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Cronies at the Till

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AGBF

AGBF

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"The New York Times" had an editorial entitled, "Cronies at the Till" in today's edition. It enumerates the companies who have obtained huge contracts to rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the close ties of those companies with the Bush administration.

We know Halliburton (Vice president Dick Cheney's old firm) got huge contracts to rebuild Iraq after we destroyed it. (Actually, it seems the contracts were in place even before Iraq was destroyed, and without competitive bidding.)

Now it seems that (recently fired) FEMA director "Brownie" (who did, "a heck of a job" before being fired) has been given a job as a paid consultant to investigate what FEMA (which he headed) did wrong after Katrina.

Does anyone see a pattern emerging? Can I hear the word, "crooked"?

Editorial

Deborah
 
I couldn''t believe it. It''s just plain ridiculous. Was he under some sort of contract that still had to pay him regardless? Makes no sense. Or is he the master of what went wrong? I suppose there is a talent in poor proformance.
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That being said and having a husband in the business, very few companies would have been considered outside of halliburton. The people were in place, the company is international, etc, etc. Bectal (sp?) maybe - but may have declined to be on the "bidder list". It''s bantered about that this was some plum contract. It''s nasty nasty business. I can remember hubby being recruited by some of the big boys for a Saudi stint. They were offering an *incredible* incentive package. All room & board plus into the 6 figure salary for someone straight out of grad school (in the early 80''s). Does the awarding "sound" fishy - yes; but, in reality I''m not so sure anyone wanted the job. I don''t think people understand what a crappy job rebuilding or building in that area is.
 
f&i, if the big H was offering 6 figure salaries for rebuilding in iraq and/or after katrina, that is tax payer dollars....and i certainly hear lots of complaints about having to pay taxes on this board.

additionally, asking ''brownie'' to investigate what went wrong while he was in charge is like asking the fox to guard the hen house. i''d love to be in charge of my own IRS audit....

and more re the big H and katrina: apparently they are using our tax dollars to hire residents from south of the border at reduced wages rather than hiring people who lived there and could use the $$$. it would seem that the big H has been rewarded for all those missing taxpayer $$$ that can''t be accounted for in iraq. now they get to do the same with the katrina clean up.

personally, i''m tired of the big taxpayer rip off in the name of free enterprise.

peace, movie zombie
 
Date: 9/27/2005 12:53:10 PM
Author: movie zombie
personally, i'm tired of the big taxpayer rip off in the name of free enterprise.
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The problem is that Bush keeps saying he won't raise taxes, so everybody is happy. But when the country spends money as if it were going out of style (a war in Iraq, a rebuilding after Katrina) someone is going to have to pay the bill sometime.

Bush feels that as long as that bill doesn't come due while he is President, he won't be blamed for it.

And guess what? He's right! But if gas prices rise (whether or not he's to blame for the phenomenon), he will be blamed for it!

Deb
 
The project at the time was not US gov. related - private enterprise & Saudi stuff.

The reason for commanding that big salary was to attract warm bodies. The incentive = the crappy job & real estate location. Except for the money & experience, no one would want the job. I''m sure the same is true today. At the end of the day, the market commands the salary not taxpayers.
 
its ourr taxpayer dollars, f&i, that go to pay for the big H in iraq and now re katrina. the unaccounted money given to the big H that remains unaccounted for might as well have been burned with the leaves in our backyards. the taxpayer doesn''t get to set salary but gets to pay the bill. like i said, so much for free enterprise.

peace, movie zombie
 
I am really not sure that your two positions are in opposition to each other. Fire&ice is right that the oil corporations pay men big salaries to work in Saudi Arabia because the conditions are uncomfortable for Americans. That does not mean that contracts should be handed out to Halliburton (as they have been) without competitive bidding. The two points are unrelated. If Halliburton can do what the US government wants more cost effectively than anyone else, let them put in a bid to prove it!

But I think we all agree that "Brownie" investigating himself is ludicrous! How can Bush get away with this stuff?

Deb
 
Date: 9/27/2005 1:25:00 PM
Author: movie zombie
its ourr taxpayer dollars, f&i, that go to pay for the big H in iraq and now re katrina. the unaccounted money given to the big H that remains unaccounted for might as well have been burned with the leaves in our backyards. the taxpayer doesn''t get to set salary but gets to pay the bill. like i said, so much for free enterprise.

peace, movie zombie
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Well, it *is* free enterprise. You aren''t going to find someone to do the work out of altruism.
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Doing gov. work sucks. The waste starts LONG before a private company gets involved. It doesn''t take a Halliburton to have unaccounted money.

Even if you do competitively bid, most of the contracts are wired anyway. And, I''m not just talking about Iraq/Katrina. I know - it shouldn''t be.
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As for Browne, sounds down right stupid; but, I''m going wait and see. Maybe he will testifiy that he was a dumb sh*t pencil pusher out of touch with what''s really going on beyond the DC social circle & that FEMA has become a unic.
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Date: 9/27/2005 1:49:44 PM
Author: fire&ice
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As for Browne, sounds down right stupid; but, I''m going wait and see. Maybe he will testifiy that he was a dumb sh*t pencil pusher out of touch with what''s really going on beyond the DC social circle & that FEMA has become a unic.
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LMAO
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peace, movie zombie
 
Whoa!!! Christopher Shays, a Republican from the district in which I used to live in Connecticut, let both "Brownie" and Bush have it during the mono-partisan hearings on Hurricane Katrina today! I wish I still lived in Connecticut and could vote for Shays! He is not always on the same side I am on (for example he is a Vietnam War vet), but he has guts! This isn't the first time he has bucked the Republicans when they were clearly acting disgracefully! The sound bites I heard were utterly scathing!

I will try to look up the official transcript of the hearing.

Deborah
 
I believe Browne has a valid point about the dysfunctional nature of LA, specifically the NO area. But, he''s just learning that NOW? Has he never had a history lesson?

I''d like to read the entire transcript prior to crucifiying him. But, from what I read - to be kind - this guy is dumb as a door knob.

It''s just painful to listen to all his excuses - and delivered with such arrogance. It''s hard for him NOT to be THE scapegoat, when I truly believe plenty of blame is to go around. He''s not even likeable.

That said, cronie capitalism is good word. But, it CERTAINLY doesn''t assign to a specific party. Plenty of that crap going around since the beginning of man. I''m flat out disgusted with our government in general these days.
 
Date: 9/27/2005 5:18:54 PM
Author: fire&ice
I''d like to read the entire transcript prior to crucifiying him.
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Well, I guess today is you lucky day, then.

(I do not believe in crucifixion, however. I would be happy to see one person (Brown) say, "I made mistakes because I was unqualified for the job" and the other (Bush) say, "I made a mistake appointing Brown to the job. People died because I put repaying my friends for loyalty above the safety of the nation".

Complete Transcript


Deborah
 
Date: 9/27/2005 5:35:11 PM
Author: AGBF


Date: 9/27/2005 5:18:54 PM
Author: fire&ice
I''d like to read the entire transcript prior to crucifiying him.
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Well, I guess today is you lucky day, then.

(I do not believe in crucifixion, however. I would be happy to see one person (Brown) say, ''I made mistakes because I was unqualified for the job'' and the other (Bush) say, ''I made a mistake appointing Brown to the job. People died because I put repaying my friends for loyalty above the safety of the nation''.

Complete Transcript


Deborah
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I''ve got to go prepare for dinner, etc. I''ll take the read tomorrow.

Regarding the second part of your post, people don''t take their own blame - and certainly not a politician. IOW, it ain''t gonna happen.

I love this expression. "Someone would rather shimey up a flagpole as* backwards spouting a lie than stand on the ground saying a truth"
 
Date: 9/27/2005 5:18:54 PM
Author: fire&ice
I believe Browne has a valid point about the dysfunctional nature of LA, specifically the NO area. But, he''s just learning that NOW? Has he never had a history lesson?

I''d like to read the entire transcript prior to crucifiying him. But, from what I read - to be kind - this guy is dumb as a door knob.

It''s just painful to listen to all his excuses - and delivered with such arrogance. It''s hard for him NOT to be THE scapegoat, when I truly believe plenty of blame is to go around. He''s not even likeable.

That said, cronie capitalism is good word. But, it CERTAINLY doesn''t assign to a specific party. Plenty of that crap going around since the beginning of man. I''m flat out disgusted with our government in general these days.
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f&i, i agree with you comletely...on all counts.

peace, movie zombie
 
Can we have a round of Kumbaya?
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OKAY - this one is priceless.......... "I lost my Sunday School teacher in the A.P. Murrow *building*" How out of touch is this IDIOT!
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