Bush Corruption-The Orwellian Katrina "Disaster Profiteering Act" H.R.3766

[buzzsaw_23]

“Disaster Profiteering Act” Makes Its Debut Seeks to
Waive Taxpayer Protections & Competition on
Government Contracts

For Immediate Release
Contact: Beth Daley [e-mail] 202-347-1122

Big federal contractors have scored a major victory with yesterday’s news that House Government Reform Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA) and Representative Kenny Marchant (R-TX) introduced legislation that will waive meaningful taxpayer protections and competition in contracting whenever Congress or the President declares a national emergency or there is a disaster. It is rumored that the legislation will be included in a manager’s amendment to the next Katrina relief bill. Project On Government Oversight (POGO) has dubbed the legislation (H.R. 3766) the “Disaster Profiteering Act.”

The Davis legislation would allow agency heads across the federal government to treat all purchases related to national emergencies as “commercial items,” meaning that contracts can be made under a no-bid process and that the government would not have the authority to audit purchases after they have been made. A second, unrelated provision deals with Katrina volunteers.

The President has at least a dozen current national emergencies according to annual filings made in the Federal Register including the national emergency which he renewed last week in response to terrorist attacks. Presumably, this would apply to all homeland security-related spending and broad swaths of national security spending.

Of greatest concern is the prospect that homeland security and defense contractors engaged in billions of dollars in contracts on major systems designed to address the war on terror or some other declared national emergency abroad will avoid competition and auditing. These taxpayer protection provisions were established after the notorious era of defense contracting scandals in the 1980s. Government-wide, 84% of all contracting dollars are spent on a non-commercial basis, according to the Federal Procurement Data Center .

http://www.pogo.org/p/contracts/ca-050903-katrinacontracts.html


Go here to learn more about why this significant and whose behind the curtain.

[yella_dawg]

1. "Disaster Profiteering Act"

an act designed to make it easy for disaster profiteers. How nice.

We gotta get rid of these assholes.

[marions ghost]

2. kick

[yella_dawg]

3. Kick

[newswolf56]

4. No surprise at all: absolutely predictable (but an outrage nevertheless).

A major part of Bush's long-term policy is destruction of the social safety net -- and perversion of what few social services remain into profit-centers for his supporters (and thus for the oligarchy in general).

Bush is NOT an "incompetent": his alleged "blunders" (whether in New Orleans or Iraq) are all deliberate expressions of meticulously crafted policy. Bush is in fact the most savage class-warrior (and race-warrior) ever to hold the presidency -- the most cunning tyrant in U.S. history -- specifically put in office to facilitate the oligarchy's concentration of wealth and the total disempowerment of all the rest of us.

The stubborn refusal to recognize that Bush's alleged "incompetence" is in fact policy is the most damning example of dishonest rationalization I have ever encountered in politics anywhere: dismissing Bush as "incompetent" merely bolsters the myth of powerlessness -- rationalizing and excusing silence and inaction. This is because "incompetence" is incurable (and therefore must be endured until the next election). But policy is totally different: policy can be exposed, challenged, protested in the streets, obstructed, repealed.

Indeed their own eager acquiescence to the myth of "incompetence" shows precisely the horrific extent to which the Democrats too have been co-opted by the oligarchy.

Still -- because some small part of me remains (perhaps stupidly) hopeful, I ask again: how many more outrages will it take to awaken the head-in-the-sand Democrats (and Americans in general)? How many more atrocities like New Orleans? How many more Iraqs?

Has America truly become so zomboid numb -- or so cravenly intimidated -- that all it can do is gawk like a ghoul at its own ruination?

I don't know what is worse: the fact that Bush is now brazenly revealing ever more of the fascist dagger concealed beneath his velvet sleeve, or the fact that 80 percent of white America is obviously too indifferent -- or too intimidated -- to care.


Edit: angry typos.

[BeFree]

15. Incredible!!

But true. Many here just go with the incompetence theory.... maybe it's the good human nature of us all that wants to believe it is just incompetence?

But the exposing of carefully laid plans now being implemented to make the worst out of a bad situation, i.e. Katrina, should force more of us to finally see the truth: These guys are bloody pirates.

It's not just that they are pirates, but that they have power. Two stolen elections have enabled their absolute corruptness.

People, we need to fight them. Rise up! Speak up! Stand up for your rights to a limited government!

[oppositionmember]

5. So no oversight...

even ex post facto.

Perfect.

[WiseButAngrySara]

6. These scumbag thieves are stealing us BLIND, and have no SHAME!!!

"contracts can be made under a no-bid process and that the government would not have the authority to audit purchases after they have been made"

[buzzsaw_23]

8. Go here to find out how it is already under way

and who is involved.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4815690&mesg_id=4822917

[WiseButAngrySara]

12. Thanks for the link buzzsaw (bs!) I can only imagine who is already

involved...Halliburton (since day 1) Fluor, Bechtel, Blackwater and etc! NOLA the new Iraq.

[WiseButAngrySara]

7. K and R...Just when I think this BFEE can depress me no longer...! n/t

[Nothing Without Hope]

9. The original is full of useful links about this legislation and relevent

precedents and reports. Again, it's best to go to the original here:
http://www.pogo.org/p/contracts/ca-050903-katrinacontracts.html

Recommended.

[Gyre]

10. Let's legalize the rape of all American citizens who pay taxes!!!

Mah name is Georrrge Dubya Bushwah, and ah endorse thisss message!:(

[Robertwf]

11. Popularly Known as the Ben Dover Act

Eventually the people are going to quit grabbing their ankles when these scumbags turn tragedy into heavenly profits.

[Nothing Without Hope]

13. This needs much more publicity - READ AND MEDIA BLAST

The slimy rider with these profiteering provisions will have to be watched for.

[Nothing Without Hope]

14. kick n/t

[Qibing Zero]

16. Honestly, who can argue America isn't now a corporatist oligarchy?

We're moving closer and closer to fascism every single day.

[Nothing Without Hope]

17. kick n/t