Ex-Blackwater Prez Made $1.5 Mil a Year, 90% From US Taxpayers. By Jeremy Scahill URL: wp.me/prC2d-2D8 Here’s a question for all those fans of the mercenary industry—some of whom pop into this site—who say that the private security industry is a conduit to allow patriotic veterans to continue their service through Blackwater et al., that the money is exaggerated, and that the profits aren’t all that:
How do you like these apples?
Gary Jackson, the former president of Blackwater (you know, the guy facing a slew of felony charges, including conspiring to falsify documents and federal weapons charges), appeared in court this week where prosecutors accused him of running Blackwater with a “scofflaw” attitude. Joe Neff of the Raleigh News and Observer reveals this nugget: Jackson’s salary at Blackwater was a whopping $1.5 million a year. His severance package: $425,000 a year for 5 years. Oh, and here’s some caramel for your tasty apple: 90% of Blackwater’s revenue has come from the US government.
Yeah, US taxpayers are really lucky to have been paying 90% of this guy’s $1.5 million salary. That’s about what the average US general makes, right? Not even close.