A U.S. government contractor in Iraq charged the Pentagon a whopping amount of money for inexpensive items, including $900 for a $7 control switch, according to a new report from a U.S. watchdog.
U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart W. Bowen Jr. said review found that Anham, LLC, which is based in suburban Washington, allowed its subcontractors in Iraq to also charge $3,000 for a $100 circuit breaker, and $80 for a piece of plumbing equipment worth $1.41.
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A spokesman for the U.S. military didn’t comment on the overcharges but issued a statement regarding the rest of the report, which found that frequent bombings, assassinations and a resurgence in violence by Shiite militias have made Iraq more dangerous now than it was just a year ago.
“We anticipated, and stated many times, that there would be militant and terrorist groups trying to take advantage of this period as U.S. forces prepare to fulfill our commitments under the Security Agreement. These groups attack both Iraqi and U.S. forces,” U.S. military spokesman Jeffrey Buchanan said.
(Yes, the
source is Fox News.....don't care, the story is what's important.)
I'm racing and don't have time for more. Here are some of the costs I pulled out of the
report:
$90 for a control switch valued at 7.05, a 12,666% difference
$80 for a small segment of drain pipe valued at $1.41, a 5,574 difference
$3000 for a circuit breaker valued at $94.47, a 3076% difference
And THIS plus making sure the wealthy get wealthier is what is happening with our damn taxes!!! This is just one example of what I have no doubt are millions. And this is what the fucking ReTHUGS are screaming about not cutting.
(I'm adding all of the links here in case the embedded ones don't work -- I'm outta here as soon as I post so I can't come back to fix.
Story:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/30/us-contractor-in-iraq-charges-pentagon-00-for-7-control-switch-report-finds/Report:
http://www.sigir.mil/publications/quarterlyreports/index.html