Disaster Profiteering and Waste After Katrina
After Hurricane Katrina, a "bonanza for lobbyists and private companies" as unprecedented sums in government funds are awarded in no-bid contracts.
"Private contractors, guided by two former directors of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other well-connected lobbyists and consultants, are rushing to cash in on the unprecedented sums to be spent on Hurricane Katrina relief and reconstruction...
Hundreds of millions of dollars in no-bid contracts have already been let and billions more are to flow to the private sector in the weeks and months to come...
Some experts warn that the crisis atmosphere and the open federal purse are a bonanza for lobbyists and private companies and are likely to lead to the contract abuses, cronyism and waste that numerous investigations have uncovered in post-war Iraq...
The sheer volume of the contracts and the speed in which they are being issued troubles some. The government is drawing down on Hurricane Katrina relief money at a rate of more than $500 million a day."
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Disaster Profiteering and Halliburton, et al
I guess it doesnt occur to them that one way to help with the reconstruction is to allocate a certain percentage of contracts to small and mid sized businesses that were maybe impacted by the storm? Notwithstanding the fact that the U.S. economy needs jobs and small and mid-sized businesses are the ones that actually produce new jobs. And I guess no one remembers the Central Artery debacle in Boston as well as the Dick Cheney/Halliburton conflict of interest saga. Its our own fault because no one calls them on it.
So..
Once again the government is enabling politically connected companies to gain at the expense of the public and its the companies that are picking up the blame for it and not the government.
"Yes, its the gun that killed him, not me"
"No - its the mcdonalds that makes me fat, not my lack of exercise or self control"
"That damned public school is 100% responsible for the poor education of my child"
Lets start placing at least a little of the blame where it belongs..