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April 21, 2003
Dumb Questions
Depending on your view of government procurement, the questions being asked in Congress are either provocative and opening a can of worms or dumb and disingenuous. Bob Herbert writes:
Among those in Congress who are beginning to challenge this loathsome process is Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who is one of the lead sponsors of a bipartisan bill that would require a public explanation of any decision to award Iraqi reconstruction contracts without a "fully open, competitive bidding process."In an interview, he said, "You look at this process, which is secret, limited or closed bidding, and you have to ask yourself: `Why are these companies being picked? How's this process taking place, and is this the best use of scarce taxpayer money at a time when seniors can't afford medicine, kids are having trouble getting access to a quality education and local communities are just getting pounded? The administration has been keeping the taxpayers in the dark with respect to how this money is being used, and that information ought to be shared."
Exactly how many companies can you name who can put out oilwell fires and rebuild sewage plants? Not many. But building new cities and malltowns is an American specialty, just ask your neighborhood contractor. I'm a contractor, but I've never done government work. In fact, I've not, for 15 years, worked in a company which can do business with the Feds. They have been too small. It takes a small army to sell to the Army. It has everything to do with the enormous amounts of paperwork and bureacratic phlegm required. Understanding how to get government business is an arcane art which has little to do with capitalism. Anyone who prepares their own taxes should have an idea how complicated it is to pay the government. Imagine what it's like trying to get the government to pay you.
I'm all for the Iraqis getting nice schools in their local communities, medicines and fresh water. Certainly they will send us a list of their priorities. And we will build them, and we will pay for it. And they will do business with America. This strikes many as a horrible thing, not me.
Posted by mbowen at April 21, 2003 07:02 AM
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