In Washington, Contractors Take on Biggest Role Ever

[spindrifter]

By SCOTT SHANE and RON NIXON
Published: February 4, 2007

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 — In June, short of people to process cases of incompetence and fraud by federal contractors, officials at the General Services Administration responded with what has become the government’s reflexive answer to almost every problem.

They hired another contractor.

It did not matter that the company they chose, CACI International, had itself recently avoided a suspension from federal contracting; or that the work, delving into investigative files on other contractors, appeared to pose a conflict of interest; or that each person supplied by the company would cost taxpayers $104 an hour. Six CACI workers soon joined hundreds of other private-sector workers at the G.S.A., the government’s management agency.

Without a public debate or formal policy decision, contractors have become a virtual fourth branch of government. On the rise for decades, spending on federal contracts has soared during the Bush administration, to about $400 billion last year from $207 billion in 2000, fueled by the war in Iraq, domestic security and Hurricane Katrina, but also by a philosophy that encourages outsourcing almost everything government does.

<more>

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/washington/04contract.html?ei=5094&en=dfb318129496cb61&hp=&ex=1170565200&adxnnl=1&partner=homepage&adxnnlx=1170559758-Im2U59Ymcd0B1wM2nghQ5Q

[salin]

1. Ah - more socialize the costs, while privatizing the profits.

And now put some profiteers in positions to investigate the profiteers. :crazy:

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. I hope this one makes it to the Greatest page.

The GSA (and librarians) are the best things we have going for us. People seem to accept graft, until someone shows them the bottom line. I hope the Democrats in Congress find a way to bring this issue to the forefront. Just like corrupt private business practices have bled into our government process, maybe we can reverse the trend using government process to go after corrupt private business practices?

[salin]

10. We can hope - one thing I would like to see pushed Publicly...

Remember at the end of the Clinton admin an exec order was passed that prevented contractors who defrauded the govt from receiving ANY govt contract for a period of years (3? 5?) - and early in the bush admin that was overrulled.

Simultaneoulsy with the investigations - and huge examples (remember how much public outrage was garnered in the 80s over $800 (?) hammers?) - a law should be proposed, and debated (to get public awareness up and public sentiment behind it) to pass a law along the lines of the Clinton exec order - punishing contractors who defraud the govt (that is We the Taxpayers) and prevent them from receiving ANY govt contracts for a number of years (called: disincentive). the "fine" system does not prevent future fraud - as we saw with Halliburton in the early Iraq war days - the fine was pennies to the dollars received. That just means the contractors keep up the practices but account for likely "fraud fines" into their business plans (eg expect that small additional expense). Cut off the chance for future big contracts? Under such a law Halliburton would *never* have been able to get HUGE Katrina rebuilding contracts.

Waxman? Pelosi? Rangel? Anyone hear this idea?

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. You know how this is seeping into the right-wing conscience?

Not as a fight against graft, necessarily, but as class warfare. The heartland right-wingers are calling it, not liberals! So the Democrats in Congress need to jump on this because they DO have support from right-wingers.

Here's what I'm hearing: last night on that show with that Dilbert look-alike right-winger, they said EXACTLY what I had pointed out to a right-wing relative a few weeks back: The rich are selling out our country. I THINK it was on MSNBC, can't be sure. He's that crewcut fellow that generally sounds like a freeper nutcase, except for in this case. But the guy definitely said that this was a top-down problem. Not a liberal - conservative one.

By the way, if you're into lengthy anecdotal evidence, here's the discussion with my right-wing relative. I'm thinking of starting a thread on it someday, because it goes to the core of what our country is becoming:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3093801&mesg_id=3093937

[salin]

13. Interesting conversation... look forward to reading

about future ones. Btw, that relative sounds like a jerk (the old "Ugly American" stereotype). Good for you to speak so bluntly.

In this red state - folks are quickly tiring and growing quick to recognize that the privatization of public resources is a scheme to get quick money now (so gov Mitch can pay for stuff) but will cost the state over the long run. The cynicism of the $ going to cronies and the wealthy is penetrating the public sentiment - well into both the independents and among many republicans. It is part of the reason why THREE congressional seats flipped to Dem. in November. Dare I say - that 08 may be the first shot that a dem pres candidate has had to carry the state since the LBJ vote after Kennedy's assassination (1964).

To counter that - the statehouse reps are trying to (and likely to) pass a 'anti-gay marraige' constitutional amendment which would go onto the ballot (there is already an anti-gay marraige law on the books - the only point of the amendment - is to get it as a 'get out the vote' gimmick in the 2008 elections. But even with that on the ballot - I would still say that a dem. presidential candidate will have a decent shot - and one of the key reasons (along with the Iraq war) - is THE issue of govt corruption/fraud and abuse that benefits the wealthy and corporations and leaves everyone else holding the bill.

[TexasLawyer]

2. "short of people to process cases "

I'm sure that if they really looked they could have found a few people at significantly less than $104 an hour.

[truthisfreedom]

3. Shocking.

Nauseating as well.

[Quantess]

17. How refreshing that someone is shocked at this.

I'm somehow not surprised.
Disgusted, but not surprised.

[annabanana]

4. Isn't CACI the outfit that sued Randi Rhodes

for defamation.... AND LOST? (Apparently they couldn't refute her claims that they were involved in the torturing of prisoners at Abu Ghraib.)

Dontcha just love that more of our tax dollars are going to these fine upstanding businessmen?

[Jeanette in FL]

7. Yep and lost

court documents here:

http://forums.therandirhodesshow.com/caci_opinion.pdf

[UpInArms]

5. ...

[SpiralHawk]

8. BushCo policy: feed the fat cat republicon cronies with public money

rip off the public till, and stuff all the money into the pockets of corrupt republicon cronies.

Why are republicons so corrupt?

Why do republicons hate America?

Why are republicons raping the US treasury?

[Miss Chybil]

12. And when he has drown the government what will they do then?

Ah, no matter. They'll have all the money they'll ever need. Besides, I'm sure some other "public servant" on some other part of the globe will open up his people's coffers to the contractors again. Surely, there is no shortage of people to steal from.

[Maeve]

9. Lockheed gets more money that the Dept of Justice

:crazy:

[saigon68]

14. Thugs, Criminals and Murderers

[teryang]

15. Proliferation of unaccountable groups throughout government

A key characteristic of totalitarian rule.

[Zorra]

16. Chimpy is an imminent threat and a clear and present danger to the

safety and security of the US, and I hope Congress declares war on him and his PNAC co-conspirators soon.

These fascists are the most dangerous terrorists on the planet. They are deliberately and systematically destroying our country from within, and without.