Lawmakers need to make no-bid contracts illegal

[dansolo]

It is possible that privatization may work for certain govenment functions, but there must be a bidding process that can be enforced. The reason that so many tasks that have been privatized are screwed up is because there is no accountability, and with guaranteed contracts, there is no incentive to make things more efficient or reduce costs.

[Salviati]

1. that and those damn cost-plus contracts as well...

[TahitiNut]

6. M&O contracts, too.

Management and Operations contracts are the vehicles by which the Fed outsources continuing government operations. In doing so, they not only guarantee profits and bonuses to wealthy corporations, but they remove thousands of workers from the employment protections that federal workers have fought for. In other words, they screw the workers and enrich the wealthy!

[Peace Patriot]

2. Urgent! Senate committee wants Katrina input - deadline TODAY 9/1

The Senate H.E.L.P. Committee (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) has been requesting input on Katrina reconstruction. The deadline was changed from Friday 9/9 to Monday, 9/12 (but presume 9/11, by the end of today) to allow more input. I don't know if DUers are aware of this. It's a great opportunity to help influence the treatment of survivors and the fate of the Gulf coast.

The email for public input is listed below. These emails are going to start being reviewed by committee staff tomorrow (Mon, 9/12). I heard about this on a CNN radio rebroadcast of the Senate H.E.L.P. Committee roundtable (of disaster experts) on 9/8, but could not get this posted until now.

Email: [e-mail]
Senate H.E.L.P. website: http://help.senate.gov /
(The ranking Democrat is Sen. Edward Kennedy.)

My input to the committee is at:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4735625

[sarcasmo]

3. I agree, when the Dems take over the Senate this should be a Bill.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. no offense, but they will find away around that.

It is a nice idea, but just look at special legislation for large cities like Chicago. "Every city over 2,000,000 is exempted. . ." Don't you think that they will make these bidding wars fine tuned for their pet companies?

face it, it is an all out war. The haves and Have mores against the vast majority of the US. So far, they have been winning. With the buy out of formerly independent media outlets, it is no surprise.

privitization is a serious problem, one that cannot be easily fixed. Not in today's mmindset.

These NeoCons promoted themselves to be the best managers, the biggest supporters of small government. What do we have? The largest deficits in history, incompetent political hacks and cronies replacing pros, and billions being shoveled to their bigbizniz friends.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

5. so...when there is an emergency...without the time for a bidding

process? What then? I think you are opening a huge can of worms. No-bid contracts have their place...like them or hate them it is a fact...

subjectProdigal

[dansolo]

7. I said "certain" services

Obviously emergency services should be federalized. But when it comes to rebuilding, there should be enough time for a bidding process.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

8. agreed...thought you were being more broad...

but obviously my interpretation was wrong...pardon...

subjectProdigal