Another bang up construction job

[madame_zora]

"Greatest country in the world?" Are we really? Over a year after the disaster caused by Katrina, there are still dead bodies floating in Louisiana! I can't believe it myself, but we all know it's true. We all also know that millions of dollars in construction contracts have been awarded there, so why isn't any "clean up" being done?

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/aug2006/katr-a29.shtml

(by the way, bite me if you don't like the site I posted this from, you can find it elsewhere as well)

Well, the no-bid contracts we award for those little things aren't really supposed to solve problems, they're supposed to Make.Money.Fast for those to whom they're awarded, silly people.

Now tell me, how the fuck is it possible for a company awarded millions, nay BILLIONS of dollars to build a building for training new Iraqi police- to build it so shitty that it's unlivable THIS fucking soon? Then, please tell me why no one seems to be very mad about this- did it just slip through the cracks in light of more pressing horrid behavior from Foley?

Read this, it's important to know who we really are in the world, lest you don't know already:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/27/AR2006092702134_pf.html

I'm completely SICK of this good 'ol boys club jacking each other off at our nation's expense. How are we ever supposed to hold our head high and proclaim that we're trying to improve a situation when it's appallingly obvious that we're only in it to bilk everyone in sight- their people as well as our own.
Fucking disgusting.

 

[DC_DEEP]

What can you expect, sweet-cheeks? "From the folks who brought you the finest in no-bid federal contracts overseas, here's a no-bid contract down south in Chocolate-town!!!"

Keep in mind that the Halliburton contracts in Iraq were awarded in violation of federal law, to a company with ties to the highest officials in the USA. Their excuse, at the time, was "we don't have time to solicit bids, we have to get the reconstruction team over there NOW!" That was how many years ago? Would it have been possible to have an interrim team there, while accepting LEGAL contract bids, which could then be awarded according to the federal laws to a "permanent" contractor? Oh, wait, then the incestuous little game would have to come to an end, wouldn't it?

 

[ClaireTalon]

I guess I have to bite you, WSWS is a site that tends to put too much believe in old conspiracy theories, and similar, but every now and then they also say something true, such as here. I have read about the rebuilding disaster in other papers, and YES, it is a shame. However, what I find even more disgusting is the shoulder-slapping attitude of certain administration officials who don't realize how big the difference between their words and the real thing is. Or the way the public is deceived about the seriousness of the problems a rebuild is causing; whenever you listen to officials they are trying to make you believe that there is a problem, but it's under control and can be repaired in short time.

 

[Lex]

Politicians have been lining their own bank accounts for some time now. President Clinton has taken exception to this recently and taken heat for it.

...He mentioned a recent report in the Chicago Tribune which revealed that the Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, began his career in Congress with a net worth of three hundred thousand dollars and now has assets of six million, owing largely to an almost fantastical increase in the value of land near a highway project that he helped push through Congress. “The Speaker came in with three hundred thousand dollars and now has six million in real estate and no one asks a question? Your question is ‘Why is Clinton so angry?’ My question is ‘Why are you so stupid?’”

Yeah, they ask: Why are you so angry?

And I ask: Why are you so STUPID?!?

 

[madame_zora]

I guess I have to bite you, WSWS is a site that tends to put too much believe in old conspiracy theories, and similar, but every now and then they also say something true, such as here. I have read about the rebuilding disaster in other papers, and YES, it is a shame. However, what I find even more disgusting is the shoulder-slapping attitude of certain administration officials who don't realize how big the difference between their words and the real thing is. Or the way the public is deceived about the seriousness of the problems a rebuild is causing; whenever you listen to officials they are trying to make you believe that there is a problem, but it's under control and can be repaired in short time.

I'll take a bite from you girl, it's not like I'll miss a bit anyway.:biggrin1: I know the site's a load of crap, it just felt good to list a crappy article on a dubious site (I agree with you precisely about it's character). What was irresistable to me is the fact that EVEN THERE, the truth is still the truth. Yes, I need hobbies. And sleep.

I saw this first on the news last week, and raw sewage pouring down from the ceiling doesn't look "under control" and the designers of the building interviewed didn't think it would be easy or inexpensive to fix (if it's even feasible to try). Since I'm not there, the reports do sound brutal. Even a non-lefty pinko fag-hag would be tempted to call this gross mismanagement and blatant pocket-lining. Hard to see much else there, really. Buildings just don't erupt from inside.

 

[Hatched69]

There's lots of politics and $$ behind this issue for certain. But, there's also another situation brewing down there. Imagine a construction company from Indiana travelling all the way to New Orleans, donating time, materials and labor to aid in the rebuilding process. They begin construction on homes, etc., only to have their tools stolen, the previous days' work vandalized and have employees shot at. A good friend of mine had that exact scenario just happen to him. His 50-person crew has been down there for 3 months dealing with this kind of shit, and he finally said to hell with it. I don't blame him a bit for coming back home. If New Orleans expects help rebuilding THEN QUIT BITING THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU!!!

 

[SpeedoGuy]

Wasn't Karl Rove put in charge of reconstruction? 'Nuff said.

 

[ClaireTalon]

I saw this first on the news last week, and raw sewage pouring down from the ceiling doesn't look "under control" and the designers of the building interviewed didn't think it would be easy or inexpensive to fix (if it's even feasible to try). Since I'm not there, the reports do sound brutal. Even a non-lefty pinko fag-hag would be tempted to call this gross mismanagement and blatant pocket-lining. Hard to see much else there, really. Buildings just don't erupt from inside.

My approach to this: Let Bushie pay Iraq a surprise visit, and show him the damage. Then send in some reporters, and he'll teach us all that this is not pretty, but he will see for the building to be repaired and rebuilt brighter, bigger and more splendid than it has been before. Trust me, he'll do it!

 

[dolf250]

I recently saw something which basically said the same thing as your article. It had said that the vast majority of New Orleans is now white and well to do. They are the ones voting, and they are the ones deciding how they want “their” city rebuilt. There was many public housing complexes that were undamaged but remain closed and boarded up- presumably because it keeps the “undesirables” out. It is actually ideal. They paid the bus tickets for the surviving poor to get out of state and now by not rebuilding and opening housing for lower income families they have managed to keep their poverty out of state.

 

[dolf250]

As for the college; it lasted for 5 moths, what more could you ask for. it is ONLY 15 million a month. Besides, Parsons is still in Iraq and will undoubtedly be willing to build another (extra charge, of course.) Have you not heard that the rules for engineering a building in good old North America do not hold true in the middle East?

All kidding aside, this seems to be a problem with every large governing body. If they just admitted that they were screwing us on projects and did not try to hide it behind contracts I would be happier.

My only question is why contracts are not awarded to Iraq firms? (I do not mean the large ones with U.S. ties.) It would seem that there must be individual firms that are capable of building structures. It would allow cash to go to the people who need it instead of huge multi national contractors and build good will when the people of IRAQ prosper and not just the people in the occupying countries..(you really do not need to answer, I think we all know the real reasons .)

 

[madame_zora]

As for the college; it lasted for 5 moths, what more could you ask for. it is ONLY 15 million a month. Besides, Parsons is still in Iraq and will undoubtedly be willing to build another (extra charge, of course.) Have you not heard that the rules for engineering a building in good old North America do not hold true in the middle East?

All kidding aside, this seems to be a problem with every large governing body. If they just admitted that they were screwing us on projects and did not try to hide it behind contracts I would be happier.

My only question is why contracts are not awarded to Iraq firms? (I do not mean the large ones with U.S. ties.) It would seem that there must be individual firms that are capable of building structures. It would allow cash to go to the people who need it instead of huge multi national contractors and build good will when the people of IRAQ prosper and not just the people in the occupying countries..(you really do not need to answer, I think we all know the real reasons .)

Oh there's a novel idea- give the contracts to companies who ALREADY build buildings in Iraq and know how to do it! Why didn't I (or the US government) think of that?

It's not the 15 million a month that bothers me really, it's the 87 billion (I hope I'm exaggerating) they're going to waste trying to fix it. I'm so fucking sick of all this corruption.

 

[dcwrestlefan]

"Greatest country in the world?" Are we really? Over a year after the disaster caused by Katrina, there are still dead bodies floating in Louisiana! I can't believe it myself, but we all know it's true. We all also know that millions of dollars in construction contracts have been awarded there, so why isn't any "clean up" being done?

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/aug2006/katr-a29.shtml

(by the way, bite me if you don't like the site I posted this from, you can find it elsewhere as well)

Well, the no-bid contracts we award for those little things aren't really supposed to solve problems, they're supposed to Make.Money.Fast for those to whom they're awarded, silly people.

Now tell me, how the fuck is it possible for a company awarded millions, nay BILLIONS of dollars to build a building for training new Iraqi police- to build it so shitty that it's unlivable THIS fucking soon? Then, please tell me why no one seems to be very mad about this- did it just slip through the cracks in light of more pressing horrid behavior from Foley?

Read this, it's important to know who we really are in the world, lest you don't know already:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/27/AR2006092702134_pf.html

I'm completely SICK of this good 'ol boys club jacking each other off at our nation's expense. How are we ever supposed to hold our head high and proclaim that we're trying to improve a situation when it's appallingly obvious that we're only in it to bilk everyone in sight- their people as well as our own.
Fucking disgusting.

just an opinion. no facts. please ignore any subliminal messages. if katrina had hit houston (oil and not as poor), the response would have been much faster (oil and money). it's true, houston is not below sea level (petrochem industry and richer than new orleans and his home state), so the effects would have been less, but i'm willing to bet (halliburton exxon texaco etc)
things would have been cleaned up much faster (campaign contributions) than they were in new orleans.

we were too busy looking for wmds in iraq to fool with new orleans. we have bigger wmds on this board than they did in iraq. why not spend billions of dollars on dicks? ;-)

mindless rant. sorry. am feeling mz's pain.