Interesting window on the govt contracts. However, as I remember it, these were all no-bid contracts. So I’m dubious that the contracting officers of the govt were given any substantial opportunities for oversight.

If you pay an off-shore contractor, how much does that dollar stimulate the American economy.

Oh…it would be illegal for me to do that? Really….hmmm…isn’t that interesting…

There is no way that our government should be giving MILITARY contracts to companies outside the US. I know it has been done for decades but it’s so far beyond my comprehension that if the military is so damned important, why it’s given to people outside of our country. Especially things considered top secret (or whatever the correct phrase is).

That’s my biggest b!tch with the whole Airbus/EADS contract. There is no reason that this shouldn’t go to an American company. If the government is funding it with tax dollars all that money should be put back into America.

And any company which sets up a shell company to avoid taxes should immediately be put on a DO NOT USE list by the government. What industry does is one thing, what the country does with tax dollars is something completely different, IMHO.

I know this is out of context here, but it is a very serious issue! Rice lied about ‘The USA does not Torture’, while she was having secret meeting in the WH formulating the USA TORTURE PROGRAM. It is a crime under US law and it is a crime under International Law!!!! Please, tell everybody, don’t let this go away. Don’t be silence by a connivent MEDIA. It is a pathway to restore US’s credibility and to Heal your country which has been hurting since 9/11.

Free of the rule of law, government oversight, fiscal responsibility, and decency standards!!

If left alone, the markets will correct itself!

Free market forever! Yipee!!!

/sarc off

These contracts need to be rewritten such that there needs to be x% US citizen/permanent resident employees and that despite where they are contracted the taxes are deducted up front, off the top, prior to any payments to the company. Furthermore, there must be severe penalties, backed by posting of performance bonds, requiring completion and US government acceptance within a specified time frame.

Please, let us at least get the basic facts right. These are Godamned US citizens being hired. The law does not give a shit with foreign contractors and what the hell they do. Show some god damned reading comprehension. The God damned US firm set up the god damned foreign shell company to hire god damned US citizens. No wonder why the Republicans win. You idiots can not even get the basic facts right.

I don’t think he pushed a tax cut either.

american idolatry

Screw the thieving bastards before they screw us.

Gosh, I spent twenty five years litigating government contracts and I would not place the fault on the contracting officer. Please cite the FAR and DFAR provisions that you are relyng upon. The CO does not have a responsibility to enforce tsx law. I am also not sure where there is a requirement under FAR or DFARS that prohibits the use of non-US firms to supply personnel. There would most likely be a requirement for the contractor to provide US citizens or those with a certain US security clearance to perform certain types of tasks under the contract. The same would also be true of making a determination of whether the labor provided would constitute independent contractors. The problem here is that the employees hired were US citizens and would meet security and citizenship requirements under a contract. Please note that these were not competitive contracts. However, there should have been a requirement for submitting cost and pricing data under TINA to the CO. My guess (with some actual knowledge) is that the military was ordered to proceed with these as letter contracts due to the “exigencies” of the circumstances.

There needs to be a serious crackdown on these practices. It will not happen under the Bush government which is a government by the corporations and for the corporations. We have seen the trend of using “independent” contractor status to avoid taxes, unemployment benefits and other regulations going on for a long time in the US. It goes along with redifining poorly paid, low level workers as supervisors to evade other labor regulations.

I have long seen the dual tactics of “free marketers” who believes that capitalism demands unfettered corporate activity without regulation and then espouse that business must be truly ammoral with no regard for the impact of their activities on their country, individuals or society. Corporate PR firms will advertise their “good corporate citizenship” but freely admit in any debate that their only goal is to profit. Indeed, they will note that it is their responsibility to their shareholders to stretch the law beyond its spirit to make a profit.

It is time to read Adam Smith, the father of capitalism, who noted that societal needs had to be advanced outside of the capital system.