There are 1,931 private companies working on intelligence, counterterrorism, or

[Agnosticsherbet]

or homeland security in the country (http://www.businessinsider.com/booz-allen-confirms-edward-snowden-as-employee-2013-6#ixzz2VmKbPJPi)

Is is possible that number might be a little high?

Considering that our government is dysfunctional, incapable of finding solutions to problems that as many as 80% of American's support (taxing the rich for instance), how can they solve a problem that stretches through every branch. They can not provide the necessary oversight for so many private corporations when they fail completely at providing oversight on Government bureaus.

Both Democrats and Republican Senators and Congressmen knew about these programs and never questioned them. It is their job to provide oversight of the Federal government. But they failed at that.

Our government is dysfunctional. It has allied itself with a corporations whose vested interest is to see that these huge, expensive, and possibly unconstitutional programs continue. I question whether there is anyone in our government that we can trust to do anything about it. The Judicial Branch can not act outside the courts and can not investigate on their own. The Congress has the power of oversight of the federal government. What they do with that power is run endless trumped up investigations of nonexistent scandals when there is a real scandal running that they know about and are part of.

I do not see anyone we can trust in our government to act in the peoples interest instead of serving the interest of their own power.

Do you?

[Recursion]

1. That's all? I would have guessed a lot more

There were something like 3000 companies involved in the project I contracted with the Navy for, though that's counting parts vendors, which maybe Business Insider isn't.

[Agnosticsherbet]

2. Those aren't parts vendors. They are working dirctly in various aspects of inteligence and

intelligence gathering doing top secret work on top secret programs.

[Recursion]

11. No, it also includes "Homeland Security", which is absurdly broad (nt)

[sabrina 1]

10. Spying on the American People is lucrative. Big Corps, contractors make big money, the irony is

we are paying twice to be spied on. Once to our telephone companies, (will be cancelling ours this week) and again with our tax dollars to have a bunch of yahoos like HB Gary who are too stupid to stay off the internet acting like big macho men, only to have their entire website exposed and their contracts, one was to help smear Glenn Greenwald, lol, so we learned where all the smears were coming from, yes, we are paying idiots like them to spy on us. If I want to be spied on, I know people who I would trust a hell of a lot more than any of these morons, but the fact is even with people I trust, like my own sister eg, I do not want to be spied on.

Follow the money, that's always where all these fake 'national security' claims eventually lead. It's all about money. Big money, so they will fight hard to stop us from stopping them from destroying our rights. But it must be done if we are to remain a democracy. Otherwise let's stop pretending. If they were honest and stopped pretending we are still a democracy, I would be far less angry. It's the stupidity of defending these horrible, totalitarian, pretend 'security' schemes against the people while still trying to pretend we are a democracy that really gets to people.

[Savannahmann]

3. Im sure the apologists will be along explaining how those companies

are trustworthy and awesomely patriotic and all that. But corporations that aren't doing that are evil bastards who take advantage of the workers.

[RobertEarl]

4. It is why Obama got elected

When I was campaigning for him lots of people would say that it (the country) was too far gone to be saved.

I'd not argue, just say that if it can be turned around, Obama is the best chance. NC voted for Obama. In 2008.

I still hold hope that he can change things. But when you see otherwise smart people here on DU defend this 1,931 conglomerate of companies which are profiting from their secret activities spying on everyone.....

Obama must be wondering when the people will rise up.

[Agnosticsherbet]

6. President Obama inherited this problem and hasn't done anything to stop it.

In fact, every time a new story comes up it has become worse.

This is a problem asked for by the executive, enacted by the legislative, and approved by the judicial. I don't think we can expect him to do anything about this.

It is for the American people to demand that it stop. The problem with making that demand is what do we do if the government looks back at us and says, Fuck off and die. We are protecting you.

[RobertEarl]

9. Obama won't tell us to fuck off

In fact, I think he's going to start making change. I hope.

[Luminous Animal]

5. And that is a huge fucking problem.

[neverforget]

7. Lots of money to be made spying on people

both foreign and domestic.

[Agnosticsherbet]

8. And we are paying the government to pay private corporations to spy on us for the government.

Man, that is some weird convoluted shit.