Making a Profit

“Why are we still over there?” I can’t even tell you how many times I have heard this statement over the past few months. One reasonable answer could be greed and profiteering. Although it is not a highly discussed issue, in my opinion, war profiteering is playing a major war in the war in Iraq. Private military contractors and corporations continue involve themselves in the war, despite putting their workers and American soldiers at risk. Even private armies, including ground support, mercenary soldiers, and interrogators, are being employed in Iraq. Private military contractors and mercenaries generate more than an estimate $100 billion dollars worldwide. Obviously, it is a very a very profitable market. It seems that the U.S. states government has become increasingly reliant upon these privatized companies, and since these companies are reaping such huge profit, why should they want to pull out? In the past Halliburton made huge profits in Kosovo, and now, in Iraq, private companies like Blackwater, Vinnell, Erinys, and CACI, are making large profits, that is, for as long as the war rages on. These private companies seem to be in it for themselves, even endangering more American lives in Iraq. Those reasonable for the torture incident at Abu Ghraib were hired by CACI, and this incident, undoubtedly, sparked more hatred from Iraqi insurgents toward American troops. Some companies essentially hold the military at ransom, overcharging for meals and gasoline. But, thanks to greed and profit, and do not see an end for Iraq anytime soon, and I feel that many of the people behind privatized military contractors are hoping that it won’t end for a long time, even though many are dying each day.

Greed has caused big business to take advantage of people, even if it meant risk innocent lives. This was evident beginning in 1908, when times we hard in America and people had a difficult time putting food on their tables. During these times, businesses used the situation of people to earn a greater profit. This is evidence by the use of child labor in work place such as factories and mines. Business owners did not worry about the ethical problems involved in this practice, such as injuries and deaths of children, because they themselves were earning more money through the cheap labor. Because of the economic situation at the time, families needed the extra income to survive, even though they didn’t want to endanger their children. Had no laws been passed, child labor might still be a problem today because people seem want anything that will make them a profit, whether that be children laborers or a war.