We sacrifice this one to appease Freede-Munn, the god of deregulation.
Today, we have yet more evidence that the government under Bush has been converted into a giant patronage machine to reward incompetent businesspeople.
Turns out that we care so much about our Afghan allies in the war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda that we ship them defective ammunition. Who’s responsible for this, shall we say, massive fuck up?
Why, a private business, of course! Those entities run by Randian supermen who can do no wrong, the generators of wealth, the embodiments of the American spirit!
Finished gagging yet? Good. We’ll continue.
Yes, a small business in Florida obtained the contract to supply ammunition to Afghani security forces. The ammunition they shipped was old and busted. You wouldn’t want to use this shit at all, not even for target shooting. And some of it was manufactured in China, which makes its sale by a US company a violation of federal law. The article informs us that the company contracted to supply the ammo, AEY Inc., is run by a 22-year-old. This fact is not, in itself, an automatic disqualification. However, the fact that the vice-president of the company, the person who should be there to back up and guide the young executive, is a licensed professional masseur.
Smell that? It’s incompetence.
Go read the article. You will probably be shocked at just how fucked up the entire sordid affair is. It’s amazing just how much of our money has been handed out to irresponsible, incompetent, and just plain shady businesses. Remember these days when people start telling you about how business always does things better than government.
Please, tell me this is a Monty Python episode. Or, maybe just a Saturday Night Live skit?
same as it ever was. profiteers in the revolutionary war. at least during WW2 we had truman. where are we now?
halliburton gets away with the cash.
Matt McBride of “Fix the Pumps” did a great investigation of the incompentence of the supplier of critical pumps that are supposed to keep New Orleans dry.
He got the right info to the AP. The story was national. Turns out that the company supplying them MWI (Moving Water Industries) was run by the former business partner of … wait for it… JEB BUSH! Wheeeee!
And the lawyer who was their mouthpiece was…wait for it… the guy in charge of the republican defense of the Florida recount! Wheeeee!
Yes. But with evidence of the incompetence and evidence of the inside game what happened? Nothing.
Why? Nobody to pull the contract. Nobody to investigate for real. We bloggers did our job. The AP even did their job. But when we offer up the whole package the justice system needs to pick up the ball. But they were too filled with “loyal” flunkies and the rest were chasing down fake democrat ‘voter fraud’.
Justic is needed.
Spocko,
Wasn’t Brownie’s primary qualification for FEMA director essentially “college roommate of somebody highly placed in the administration”?
Of course, the whole reason the “private sector” is supposed to work “better” is that through competition, the best and the most efficient will float to the top. So why is there no huge outcry from the Libertarian front about “no bid” contracts and complete lack of oversight?
well, government hating republikkkans were in charge.