House Panel: U.S. paying Blackwater USA $1,222 a day for each of the company's guards

[sabra]

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/10/panel-state-dep.html

Feeling the financial pinch? There's always Iraq. The House Government Reform Committee reports in a new memo that the U.S. government is paying Blackwater USA $1,222 a day for each of the company's guards. (That adds up to $445,000 a year for each of the private security firm's guards, according to the committee.)

Chairman Henry Waxman, the Democrat who has been leading an investigation into the controversial private military contractor, says Blackwater USA has averaged 1.4 shooting incidents a week since it started protecting U.S. officials. In about 80% of cases, Waxman says the company's employees fired the first shots.

[KansDem]

1. I wonder how much the individual mercenary is actually getting?

And how much remains with Blackwater's "administration"?

[grasswire]

2. and how much is passed on in GOP contributions?

Don't forget the background of Blackwater.

[Lasher]

4. Seems I remember each individual is knocking down about $100K a year.

That leaves quite a bit left over for administration, profit, and graft.

[Trajan]

3. American Military personnel should feel scandalized by these mercenaries ...

The financial hardships of rank and file soldiers are well known, and lead to high familial stress, bankruptcy, family dislocation and marriage dissolution ....

Yet they pay THESE goons as much in ONE DAY as soldiers make in one month ....

WHO loves the soldiers ? ... sure as FUCK not the GOP ....

[loudsue]

5. That's exactly right, trajan! Our soldiers are being SCREWED by repukes.

They need to start eliminating those mercenaries, altogether.

:kick:

[mike_c]

9. no, the regular military seems more-and-more the farm league...

...where members of a rising professional military class pay their dues before getting into the majors.

[Lasher]

10. Seems about right

The generals and admirals who play their cards right are welcomed through the revolving door to the grateful defense industry, where they are rewarded with millions. Guess the're letting the enlisted men in on the game, at a lower level of course.

[Trajan]

12. You say 'no' ....

When the previous poster says "Our soldiers are being SCREWED by repukes. They need to start eliminating those mercenaries, altogether."

You say "No ...."

What exactly are you saying no to ? .... That the soldiers AREN'T being screwed ? .... that We DONT need to eliminate mercenaries ? ....

What I believe you intend to say is "YES - the regular military seems more-and-more the farm league...
...where members of a rising professional military class pay their dues before getting into the majors."

YES is the answer .... YES the soldiers are getting screwed .... YES Mercenaries need to be eliminated from federal service. ....

I know its seems a very small distinction, but the whole response pivots on whether you agree or disagree with the previous poster: saying 'NO' means you disagree .....

Do you actually disagree ?

[mike_c]

13. no not at all-- I agree completely....

My "no" was meant to be tongue-in-cheek sarcasm.

[Trajan]

14. Ah .... Sarcasm often escapes my notice without those emoticons to flag it out ....

Sorry .... Nuns beat grammatical precision into my flesh.

[spanone]

6. check this thread/story

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1952271

[Trillo]

7. So if they paid the Military Troops as much as the contractors,

would they have more troops?

Hmm....

[alfredo]

8. That's about three times what Petreaus makes.

[Joanne98]

11. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!