Legislation to Phase Out Private Military Contractors is Filed in Senate and House

[Donnachaidh]

http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12897

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) today introduced legislation that would phase out private security contractors in war zones.

The legislation recognizes that the United States increasingly has relied on private contractors to wage our wars, wasting taxpayer money, damaging military morale and hurting our reputation around the world.

"The American people have always prided themselves on the strength, conduct, and honor of our United States military. I therefore find it very disturbing that now, in the midst of two wars and a global struggle against terrorism, we are relying more and more on private security contractors - rather than our own military - to provide for our national defense," Sanders said.

"Our continued reliance on private security contractors endangers our military, damages our relationships with foreign governments, and undermines our global priorities," said Schakowsky. "Though we have the finest military in the world, we continue to outsource our security to private contractors, who answer to a corporation rather than a uniformed commander. When Senator Sanders and I introduced this legislation last year, we had 22,000 armed private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, we have 28,178. We need this bill now more than ever. "

More at the link --

[Autumn]

1. K/R Nice to see someone doing something that

is beneficial to us all. :dem: for Bernie and Jan.

[Tx4obama]

2. Bravo!

That will free up more money to pay our REAL soldiers more/keep them employed,
and kick the damn contractors that make a hell of a lot more money than the soldiers into the unemployment line!

[fivepennies]

3. Good for them.

Of course we know how far this will go.

[sunwyn]

4. Outside contractors are a breach national security. I remember when we had a self sufficient

military.

[aquart]

5. Good luck on getting that money saver passed.

[jwirr]

6. I highly support this but I do not think I will live to see it pass. That

would mean that the profiteers are going to lose. I cannot see Halliburtin or Ze allowing this to happen. As for me give me the old private who had to peel the potatoes in the kitchen. We could trust him not to steal the cash.