New Looting Breaks Out In New Orleans

Yes, it's sad, I know. But what is even more so is that through government inefficiency, mismanagement and waste, and perhaps a little profiteering thrown in, now they are looting from you and me. It appears the fleecing of America has begun.

Knight Ridder has found that a lack of oversight, generous contracting deals and poor planning mean that government agencies are shelling out as much as 10 times what the temporary fix would normally cost.

The government is paying contractors an average of $2,480 for less than two hours of work to cover each damaged roof — even though it's also giving them endless supplies of blue sheeting for free.

Comments

[Cindi in PA]

Thanks Dan.

My X does a lot of government jobs. Why? Because they have a set standard, he makes 3X's as much on a government job than he does in the private sector. He ususally out bids, and still gets the job. I have posted here before, my sister has a home in San Antionio TX. Her mortgage is 340.00 a month, section 8 pays her 900.00 a month.

[callmeBetty]

Cindi: LICENSE TO STEAL
I've worked the public sector for years doing schools. A typical toilet upgrade project (making facilities HC accessible) was $120,000. That's to modify existing restrooms folks. 2 adult and 2 child wc's. 4 sinks, paper towel dispensors.

LICENSE TO STEAL and the anglo contractors are the most egregious violators of the public trust. Not satisfied with making twice the normal amount on public jobs, they bid the jobs based on how many errors they can find in the contruction drawings so that the "extras" can potentially exceed the amount of the initial contract. And most do pretty crummy work to boot, but they hire minorities to get these plum jobs.

This ceiling was 'supposedly' raised to expedite services for hurricane relief, attributed to Katrina. Yet the first contracts admitted and approved under the new guidelines where to subsidiaries of Haliburton. Who knew they had so many employees! Gosh, with all the work they're doing (or not doing) in Iraq you'd think their human resources would already be strained, working overtime. There appears to be no limit to the amount of funny money our government is willing to toss their way.

Can you pass the gravy, please?

[callmeBetty]

Oops. Lost a line. Should have also said:

The NO BID contract ceiling was quietly lifted last week to $250,000. The old ceiling was much lower, like $30,000. The ramifications of this are many fold. Cronyism on steroids.

[Steel]

I have roofed entire homes for that.

This is only going to get worse ... much worse.

[Meg]

And at the same time W saw fit to waive Davis-Bacon wage rules that say workers have to be paid at the region's prevailing rate.

So while the contracting companies are hauling it in, the people scooping the muck get a pay cut because, says the president's proclamation, "The wage rates imposed by section 3142 of title 40, United States Code, increase the cost to the Federal Government of providing Federal assistance to these areas."

Bush made the proclamation on September 8. Who says he can't act quickly and decisively?

Meg

[shonane]

You may want to do a search about this one and will reach some conclusions about what the previous director of FEMA has to gain from this deal that was negotiated prior to Hurricane Katrina. It is not just the excess, but the "who" is profiting. There had to be a bad door deal on this one and it calls for outrage.

What about all the unemployed people who are victims of these two hurricanes. Some are able bodied men who might just love to have a roofing job, or a job driving a truck to transport materials or hauling off debris. Are any of these people being employed, or are they signing up for unemployment?

[callmeBetty]

Shonane: "What about all the unemployed people who are victims of these two hurricanes"

You read my mind. Didn't want to be accused of being a Socialist, lol. I bet some people would even do it for free.....if they could get back home and be comped a room in a hotel (they were not full?).

The additional housing, travel and food costs are what these er "employers" are claiming drives their outrageous fees. Yes, they must be bonded, pay to be heavily insured, pay for workers comp, health insurance etc. but they have those costs during non-crisis times as well. And I'm sure that only a very few companies are wealthy (or 'connected') enough to have licenses valid in any state or country. But $1.75/sf to throw a tarp down? That IS the price of a new roof, Steel. No doubt.

The vultures are circling the corpse of an American trajedy. Where is the outrage.

[callmeBetty]

Still no comments. OK, I guess I'm outraged by this ........and Shonane.

Well, whoever is in charge of reviewing and approving the budget proposals for this contract should be fired at the very least and investigated to the fullest extent of the law for complicity to overlook fraud..... On a project such as this, throwing down tarps, the manager should NEVER ever have allowed a UNIT COST ($1.75/sf) ie: a Square Footage price to be established per residence, unless they plan on returning and replaced each and every one of these roofs in the future. Throwing down a tarp in case it rains is usually a freebe that Contractors have to absorb as the price of doing business.

Be afraid, be very afraid. These are OUR tax dollars at work and I AM NOT HAPPY how they are being abused. While I'm sure that if audited, it will all be proved legal, what with lucrative per diem allowances and all, $300/hr for an engineer to watch min. wage earners labor in structurally weakened buildings - I can hear it all now. But make no mistake. We are ALL being ripped off here.

[Meg]

And who gets to pay for all this largesse for those who need it least? Anyone read up on the Republican Study Committee and its Operation Offset recommendations, now forming the basis for budget cuts being proposed in the House?

Meg