Clipmarks | Government contracts Clips

Barbara Ehrenreich: The Swine Flu Vaccine Screw-up

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:37:49 GMT

clipped by: Lexica
clipper's remarks: More:

According to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the government was misled by these companies, which failed to report manufacturing delays as they arose. Her department, she says, was "relying on the manufacturers to give us their numbers, and as soon as we got numbers we put them out to the public. It does appear now that those numbers were overly rosy."

If, in fact, there's a political parable here, it's about Big Government's sweetly trusting reliance on Big Business to safeguard the public health: Let the private insurance companies manage health financing; let profit-making hospital chains deliver health care; let Big Pharma provide safe and affordable medications. As it happens, though, all these entities have a priority that regularly overrides the public's health, and that is, of course, profit…
Clip Source: ehrenreich.blogs.com
If you can't find any swine flu vaccine for your kids, it won't be for a lack of positive thinking. In fact, the whole flu snafu is being blamed on "undue optimism" on the part of both the Obama administration and Big Pharma.
In July, the federal government promised to have 160 million doses of H1N1 vaccine ready for distribution by the end of October. Instead, only 28 million doses are now ready to go, and optimism is the obvious culprit. "Road to Flu Vaccine Shortfall, Paved With Undue Optimism," was the headline of a front page article in the October 26th New York Times.
But let's stop a minute and also ask: Who really screwed up here -- the government or private pharmaceutical companies
that had agreed to manufacture and deliver the vaccine by late fall? Last spring and summer, those companies gleefully gobbled up $2 billion worth of government contracts
promising to have
at least every American child and pregnant woman, supplied with vaccine before trick-or-treating season began

Tags: health, healthcare, government, business, vaccination, optimism

Oink Report - 3 November 2009

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:39:50 GMT

clipped by: ColoradoRight
clipper's remarks: I am so glad that children who won't be born for decades yet will be paying the interest on the money spent to keep the Merry-Go-Round Museum open. That must save or create a gajillion jobs.

Clip Source: biggovernment.com

Merry-Go-Round Museum receives federal funds

The shopping mall to nowhere; $5 million stimulus grant to heat an “almost-empty mall”

Stimulus grant pays to keep tabs on how often doctors and nurses wash their hands at hospitals in Maryland

Agency that misspent public funds on a casino junket and $700 worth of coffee and lost a child on a field trip slated to receive $159,000 in stimulus funds

Stimulus saves or creates jobs for illegal aliens; Company that the federal government knew was intentionally hiring hundreds of illegal immigrants awarded $6.7 million in federal contracts—including nearly $1million in stimulus money—during the past year

Nearly 10,000 employees who received pay increases being counted as jobs “saved” by the stimulus; “If I give you a raise, it is going to save a portion of your job,” explains government spokesman

Tags: congress, spending, taxes, pork

Al Gore could become world's first carbon billionaire

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:57:49 GMT

clipped by: sincitykitty
clipper's remarks: Al Gore, the former US vice president, could become the world's first carbon billionaire after investing heavily in green energy companies.

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Al Gore could become world's first carbon billionaire

Al Gore, the former US vice president, could become the world's first carbon billionaire after investing heavily in green energy companies.

Last year Mr Gore's venture capital firm loaned a small California firm $75m to develop energy-saving technology.

The company, Silver Spring Networks, produces hardware and software to make the electricity grid more efficient.

The deal appeared to pay off in a big way last week, when the Energy Department announced $3.4 billion in smart grid grants, the New York Times reports. Of the total, more than $560 million went to utilities with which Silver Spring has contracts.

Critics, mostly on the political right and among global warming sceptics, say Mr. Gore is poised to become the world's first "carbon billionaire," profiteering from government policies he supports that would direct billions of dollars to the business ventures he has invested in.

U.S. Offshoring and Multinational Corporations

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:51:01 GMT

clipped by: sahara
clipper's remarks: Perhaps the ultimate expression of capitalism results in the export of jobs to lowest-cost countries to enable what used to be “American companies”, now multinational corporations that have the sole goal of maximizing their corporate profits. The ultimate political expression has evolved to a sector of the world that is, in effect, ruled by multinational corporations.

What is worse is that these multinationals fail to realize that ultimately they are undercutting their own profits and shrinking their own market by underminding their own profit center in formerly prosperous prime economies. The bonus from offshoring can only last so long and is highly subject to proper application and use within a given multinational corporation. Offshoring is not a cure-all for corporate profits, nor a real solution for long-term benefit to anyone.
No government contracts should be given to multinational corporations, ever!

Clip Source: tntalk.wordpress.com

Multiple times, Congressional measures have been considered to restrain the federal government from granting contracts to companies to send work overseas. The Bush Administration has consistently opposed legislation that might restrict job outsourcing or offshoring. The administration has continually supported tax incentives to outsource jobs overseas

Unprecedented levels of sensitive personal information are being shipped overseas where privacy protections are not in place. The federal government has made efforts to undermine state laws by convincing state governors to accept new rules for trade agreements, working to promote the use of funding that employs outsourced workers overseas

Ernst & Young sends tax preparation work to India. Aetna has medical records reviewed in India. Deloitte sends government work to India and commonly brings Indian workers from overseas to perform government work. This is a small tip of a much larger iceberg of U.S. jobs that are offshored

Congress Must Pass Republican Leader Boehner’s Defund ACORN Act

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:49:04 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: or any other form of agreement to this criminal organization.

ACORN ally Representative Jerrold Nadler has lead the charge against the Defund ACORN Act. He has claimed that it is an unconstitutional *" Bill of Attainder " an argument that has been thoroughly rebutted by former FEC Commissioner Hans von Spakovsky. Nadler had no such reservations when he co-sponsered legislation to punish AIG employees who had been awarded bonuses. *A legislative act pronouncing a person guilty of a crime, usually treason, without trial and subjecting that person to capital punishment and attainder. Such acts are prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.

Congress moving to cut off funds to ACORN for the next 50 days is a merely a first step. An organization with ACORN’s history of voter registration fraud, tax evasion, and criminal activity should never again be eligible to receive any federal funds.

Stopping payment to this criminal enterprise is not enough.

Clip Source: biggovernment.com

On Thursday, the United States House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution funding the Federal Government through December 18^th. The continuing resolution was passed as part of the behemoth Interior-Environment Appropriations conference report.

A continuing resolution is a stop-gap provision which allows the government to continue its operations until Congress can determine the next year’s appropriations. The actions taken today merely extended the expiration date of the resolution which went into effect on October 1^st.

By extending the existing continuing resolution Congress has continued to deprive ACORN and its affiliates of federal funds until December 18^th.

This is not a substitute for more definitive action. The Congress must act to pass Republican Leader Boehner’s Defund ACORN Act as stand-alone legislation. Boehner’s comprehensive legislation prevents the awarding of federal contracts, grants, cooperative agreements

Tags: boehner’s defund acorn act, deprive acorn and its affiliates, u.s.house continuing resolution, until december 18th

Any Way these Firms Can be Experts in Everything?

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:02:24 GMT

clipped by: nedhamson1
clipper's remarks: What these government contractors are expert at is:
1. Placing job sites in states and districts of Congressional Members who serve on funding committee for Defense, IT, and Homeland Security.
2. Have Political Action Committees that donate money to candidates on same committees.
3. Having paid representatives at every meeting in Congress or government agency that could affect their funding.

Clip Source: borderlinesblog.blogspot.com

Government Contracts Driven By New National Security Spending

The fastest growing sector in federal contracts is information and communication services with the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the intelligence community (sixteen government agencies including DOD intelligence agencies and DHS intelligence apparatus).

Top IT and Systems Integration Federal Contractors, 2009

___________________________________________________

1 Lockheed Martin Corp. $14,983,515,367
2 Boeing Co. $10,838,231,984
3 Northrop Grumman Corp. $ 9,947,316,207
4 General Dynamics Corp. $ 6,066,178,545
5 Raytheon Co. $ 5,942,575,316
6 KBR Inc. $ 5,467,721,429
7 SAIC $ 4,811,194,880
8 L-3 Communications Inc. $ 4,236,653,555
9 Computer Sciences Corp. $ 3,435,767,906
10 Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. $ 2,779,421,015

Tags: buying federal business

Billions of stimulus going to shoddy contractors

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:42:47 GMT

clipped by: pkronfield
clipper's remarks: And you want this inept three stooges governemtn to be responsible for your health care??????

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

President Obama and members of Congress told federal agencies earlier this year to avoid awarding funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to contractors with troubled histories of work for the federal government.

But that isn't happening at numerous agencies, a Washington Post analysis shows. So far, 33 federal departments and agencies have awarded more than $1.2 billion in stimulus contracts to at least 30 companies that are ranked by one watchdog group as among the most egregious offenders of state and federal laws.

Government records show that as a group, these contractors have sold defective products, manufactured safety tests, submitted false travel claims and padded contracts with fraudulent fees.

"Even a simple Google search could raise red flags about some contractors' performance," said Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.).

More than $1.2 billion awarded to firms on watchdog's list

By Kimberly Kindy

Tags: stumulus fraud

Stumulous jobs created were overstated by thousands

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:07:50 GMT

clipped by: pkronfield
clipper's remarks: Overstated? Hardly. These are lies pure and simple. This administration will say anything, do anything, to deceive the American people that it's insane policies are harmful to our country and taking us deeper into a hole

Clip Source: apnews.myway.com

The government's first accounting of jobs tied to the $787 billion stimulus program claimed more than 30,000 positions paid for with recovery money. But that figure is overstated by least 5,000 jobs, according to an Associated Press review of a sample of stimulus contracts.

The reporting problem could be magnified Friday when a much larger round of reports is expected to show hundreds of thousands of jobs repairing public housing, building schools, repaving highways and keeping teachers on local payrolls.

An early progress report on President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan overstates by thousands the number of jobs created or saved through the stimulus program, a mistake that White House officials promise will be corrected in future reports.

some counts were more than 10 times as high as the actual number of jobs; some jobs credited to the stimulus program were counted two and sometimes more than four times; and other jobs were credited to stimulus spending when none was produced.

Tags: obama is a trojan horse

Stimulus jobs overstated by thousands

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:23:44 GMT

clipped by: jatfla
clipper's remarks: I think we already knew this and it's interesting that the AP is actually investigating & reporting it.

The WH plans to "fix" these errors. I wonder how they'll go about doing that. Does this mean that the university in Michigan (I think) will lose it's money to study volcanos in S. America?

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

Stimulus jobs overstated by thousands

The AP review found some counts were more than 10 times as high as the actual number of jobs; some jobs credited to the stimulus program were counted two and sometimes more than four times; and other jobs were credited to stimulus spending when none was produced.

A Florida child care center said its stimulus money saved 129 jobs but used the money on raises for existing employees.

A Georgia community college reported creating 280 jobs with recovery money, but none was created from stimulus spending.

A company working with the Federal Communications Commission reported that stimulus money paid for 4,231 jobs, when about 1,000 were produced.

Can you hear me now????

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:29:54 GMT

clipped by: mountainpalm
clipper's remarks:

I had a former employee call me earlier today inquiring about a job, and at the end of the conversation he gave me his phone number. I asked the former employee if this was a new cell phone number and he told me yes this was his “Obama phone.” I asked him what an “Obama phone” was and he went on to say that welfare recipients are now eligible to receive (1) a FREE new phone and (2) approx 70 minutes of FREE minutes every month. I was a little skeptical so I Googled it and low and behold he was telling the truth. TAX PAYER MONEY IS BEING REDISTRIBUTED TO WELFARE RECIPIENTS FOR FREE CELL PHONES. This program was started earlier this year. Enough is enough, the ship is sinking and it’s sinking fast. The very foundations that this country was built on are being shaken.. The age old concepts of God, family, and hard work have flown out the window and are being replaced with “Hope and Change” and “Change we can believe in.”

Clip Source: www.safelinkwireless.com

SafeLink Wireless is a government supported program
that provides a free cell phone and airtime each
month for income-eligible customers.

Clip Source: www.safelinkwireless.com

Lifeline Assistance is part of a program that was created by the government to provide discounted or free telephone service to income-eligible consumers. To help bring you this important benefit, SafeLink Wireless is proud to offer Lifeline Service. Through our Lifeline Service you will receive FREE cellular service, a FREE cell phone, and FREE Minutes every month! SafeLink Wireless Service does not cost anything – there are no contracts, no recurring fees and no monthly charges.

Any Minutes you do not use will roll-over. Features such as caller ID, call waiting and voicemail are all also included with your service. If you need additional Minutes, you can buy TracFone Airtime Cards at any TracFone retailer Walmart, Walgreens, Family Dollar, etc). SafeLink Airtime Cards will be available soon.

Invested In War

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:33:12 GMT

clipped by: sahara
clipper's remarks: n 2004, the first full year after the current Iraq war began, Republican and Democratic lawmakers-both hawks and doves invested between $74.9 million and 161.3 million in companies under contract with the DoD.
No wonder the Democratic congress kept approving the enormous spending bills on the war, since a significant portion of it happens to end up in their deep pockets.
Interestingly, the report also mentioned that members of the senate foreign relations and armed services committees which oversee the Iraq war had between $32 million and $44 million invested in companies with DoD contracts.
The burning questions for many people are the following:

Are there any ethics left in politics?

Could the universe ever exist without wars?

The answer is no, because wars have been a major part of our social make up, in addition they force geostrategic changes, make profits for the elite, and reduce population.

Clip Source: globalresearch.ca

What do war, Congressmen, Senators, and the defense/offense industry have in common? The answer, if you haven’t already guessed is “profits.”

Conflict makes money for the military industrial complex, and the cronies they place in Congress, the Senate, and the White House.

An investigation by Ralph Forbes from American Free press reported on May 05, 2008 that more than a quarter of US senators and congressmen have invested at least $196 million of their own money in companies doing business with the Department of Defense (DoD) that profit from the death and destruction in Iraq

The report also edifies that 151 members of congress invested close to a quarter-billion dollars in companies that received defense contracts of at least $5 million in 2006. These companies got more than 275.6 billion from the government in 2006, or $755 million per day, according to Fedspending.org

contractors yielded Congress members between $15.8 million and $62 million in personal income from 2004 to 2006

Cut Military Retirement to PAY for Weapons

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:49:50 GMT

clipped by: leevardi
clipper's remarks: ...GOOD IDEA...we don't need those old "farts" anymore....the quicker they DIe, the more WEAPONS we can buy.

Clip Source: www.federaljack.com

Report: Cut Military retirement to pay for weapons

(MILITARY TIMES) A new report from an independent think tank suggests that drastic cuts are needed in personnel benefits in order to pay for weapons modernization.

Some recommendations from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments might be welcomed by service members and their families, such as a proposal to cut the cost of permanent change-of-station moves by extending tour lengths by 50 percent.

But other recommendations strike at the heart of the military pay and benefits system. The report by Todd Harrison says the promise of retired pay after 20 years is an example of the generous benefits that led to financial problems in the auto industry, requiring a government bailout.

“Few employers today offer pensions and health care benefits for retirees, must less a package that becomes effective after only 20 years of service,” Harrison wrote. “Even GM’s much-derided labor contracts did not provide benefits this rich.”

Conservative media misrepresent 30K stimulus job count

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:14:33 GMT

clipped by: nosebleedlouie

Clip Source: mediamatters.org

Conservative media misrepresent 30K stimulus job count

Following the release of preliminary data from Recovery.gov indicating that around 30,000 jobs have been created or saved through federal stimulus contracts thus far, numerous conservative media figures have distorted the report to claim or suggest that the 30,000 figure represents the sum total of jobs created by the stimulus program to date. In fact, the 30,000 figure represents only the number of jobs created through federal contracts that have been awarded with stimulus funds, which is a small fraction of the total stimulus spending, and does not represent the total job impact of the $173 billion of stimulus funds that have been spent by the government thus far.

Abolish marriage

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:56:14 GMT

clipped by: jay8h

Clip Source: www.wnd.com

Sunstein urges: Abolish marriage

Adviser compares institution to country club membership

Cass Sunstein

The U.S. government should abolish its sanctioning of marriage, argued Cass Sunstein, President Obama's regulatory czar.

Sunstein proposed that the concept of marriage should become privatized, with the state only granting civil union contracts to couples wishing to enter into an agreement.

Sunstein explained marriage licensing is unnecessary, pointing out people stay committed to organizations like country clubs and homeowner associations without any government interference.

"Under our proposal, the word marriage would no longer appear in any laws, and marriage licenses would no longer be offered or recognized by any level of government," wrote Sunstein and co-author Richard Thaler in their 2008 book, "Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth and happiness."

Stimulus jobs reporting by government in gross error

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:30:25 GMT

clipped by: pkronfield
clipper's remarks: Folks, big government is not efficient at anything. I don't care which party. To entrust your health care to big government is like depending on the Three Stooges for your finanacial well being.

Clip Source: money.cnn.com

Error in Recovery Act accounting raises doubts about government's ability to precisely track the flow of funds and jobs.

Gaffes in federal reports this week about stimulus have called into question the government's ability to accurately track how many jobs are being created by the massive $787 billion Recovery Act.

The data in Thursday's reports were filled with mistakes, including an error that made it look like a French vaccine maker received the largest stimulus contract, $1.4 billion, when in fact it has gotten an award one-100th the size.

A mistake in the very first contract listed on the site prompted doubts about the reliability of the reports.

Recovery.gov erroneously reported Thursday that French vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur had received $1.4 billion in stimulus funds from the Department of Health and Human Services. The company topped the site's list titled "Largest federal contracts in U.S."

Sanofi Pasteur said Friday that $10.4 million is the correct figure.

Tags: stimulus reporting, big government, national health care

Clipmarks | Government contracts Clips

Barbara Ehrenreich: The Swine Flu Vaccine Screw-up

Oink Report - 3 November 2009

Al Gore could become world's first carbon billionaire

Al Gore could become world's first carbon billionaire

Al Gore, the former US vice president, could become the world's first carbon billionaire after investing heavily in green energy companies.

U.S. Offshoring and Multinational Corporations

Congress Must Pass Republican Leader Boehner’s Defund ACORN Act

Any Way these Firms Can be Experts in Everything?

Government Contracts Driven By New National Security Spending

Billions of stimulus going to shoddy contractors

Stumulous jobs created were overstated by thousands

Stimulus jobs overstated by thousands

Stimulus jobs overstated by thousands

Can you hear me now????

SafeLink Wireless is a government supported programthat provides a free cell phone and airtime eachmonth for income-eligible customers.

Invested In War

Cut Military Retirement to PAY for Weapons

Report: Cut Military retirement to pay for weapons

Conservative media misrepresent 30K stimulus job count

Conservative media misrepresent 30K stimulus job count

Abolish marriage

Stimulus jobs reporting by government in gross error

SafeLink Wireless is a government supported program
that provides a free cell phone and airtime each
month for income-eligible customers.