Bribes for contracts would suggest the contracts cost too much.

[havocmom]

Honestly, if companies can pay big bucks in bribes to get government/military contacts, doesn't logic suggest the contracts are way over-paid? I want my congressional delegation to explain how this shit happens. I want them to explain why essential services are going undone while corporations are getting enough federal dollars to pay massive bribes so they can keep getting federal dollars.

I want editors of newspapers to start asking a LOT of questions on the topic.

One sergeant getting $1.4 million must be a tiny tip of a very large iceberg. I want to know why congress is letting corporations steal from the US Treasureary to the point they can pay big bucks in bribes and still make profits on contacts with the government/military.


http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/April/10-crm-459.html

If a company can shell out a $1.4 bribe to a sergeant for a job, they sure must be making a boatload of profit on that job. Multiply by.... well who knows how many companies/contracts, and one might surmise there is a lot of $$$ being paid to corporations over what a fair profit would be.

And the military is buying a lot of (very over-priced) services that it used to take care of internally. Sure, there was stealing from time to time, some humans being dishonest sometimes, but the theft could not possibly be as great as the graft going on with privatizing more and more.

Like banking, there seems not to be enough oversight. I want to know which pols have enough integrity to stop being part of the diversions and start doing the real work of oversight. I want to see one, JUST ONE, Republican stand up and say 'hey, we don't need to starve schools, the poor, the middle class because of deficits; we need to stop letting the rich steal from the American taxpayer via privatized robbery!

Hell, I'd like to see a dozen DEM pols stand up and say that. Then I'd like to see them DO SOMETHING about it.

I miss William Proxmire and I shouldn't have to. The Democrats on the Hill should ALL be pointing out the fraud and waste. They should ALL be doing something about it. Sure, they get $$ from the fat cats and $$ helps win elections, but, dammit, DOING THE RIGHT THING helps win elections too.

I am raging to my reps. Please consider raging to yours. This is ridiculous. The American people need to be clear: the contracts have to be legitimate and they have to be monitored. No more corporate robberies of the American taxpayer.

[mrcheerful]

1. I'm 53 years old and have heard of companies bribing for government jobs as far back as I

can remember. Rodney Dangerfield had a movie called "Back to school", in it he was in a business class where the prof was telling students how to start a business from the ground up, after a few minutes Rodney stopped the prof and started on a tirade about all the local and state official's that needed to be bribed before ground could be broke to build the factory. Then he listed all the trades people who also needed bribed to get the building built.

Then he went on to the different unions and other businesses that needed to be bribed to get workers and materials for the factory. That is the real world where businesses bribing is the SOP of doing business. That has been the way things have been for a very long time, which is why business people don't get their knickers wadded up when they hear about bribes unless they can get working nit wits to vote against those who would try to enact laws to stop their business practices. It is all part of the game business people play.

[havocmom]

2. Yes, and I acknowledged the fact of human nature and theft & history

My point is when contractors can pay such huge bribes to the low men on the chain of command, they are making too much $$ and we need some people on the Hill with the integrity to stand up, turn off the money they get too, and do something about it.

What? We just let the problem keep expanding exponentially because graft and greed have always been a problem?

Uh, no, that doesn't work.

[mrcheerful]

3. Well unless people are willing to do more then use it as a tool to get folks to vote R

nothing will be done. Look at the current battle to bring regulation back to the banks over the very practice that caused the current banking mess, sadly more folks prefer to ignore and look away then there are willing to lift a finger. The way it is currently working more benefit from business as usual then get hurt by the bribing so they are willing to look the other way. Until that changes its like trying to bring truth to birthers or tea baggers, it will go no where. Remember Clinton and a few D congress critters brought this up in the 90's and nothing was done.