Quit Outsourcing Intelligence to Wasteful Private Companies
Last year I wrote this in a posting: "Private mercenary companies like Blackwater employ both foreign guns for hire and ex-US military personnel who were highly trained at the considerable expense of the taxpayers. They leave the army to work for these war profiteering companies at much higher salaries. Let's close that door. No more contracts to private companies doing work that can and should be done by military or civil service employees.
"Same thing with intelligence---no outsourcing of intel work to private companies. This can all be done in house by government civil service employees. It was done before and should be again.
"Fair wages/salaries and benefits for government employees, and no more monies paid to private corporations who work for cost-plus contracts which result in fraudulent and wasteful practices.
"In addition, more oversight of the defense industry by government civil service employees. No more revolving door of less than 3 to 5 years for former military and government employees going to companies with whom they worked closely while they were in the service or government and whose sole or main source of profits is government contracts.
"Bush and his administration's corporate cronies extol the benefits of the free market. That's a laugh. The invasion and occupation of Iraq has been a windfall for Bush's corporate war profiteers. These corporate freeloaders receive contracts, not through competition, but, more often, through no bid contracts, because of who they know, whose palms they grease with money, and invoices that they pad to steal millions and billions of dollars from American taxpayer."
As I wrote last April: "Privatization of government, one of the characteristics of the failed, incompetent Bush administration, has its knee-jerk Bushite supporters who trumpet the effectiveness and economy of using private companies to replace government.
"UPI has an article via the inimitable Cursor.org that sheds some light on the subject of private military contractors aka mercernary companies like Blackwater which has tried to defraud the government and whose employees (whom Blackwater terms independent contractors) have committed crimes.
"If you've heard it once, you've heard it countless times: Governments and corporations turn to private military contractors because it is more cost-effective than using regular military forces. But is it true?
"This is a popular notion once adhered to only by diehard-free market advocates who believe government is fundamentally inefficient and unproductive. Admittedly, the actions of the Bush administration have given it credence, but it has been conventional wisdom since the days of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher."
I wrote then, "It should not be given credence because Bush administration's plan is to deliberately make government inefficient under their regime in order to give their corporate cronies a chance to make even more money at the government trough."
As Tim Shorrock wrote in Salon: "Over the past decade, contracting for America's spy agencies has grown into a $50 billion industry that eats up seven of every 10 dollars spent by the U.S. government on its intelligence services. Today, unbeknownst to most Americans, agencies once renowned for their prowess in analysis, covert operations, electronic surveillance and overhead reconnaissance outsource many of their core tasks to the private sector. The bulk of this market is serviced by about 100 companies, ranging in size from multibillion dollar defense behemoths to small technology shops funded by venture capitalists."
This work should be done in house by Civil Service employees.
The US, under the corporate crony war profiteering Bush administration, which has been trying to privatize government since day one, is paying more for less for outsourced services by companies who employ or use as consultants, directors, etc. former Bush administration high officials, like Richard Armitage, George Tenet, Stephen Cambone, CIA higher ups Cofer Black and Joan Dempsey, etc. and these former officials are raking in the war profiteering bucks as Shorrock reminds us.
The revolving door of the government-private intelligence companies is making a mockery of government service, but is a classic example of Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II's privatization of government, reaching its zenith under Dubya and crew.
These war profiteering companies' contracts are written to encourage fraud and waste. These intel companies with their former federal government officials are milking and defrauding the American taxpayers, increasing the debt of this US debtor nation; cost more money and are less efficient than government civil service employees.
American taxpayers should say enough of this fraud and waste by private companies. Much of this work can be done by well-qualified civil servants in-house. Qualified people are looking for good paying government jobs with benefits, like government provided health care and retirement.
It's time to permanently retire failed privatization of government.
"Same thing with intelligence---no outsourcing of intel work to private companies. This can all be done in house by government civil service employees. It was done before and should be again.
"Fair wages/salaries and benefits for government employees, and no more monies paid to private corporations who work for cost-plus contracts which result in fraudulent and wasteful practices.
"In addition, more oversight of the defense industry by government civil service employees. No more revolving door of less than 3 to 5 years for former military and government employees going to companies with whom they worked closely while they were in the service or government and whose sole or main source of profits is government contracts.
"Bush and his administration's corporate cronies extol the benefits of the free market. That's a laugh. The invasion and occupation of Iraq has been a windfall for Bush's corporate war profiteers. These corporate freeloaders receive contracts, not through competition, but, more often, through no bid contracts, because of who they know, whose palms they grease with money, and invoices that they pad to steal millions and billions of dollars from American taxpayer."
As I wrote last April: "Privatization of government, one of the characteristics of the failed, incompetent Bush administration, has its knee-jerk Bushite supporters who trumpet the effectiveness and economy of using private companies to replace government.
"UPI has an article via the inimitable Cursor.org that sheds some light on the subject of private military contractors aka mercernary companies like Blackwater which has tried to defraud the government and whose employees (whom Blackwater terms independent contractors) have committed crimes.
"If you've heard it once, you've heard it countless times: Governments and corporations turn to private military contractors because it is more cost-effective than using regular military forces. But is it true?
"This is a popular notion once adhered to only by diehard-free market advocates who believe government is fundamentally inefficient and unproductive. Admittedly, the actions of the Bush administration have given it credence, but it has been conventional wisdom since the days of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher."
I wrote then, "It should not be given credence because Bush administration's plan is to deliberately make government inefficient under their regime in order to give their corporate cronies a chance to make even more money at the government trough."
As Tim Shorrock wrote in Salon: "Over the past decade, contracting for America's spy agencies has grown into a $50 billion industry that eats up seven of every 10 dollars spent by the U.S. government on its intelligence services. Today, unbeknownst to most Americans, agencies once renowned for their prowess in analysis, covert operations, electronic surveillance and overhead reconnaissance outsource many of their core tasks to the private sector. The bulk of this market is serviced by about 100 companies, ranging in size from multibillion dollar defense behemoths to small technology shops funded by venture capitalists."
This work should be done in house by Civil Service employees.
The US, under the corporate crony war profiteering Bush administration, which has been trying to privatize government since day one, is paying more for less for outsourced services by companies who employ or use as consultants, directors, etc. former Bush administration high officials, like Richard Armitage, George Tenet, Stephen Cambone, CIA higher ups Cofer Black and Joan Dempsey, etc. and these former officials are raking in the war profiteering bucks as Shorrock reminds us.
The revolving door of the government-private intelligence companies is making a mockery of government service, but is a classic example of Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II's privatization of government, reaching its zenith under Dubya and crew.
These war profiteering companies' contracts are written to encourage fraud and waste. These intel companies with their former federal government officials are milking and defrauding the American taxpayers, increasing the debt of this US debtor nation; cost more money and are less efficient than government civil service employees.
American taxpayers should say enough of this fraud and waste by private companies. Much of this work can be done by well-qualified civil servants in-house. Qualified people are looking for good paying government jobs with benefits, like government provided health care and retirement.
It's time to permanently retire failed privatization of government.
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