Spending On Iraq Sets Off Gold Rush

[underpants]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1802&e=5&u=/washpost/20031009/ts_washpost/a496_2003oct8

As the House today takes up President Bush (news - web sites)'s $87 billion spending request for Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites), the debate over the bill is increasingly focused not just on the amount of money but also on who will get it.

Many of the services being sought -- including police training, crimes-against-humanity investigations and prison-construction expertise -- are highly specialized. Conditions are dangerous. Experts say American taxpayers can expect to pay a hefty premium to contractors in a classic seller's market.

Management fees alone would run $26 million a month, while 1,500 police trainers would cost $240,000 each per year, or $20,000 each per month. DynCorp of Reston is likely to get the contract.


"All I can say is it's mind-boggling," James Lyons, a former military subcontractor in Bosnia, said of the opportunities for private contractors. "People must be drooling."



DynCorp has begun recruiting 1,000 "police advisors" with at least 10 years of experience in law enforcement or corrections, an "unblemished background" and "excellent health." The draw? DynCorp plans to pay salaries as high as $153,600, with minimum pay of $75,076.92.

DynCorp declined to comment on the contract, referring calls to the State Department.

[ScrewyRabbit]

1. Corporate welfare mothers

and profiteers, all of them...

[underpants]

2. Yes but look what the House and Senate have done.

"What we're seeing is waste and gold-plating that's enriching Halliburton and Bechtel while costing taxpayers billions of dollars and actually holding back the pace of reconstruction in Iraq," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), a leading critic of the administration's handling of Iraq. "We need greater transparency."


Driven by those concerns, the Senate last week added provisions to its version of the president's request that would increase penalties for war profiteering and demand a more open and competitive bidding system.


House Appropriations Committee Chairman C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) included a provision to limit noncompetitive bidding in the House version of the war-spending bill.

[jbfam4]

3. Ironic

how we were supposed to do the war on the cheap, but can't do the reconstruction on the cheap.

[pw]

4. Nice profit margin

Salaries of $75-150K a year, cost to taxpayers of $240K a year. Also note that if Dyncorp arranges the corporate sell game properly, much of the money paid could be tax-free for the employee. (Depending on what those guys actually do, they might be earning that, or they might not.)

[Submariner]

5. My resume just went to Baghdad

On Tuesday my company asked me to go to Iraq for a job. So I'll know in a day or two if we win the bid, but your right, all the companies shut out by Bechtel/Halliburton are now trying to cash in.

[underpants]

8. Really?

Good luck. I hope you get the bid, sounds like a lot of money. Be safe.

[Submariner]

12. Well

as a marine biologist, I won't get the big bucks, the firm will. But Bush's anti-environment policies have hurt my line of work, so ya take em (jobs) where ya can gettum.

If it happens, I've been guaranteed ride in a armored personnel carrier, not the soft-sided humvee.

[underpants]

13. Oh yeah an APC

Like I said be careful.

you may get the incredible joy and honor that comes with riding in a Bradley. Take some Aleve with you.

[metisnation]

6. lets follow the trail

if you go to dynacorps website you will find a SEC filing that shows that they are the company formerly known as Dynaelectron Corp.

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/23082/000002308203000016/0000023082-03-000016-index.htm

then if you do a search on Dynaelectron corp you come up with a religious discrimination case of Kern V Dynaelectron corp that involves discrimination towards non-muslim helicopter pilots from Saudi Arabia. Isn't it peculiar that the Saudis always have this behind the curtain role?

http://www.eriskcenter.org/assets/pdfs/religiousemployers.pdf

are these people contractors? or hired hit men here is a story of a dynacorp "contractor in Vietnam"

http://www.vhpa.org/stories/shinbubble.pdf

[underpants]

7. Wow that is very interesting

Welcome to DU :hi: if'n I haven't before.

[teryang]

9. May be?

<The Iraqi gold rush has raised concerns on Capitol Hill that the administration may be losing control of the taxpayers' money. >

It's been out of control since Sept. 11, 2001. Congress keeps writing those blank checks.

[underpants]

10. What money?

There is no money after W opened up the treasury for his cronies to raid.

[tom_paine]

11. There's a lot of stolen loot for the taking by Bushevik Cronies

Iraqi loot, Imperial Amerikan Serf loot...

It's all the same to the Busheviks.

[VolcanoJen]

14. Dupe... locking

Please continue discussion in the original, earliest LBN thread on this topic, which can be found here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=157166

Thanks!
VolcanoJen
DU Moderator