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George
and Michael, Austin associates
George
W. Bush's laptop is a Dell PC. He has been known
to call Michael on a regular basis with technical questions
about his computer. Dell has been a Bush supporter
since early on in his race for the White House. In
a letter dated December 5, Dell and a group of two dozen
high-tech executives urged Al Gore to quit the race before
the votes were even counted. "We
understand that some of your advisors may be urging you
to fight to the bitter end," he wrote. "We
call upon you to voluntarily concede this close-fought
election . . . for the betterment of our country."
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During
his election campaign, Governor Bush establised an
Information Technology Advisory Council, of which
Michael Dell resided as Chair.
Dell
donated the maximum of $200,000 to Bush's 2000
election campaign, and has so far given $250,000
for the re-election. Because of his healthy donation
to the campaign, Dell was invited to the inaugural
ball, where Bush's wife and twin daughters wore
gowns designed by Dell's wife, Susan. |
An
army of one computer company
"As
the U.S. armed forces decrease in size, strong, mutual
support between the Department of Defense and private
industry employers is more critical than ever," Dell
said as he became the first major information technology
CEO to sign a Department
of Defense Statement of Support
In
October 2003, Dell was chosen by the Boeing Corporation
to serve a five-year contract that will provide Boeing
Integrated Defense Systems (one of the world's largest
space and defense corporations) with all of its desktop
and notebook computers. Dell also holds contracts
with West Point Military Academy, the Air Force, Army,
and Navy.
Michael
Dell was the keynote speaker at the US
Air Force's annual information technology conference in
2002. The event was open only to active duty military and
federal government employees, and featured 150 vendors
showing off their latest technologies.
Michael
creates training and simulation programs for the Army,
and has pointed out that upwards of 85 percent of military
personnel training today is done through computers. His
business has done well to supply the military with training
programs and the hardware needed to run them.
Dell
even offers a special warranty for systems exposed to harsh
environments by military personnel.
Dell's
contributions to members of right-wing individuals and
organizations include the following:
9/21/2000 $200,000 Republican
National Committee
11/6/2000 $1000 John
Ashcroft
7/23/2001 $27,500 National
Republican Senatorial Committee
9/27/2002 $250,000 Republican
National Committee
10/21/2002 $1,000 Americans
for a Republican Majority
11/26/2002 $1,000 Young
America's Foundation
Michael
Dell on donating to charity:
"Giving
isn't just about forking over money and saying, 'See you
later. It's about making sure that you're getting
the desired outcome. You make more progress if you hold
people accountable and measure their results. So if you're
going to get involved with something, make sure that you're
getting your expected outcome as a return on your investment."
Dell
Computers Net Sales 2003: $35.4 Billion
Michael
Dell's 2003 Salary: $82.3 Million (Third
highest paid CEO in 2003, according
to Forbes.)
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