Reply #3: I heard this was one way for shrub to keep military costs hidden.

[napi21]

Apparently, the cost of expenses directly attributable to the military are quite public. Costs associated to other expenses of a war are hidden in cumulative numbers. He can make it appear that he can fight a war with a small number of troops, and still get the job done. The prople will not realize that most of the jobs done by the military in the past are now being done by contractors.

It's a lot more expensive that way though. It is quite true that a soldier is paid $20,000/yr and a contract employee paid $165,000+ to do the same job!

I can verify this personally beause my son is an aircraft mech working in Italy now. He was offered a job last week to do the same job in Iraq for %165,000/yr.