?

:evil:

yeah i just thought it would be a good quick jab.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: HalosPuma

Originally posted by: Sysbuilder05
1.5 BILLION for a fuvking BUILDING?? Don't tell me,another hush,hush no bid contract for Halliburton and Bectel?? This is beyond comprehention and an absolute RIP OFF of the tax payer.

Again, you guys still don't know how to work the system in your favor. Instead of complaining about Halliburton making money off of these contracts, why don't you buy Halliburton stock and profit as well?!

Here's a 5 Year Chart of HAL. HAL peaked in 2000 with the dot-com mania, dropped after 9/11, but has made a strong comback since. And since the War on Terror will not end any time soon, it's a good bet that HAL will continue to get contracts and will continue to bring in profits for us shareholders.

Seriously, some of you guys wouldn't know how to make money if a bag of gold was dropped at your feet.

meh you'd better off buying google and riding it up. That stock is not moving anywhere near fast enough to make a significant amount of money

 

[lozina]

Wow, that's half the money we'd need to replace the aged Tappan Zee bridge here in lower New York. That's an awful lot for a building

BTW, to put it in perspective, they could build the world's tallest building for 1.7 billion (edit: seeing a range of 1.6 to 1.8 billion accross mutliple sources)

Taipei 101 - World's Tallest Building

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: Czar
as a show of goodwill towards the iraqies it would be a nice gesture to offer the job to some iraqi construction company with US oversight ofcorse

We did almost that in Moscow and had to destroy the construction and do the thing again. There is certainly more to building an Embassy than there is to putting a deck on a house. This building has to provide for some 5,000 employees in a secure manner.

 

[digiram]

Originally posted by: Sultan

Originally posted by: GrGr
The US is planning to stay for the long haul.

1.5 BILLION??!?!?!?! Cant they just use one of Saddam's palaces???!

:thumbsup:

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: Sysbuilder05
http://story.news.yahoo.com/ne..._mi_ea/iraq_spending_3

are you some kind of engineer? the experts know how much is costs. so let them handle it[/quote]

Uhh,you don't have to be an engineer to understand square footage vs $$1.5 billion. I've been in and around the construction industry both homes and commercial buildings for over 30 years. A fuvking shopping mall might cost $100 million,and yet 1.5 BILLION for an Embassy building??

Our city wants to build a new 35,000 seat arena. Total cost which includes buying old buildings on the site and tearing them down...about $22 million.

I'm not an engineer but I know a GD rip-off when I see one,how bout you??
[/quote]

How many secure constructions have you worked on or around. Secure enough that ALL of the MATERIALS have to be transported from the US?

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: BBond

Originally posted by: HalosPuma

Originally posted by: Sysbuilder05
1.5 BILLION for a fuvking BUILDING?? Don't tell me,another hush,hush no bid contract for Halliburton and Bectel?? This is beyond comprehention and an absolute RIP OFF of the tax payer.

Again, you guys still don't know how to work the system in your favor. Instead of complaining about Halliburton making money off of these contracts, why don't you buy Halliburton stock and profit as well?!

Here's a 5 Year Chart of HAL. HAL peaked in 2000 with the dot-com mania, dropped after 9/11, but has made a strong comback since. And since the War on Terror will not end any time soon, it's a good bet that HAL will continue to get contracts and will continue to bring in profits for us shareholders.

Seriously, some of you guys wouldn't know how to make money if a bag of gold was dropped at your feet.

And we all know that making money is all that really counts, right?

The ones that aren't seem to think it is pretty important.

 

[umbrella39]

Originally posted by: Condor

Originally posted by: Sysbuilder05
http://story.news.yahoo.com/ne..._mi_ea/iraq_spending_3

are you some kind of engineer? the experts know how much is costs. so let them handle it

Uhh,you don't have to be an engineer to understand square footage vs $$1.5 billion. I've been in and around the construction industry both homes and commercial buildings for over 30 years. A fuvking shopping mall might cost $100 million,and yet 1.5 BILLION for an Embassy building??

Our city wants to build a new 35,000 seat arena. Total cost which includes buying old buildings on the site and tearing them down...about $22 million.

I'm not an engineer but I know a GD rip-off when I see one,how bout you??
[/quote]

How many secure constructions have you worked on or around. Secure enough that ALL of the MATERIALS have to be transported from the US?

[/quote]

And you know for a fact that all the materials will be transported from the US? Even if they shipped each fvcking brick over on its own boat you don't come up with 1.5 billion.

 

[imported_Condor]

In this forum, I won't state what I know for a fact, but trust me, they won't be local procurements! Unless you work or have worked in the field, you can't even imagine the protocol involved in building an Embassy. Nothing personal at all, just that there is a lot involved that wouldn't occur to anyone not trained in the specific area. You won't be able to get the books at the library either!

 

[yllus]

Holy crap. There is no way that a building should cost that much money. In any case, here are some details of the construction I rooted out. I've removed the satirical bent.

"They're Supersizing the Baghdad Embassy. Big Mistake"

Definitive numbers are hard to get, but it is expected by year's end that the embassy will be home to nearly 1,000 Americans from 10 U.S. government agencies, as well as an estimated 600 Iraqi employees, making it one of the largest U.S. missions in the world.

The Baghdad embassy will be constantly visited by VIPs and agency heads from Washington. FSOs will be on the receiving end, arranging the logistics for these visits. Cables, e-mails and phone conversations on what the chief of bureau X from the State Department or USAID should do in Emerald City will devour long hours during the work day (and beyond).

 

[umbrella39]

Originally posted by: yllus
Holy crap. There is no way that a building should cost that much money. In any case, here are some details of the construction I rooted out. I've removed the satirical bent.

"They're Supersizing the Baghdad Embassy. Big Mistake"

Definitive numbers are hard to get, but it is expected by year's end that the embassy will be home to nearly 1,000 Americans from 10 U.S. government agencies, as well as an estimated 600 Iraqi employees, making it one of the largest U.S. missions in the world.

The Baghdad embassy will be constantly visited by VIPs and agency heads from Washington. FSOs will be on the receiving end, arranging the logistics for these visits. Cables, e-mails and phone conversations on what the chief of bureau X from the State Department or USAID should do in Emerald City will devour long hours during the work day (and beyond).

Ahh. Pretty big footprint we are trying to place in the sand. Sheesh. Wolfowitz must be beaming right now.