One would have thought that this move by the company viewed as the source of all evil by the Left would be greeted with cheers and hosannas by the Democrats and their allies. It hasn't been -- because they are concerned about the possibility that they might not be able to tap into the source of all evil's money.

They needn't worry. The move will not significantly impact the American workforce, nor will it change the company's incorporation in America.

Ever since Erle P. Halliburton established the New Method Oil Well Cementing Co. in Oklahoma in 1919, his name has been associated with American corporate know-how in the oilfield services business.

But over the weekend, the company now known as Halliburton announced that its chief executive, Dave Lesar, would move to a new corporate headquarters in Dubai to focus on business in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia.

The announcement sparked warnings from members of Congress, who suspected that the company once run by Vice President Cheney was trying to trim its tax bill and remove itself from the limelight here, where it has come under fire about the way it obtained and executed government contracts, especially those connected to troubled reconstruction projects in Iraq.

"The CEO of Halliburton has decided to leave this country to move his offices to Dubai because he says it is 'a great business center.' That is a bizarre announcement," said Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.), who is a member of the Senate Commerce Committee.

Dorgan, who said he would seek hearings on the move, added: "I want to know, is Halliburton trying to run away from bad publicity on their contracts? Are they trying to run away from the obligation to pay U.S. taxes? Or are they trying to set up a corporate presence in Dubai so that they can avoid the restrictions that currently exist on doing business with prohibited countries like Iran?"

Interesting, isn't it, that Dorgan wants hearings on a legal business decision by a company? If Halliburton did choose to leave the US, incorporate abroad, and thereby exempt itself from all taxes, that would be legal. So would doing so for purposes of being permitted into markets closed to American companies. For that matter, so would moving to another country where the business is welcome, not reviled by one party for political gain. But Dorgan doesn't seem to care about the legalities of the situation -- he simply wants to conduct an Inquisition, a witch-hunt in an effort to embarrass the administration due to Vice President Cheney's former ties to the company.

Indeed, the best case to be made for a decision by Halliburton to move all operations and legal incorporation abroad would be the very hearings proposed by Senator Dorgan -- because such a move would enable the company to thumb its nose at political light-weights like Dorgan, seeking to make a reputation through a Fitzerald-style inquiriy.

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Posted by: Greg at 03:02 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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