Iraq For Sale - the war profiteers

[crockett]

Originally posted by rpm
Crockett, why do you hate America? Don't you realise you are emboldening the enemy? AlQueda just recruited 50 new terrorists because of this thread.

I'd say if you can watch that film and "NOT" be disgusted by what our govt has allowed to happen. Well then I'd have to say you hate America and don't support our troops.

[crockett]

Originally posted by tedrbr
Shenanigans!  I  CALL  Shenanigans!!!  

 

I will call Shenanigans on your post, because you didn't even watch the documentry.

This isn't about the militrary farming out jobs, it's about a massive amouts of over billing that's going on.

For instance...

Halliburton charges the army $100 for every bag of laundry it does.. (1 solder equals one bag of laundry.) Something that would cost me or you at a local laundry mat less than $5 dollars to do.

btw they also charge the govt for each of the employees whom do the laundry. So it's not like they are charging a bunch, just because they have to pay a lot to get people over there. We get billed for the service and the employee.

They are charging the US army $45 dollars for a 6 pack of coke.. (not even real coke, but some generic brand bought locally)

Another nice one was using contractors to deliver mail to bases in Iraq. Instead of sending a full load of mail, they sent the contractors out with a "single" bag of mail, because they could bill more. Which also puts the contracter lives at risk even more than it already was.

The govt gets charged for every truck private contractors put in Iraq. Halliburton decided it was much easier to destroy the trucks (billed at about $40k each) rather than change the oil filters or change the tires.

Another nice one was Halliburton had executive employees on a base in Iraq. They never leave the base (ie they have to stay on the base and have no where to go)  Halliburton bills the govt for a truck that's fully loaded with all the crap you could ever dream of for each of these executives. It's a 3 or 4 year lease on the trucks at a tax payer cost of 200k each. Did I mention the employees aren't allowed to leave the base?


This list goes on and on and we are paying for it, because it's our tax dollars being stolen.. watch the video

[Elfie]

This isn't about the militrary farming out jobs, it's about a massive amouts of over billing that's going on.

This isn't anything new at all. This sort of thing has been going on for decades at least.

I remember a plastic cap for a chair leg for the AWACS planes used to cost the Air Force over $1000. I kid you not. When someone reported that and an investigation was done. It was found that the materials for the cap cost .05 each and even if the Air Force ordered them one at a time from Boeing (I think it was Boeing, could be mistaken) they shouldn't cost more than $10 each. Ordered in quantity, .50 or so is what the price should have been.

We've all heard about claw hammers and toilet seats being overcharged. I'm not saying this is ok because it certainly isn't. It' when things like this hit the mainstream media or some soldier/sailor/marine/airman notices the price tag and reports it, thats when things like this get changed.

There are usually some pretty stiff fines issued to companies that consistently overcharge as well.

[x0847Marine]

Originally posted by lasersailor184
http://www.adl.org/Internet_Rumors/prescott.htm

This is the third time you've been proven wrong.  Twice by me, but most of the credit goes to Virgil.


But you really don't care about the facts.   You just hear what you want to hear.  It doesn't matter where the source comes from, you believe it if you want to believe it.

"How Bush's grandfather helped Hitler's rise to power"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1312540,00.html

"Fortune From The Nazis -The Dutch Connection" By Attorney John Loftus
http://www.rense.com/general26/dutch.htm

http://www.clamormagazine.org/issues/14/feature3.php

"According to classified documents from Dutch intelligence and US government archives, President George W. Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush made considerable profits off Auschwitz slave labor. In fact, President Bush himself is an heir to these profits from the holocaust which were placed in a blind trust in 1980 by his father, former president George Herbert Walker Bush."

Edit:
And a "fair and balanced" view from Fox news:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,100474,00.html
"Reports of Bush's involvement with the seized bank have been circulating on the Internet for years and have been reported by some mainstream media. The newly declassified documents provide additional details about the Union Banking-Thyssen connection."

[x0847Marine]

Originally posted by Elfie
Even if that were true, I wouldn't hold it against his descendents. That would be like me holding a grudge against you for your grandfather commiting murder. (Not saying he did, just an example) It is in no way fair to you.

Heck a lot of folks did business with the Nazis before we went to war with them. Do you hold a grudge against their descendents as well? The USSR did business with Nazi Germany up until Germany attacked them. Do you hold a grudge against the USSR for that as well?

Come on Marine, you're smarter than this.

Except that they, the Bush, have kept the Nazi $$. I'm not laying blame on W, just pointing out the "family values" from which he spawned... and as you can see, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Personally?, I'd keep the $$ too and do business with anyone who'd make me that rich.. I have no values and will go to hell if there is one, but I'm not running the country and would hope that if my family history were this slimy.. the public would reject my bid to do so.

http://www.clamormagazine.org/issues/14/feature3.php

"According to classified documents from Dutch intelligence and US government archives, President George W. Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush made considerable profits off Auschwitz slave labor. In fact, President Bush himself is an heir to these profits from the holocaust which were placed in a blind trust in 1980 by his father, former president George Herbert Walker Bush."

[Thrawn]

Originally posted by Masherbrum
yer joking right?

No.

[Holden McGroin]

Originally posted by x0847Marine
 The newly declassified documents provide additional details about the Union Banking-Thyssen connection."

source By 1930 Thyssen was one of the leading backers of the Nazi Party. The following year he recruited Hjalmar Schacht to the cause and in November, 1932, the two men joined with other industrialists in signing the letter that urged Paul von Hindenburg to appoint Adolf Hitler as chancellor. This was successful and on 20th February, 1933, they arranged a meeting of the Association of German Industrialists that raised 3 million marks for the Nazi Party in the forthcoming election.

Thyssen supported the measures that Hitler took against the left-wing political groups and trade unions. He also put pressure on Hitler to suppress the left of the Nazi Party that resulted in the Night of the Long Knives. However, as a Catholic, Thyssen objected when Hitler began persecuting people for their religious beliefs.

Thyssen resigned as state councillor in protest against Crystal Night. The following year he fled to Switzerland and Hitler promptly confiscated his property. Thyssen moved to France but was arrested by the Vichy government and was returned to Germany where he was sent to a concentration camp.

Like Thyssen, many Germans were wrong about Hitler and many Germans changed their minds after further consideration

[Shuckins]

So many American businessmen did business with the Nazis prior to war that it can truthfully be said that none of them were "innocent."

But we weren't at war with them, and trading with German companies was not a crime.

How any American company could have profitted from the death camps is beyond my comprehension.

But you know the Bush family, they're really smart...unless they're being stupid.

[Westy]

heh.      It's the  "Coalition of the Billing"

[AWMac]

Sending updated Resume to Halliburton/KBR.  Before the Liberals ruin American Free Enterprize for everyone.

Been to a KBR Job Fair in Houston 2 years ago. It was very informative.

As for all you Town Criers.... There are some InDUHviduals in todays military that cry as loud about the lil things.

Waaaahhhh I joined for the Education Benifits...Guess yer education began when you raised yer hand.

 Waaaaaahhhh I joined for the Medical Benifits... Well hell if you get hit, well try and patch you up the best we can... Did you know there was a War and people get wounded or killed?

 Waaaaahhhhh this is too hard for me to do any more.... This isn't McDonalds assshat.... your're expected to do your job.

 Cry me a River.

Did my 20 Active Army.... Haven't cried yet.

Mac

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by Thrawn
No.

Nice try.   Take your poop slinging elsewhere.

[crockett]

Originally posted by Elfie
This isn't anything new at all. This sort of thing has been going on for decades at least.

I remember a plastic cap for a chair leg for the AWACS planes used to cost the Air Force over $1000. I kid you not. When someone reported that and an investigation was done. It was found that the materials for the cap cost .05 each and even if the Air Force ordered them one at a time from Boeing (I think it was Boeing, could be mistaken) they shouldn't cost more than $10 each. Ordered in quantity, .50 or so is what the price should have been.

We've all heard about claw hammers and toilet seats being overcharged. I'm not saying this is ok because it certainly isn't. It' when things like this hit the mainstream media or some soldier/sailor/marine/airman notices the price tag and reports it, thats when things like this get changed.

There are usually some pretty stiff fines issued to companies that consistently overcharge as well.

Well don't you think it's just a tad bit odd, that we don't have enough money in our budget for schools in this country. Yet we are supposed to ignore this kind of excessive billing?

Don't you find it a bit odd, that we have all the money in the world to buy these contractor trucks @ 200k a pop.. Yet we can't supply our troops with a battle proven armored truck like the ?
Cougar

A truck that not a single soldier has been killed in by IED or other explosives?

I say this and it's really simple.. All you right wingers that support Bush and co.. Don't say another word about any liberal not supporting our troops or this war. As long as this kind of gross over billing is being done with out being put in check. Well then I say none of you support our troops.

This is the one area that if you support the war or not, every person in this country should be sickened by this kind of bull****. So I say this, if you support our troops like you guys claim you do.. well stand up and do something about this BS.

If overspending was put in check, I bet you the military could replace at the very minimum 50% of the hummers in Iraq with Cougar Armored trucks. Is Halliburton profits more important than our soldiers lives?

[crockett]

Originally posted by AWMac
Sending updated Resume to Halliburton/KBR.  Before the Liberals ruin American Free Enterprize for everyone.

Been to a KBR Job Fair in Houston 2 years ago. It was very informative.

As for all you Town Criers.... There are some InDUHviduals in todays military that cry as loud about the lil things.

Waaaahhhh I joined for the Education Benifits...Guess yer education began when you raised yer hand.

 Waaaaaahhhh I joined for the Medical Benifits... Well hell if you get hit, well try and patch you up the best we can... Did you know there was a War and people get wounded or killed?

 Waaaaahhhhh this is too hard for me to do any more.... This isn't McDonalds assshat.... your're expected to do your job.

 Cry me a River.

Did my 20 Active Army.... Haven't cried yet.

Mac

Yea? Maybe you should watch this documentary tonight at 10 pm on Starz Cinema. So that way we don't have to hear about you crying up a river when you go to Iraq and have your legs blown off because KBR put profit before your safety.


edit..

btw.. you must have missed economic class, because there is no "Free Enterprise"  going on in regards to Iraq.. It's more like "free handouts" provided by US tax payers.

There is no competitive bidding, and there is no open competition. By supporting this kind of BS you are doing away with "Free Enterprise " in America.

[Elfie]

Well don't you think it's just a tad bit odd, that we don't have enough money in our budget for schools in this country. Yet we are supposed to ignore this kind of excessive billing?

You obviously don't realize just how many parts/services the Pentagon uses each year. It just isn't reasonable to expect them to be able to investigate the price on each and every part/service they use.

When I was in the Air Force, they had a program (I can't recall the name of it atm) that encouraged folks to fill out a form on anything they thought might be over priced. If, after filling out the form and sending it in, it was found that said part/service WAS over priced, the individual that sent in the form got a cash award based on the future savings. Iirc the airman that turned in those plastic chair leg caps got a cash award of something like $10,000.

What's the moral to this story? Instead of wailing and wringing your hands on this board......find out how to report this stuff through the proper channels and you just might make yourself some cash while helping out the gooberment.

[crockett]

Originally posted by Elfie
You obviously don't realize just how many parts/services the Pentagon uses each year. It just isn't reasonable to expect them to be able to investigate the price on each and every part/service they use.

When I was in the Air Force, they had a program (I can't recall the name of it atm) that encouraged folks to fill out a form on anything they thought might be over priced. If, after filling out the form and sending it in, it was found that said part/service WAS over priced, the individual that sent in the form got a cash award based on the future savings. Iirc the airman that turned in those plastic chair leg caps got a cash award of something like $10,000.

What's the moral to this story? Instead of wailing and wringing your hands on this board......find out how to report this stuff through the proper channels and you just might make yourself some cash while helping out the gooberment.

I'm pretty sure they could very easily pay for people to cross check for price gouging in their contracts. In fact they would likely save the US tax payers probably a few billion dollars year. I'd think trading off even 50 million to pay for cross checks would be worth while.

Besides that you don't have to check every single item, they could easily have the same result by checking a random percentage of billed items or services.

If US watchdog groups can find this kind of stuff via freedom of information act.. Well stands pretty good reason that the US Air Force or whom ever could find them as well.

The money save would more than pay for the expensise of cross checking the billing. You think Walmart doesn't cross check it's billing?