Our "MBA President" at work

Company paid twice for war support work
By RICHARD LARDNER, Associated Press Writer
23 Jan 2008
WASHINGTON - A defense contractor hired to repair combat equipment routinely failed to do the job right and then charged the government millions of dollars for the extra work needed to get the gear ready for battle in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a newly released audit.

This is not really "news" anymore (see, e.g., Robert Greenwald's "Iraq for Sale")... but it is somewhat disquieting that these stories keep appearing, frequently, regularly.

Outsourcing basic governmental functions is a really bad idea. Outsourcing with no contractual or financial controls is absurd - wasteful, inefficient, and ineffective.

[Aside: When I was in the Army - serving with a 2nd Infantry Division medical battalion on Korean DMZ - I was required to help perform maintenance on vehicles in the motor pool about one Saturday per month. My Military Occupational Specialty (MOS)? "Mental Hygiene Specialist" (91G20)!... but there I was, helping in the motor pool!]

Preamble to U.S. Constitution,

We the people of the United States, in order to... provide for the common defense..."

Defense is a basic function of government.

Stop the madness!