As reported in the Aug. 5 The Wall Street Journal, many state-owned employees in Iraq are spending their days drinking tea, indulging in new freedoms, while others simply stay home. But all continue to draw pay thanks to a decision by the U.S.-led coalition that ousted Saddam Hussein.

The biggest state-owned Iraqi companies (in terms of numbers of employees) are those in the cement industry, with nearly 11,000 workers. Officials are optimistic that cement is one of the industries most likely to be viable in a free economy.