More Media Bias

[TheAnvil 0]

Check this out: Clicky

Reuters
Firms with Bush ties snag Katrina deals
Saturday September 10, 11:03 am ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Companies with ties to the Bush White House and the former head of FEMA are clinching some of the administration's first disaster relief and reconstruction contracts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

At least two major corporate clients of lobbyist Joe Allbaugh, President George W. Bush's former campaign manager and a former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, have already been tapped to start recovery work along the battered Gulf Coast.

One is Shaw Group Inc. (NYSE:SGR - News) and the other is Halliburton Co. (NYSE:HAL - News) subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root. Vice President Dick Cheney is a former head of Halliburton.

Bechtel National Inc., a unit of San Francisco-based Bechtel Corp., has also been selected by FEMA to provide short-term housing for people displaced by the hurricane. Bush named Bechtel's CEO to his Export Council and put the former CEO of Bechtel Energy in charge of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

Experts say it has been common practice in both Republican and Democratic administrations for policy makers to take lobbying jobs once they leave office, and many of the same companies seeking contracts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina have already received billions of dollars for work in Iraq.

Halliburton alone has earned more than $9 billion. Pentagon audits released by Democrats in June showed $1.03 billion in "questioned" costs and $422 million in "unsupported" costs for Halliburton's work in Iraq.

But the web of Bush administration connections is attracting renewed attention from watchdog groups in the post-Katrina reconstruction rush. Congress has already appropriated more than $60 billion in emergency funding as a down payment on recovery efforts projected to cost well over $100 billion.

"The government has got to stop stacking senior positions with people who are repeatedly cashing in on the public trust in order to further private commercial interests," said Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight.

So sorry Reuters! Looks like you didn't do your research! Perhaps you should have paid more attention to Dan Rather and Memogate! From Brit Hume:

Reuters reports that companies with a web of connections to the Bush administration are winning the first contracts to rebuild New Orleans. The story notes that the Shaw Group (search) of Baton Rouge, which has been awarded $200 million in clean-up contracts, employs former Bush campaign manager and FEMA director Joe Allbaugh (search) to provide "general business consulting."

The Shaw Group's founder and CEO is J.M. Bernhard of Baton Rouge, Louisiana who is the chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was co-chairman Governor Kathleen Blanco's transition committee, a fact left out of the Reuters story.

Disgusting.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[kallend 1,673]

It must be so frustrating for you..

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[FallRate 0]

Quite seriously, Kallend, it would be much more productive if you would expound on your thoughts. I have an idea of what you meant, and your position may be valid, but ambiguous quips do nothing to further the discussion.

FallRate

[kallend 1,673]

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Quite seriously, Kallend, it would be much more productive if you would expound on your thoughts. I have an idea of what you meant, and your position may be valid, but ambiguous quips do nothing to further the discussion.

FallRate

OK, I find any comparison of any of Rupert Murdoch's so-called news media with Reuters to be fatuous in the extreme.

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[akarunway 1]

Shaw is based in La. and trust me Bechtel is going to get the lions share of the work. How do I know? I work for them. Unfortunately. A short term gig. Sorriest Co. I ever worked for. Couldn't give a fuck about their men. Dollar bottem line. Fuck saftey and the guys. They cover up more shit than I can begin to tell you

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[eaglenrider 0]

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Quite seriously, Kallend, it would be much more productive if you would expound on your thoughts. I have an idea of what you meant, and your position may be valid, but ambiguous quips do nothing to further the discussion.
__________________________________________________

I find Kallends' remarks force me to think more deeply (ouch it hurts!), and to further consider the subject matter.

Blues,
Cliff

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[sundevil777 94]

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OK, I find any comparison of any of Rupert Murdoch's so-called news media with Reuters to be fatuous in the extreme.

If you can't find fault in the content, then you assume fault in the messenger.

Very weak. I'm pretty sure there is a logical fallacy or two in there.

I understand how frustrating it is for liberals to not be in power. It wasn't easy when conservatives were in the minority for so long.

When so many liberals assume that the rest of us will see what you apparently think is so obvious (Fox news should be considered less reliable than the Enquirer), will surely guarantee that liberals will remain out of power. Thanks.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[kallend 1,673]

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OK, I find any comparison of any of Rupert Murdoch's so-called news media with Reuters to be fatuous in the extreme.

When so many liberals assume that the rest of us will see what you apparently think is so obvious (Fox news should be considered less reliable than the Enquirer), will surely guarantee that liberals will remain out of power. Thanks.

When was The Enquirer taken over by Reuters?

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If you can't find fault in the content, then you assume fault in the messenger

You mean, like your criticism of The Enquirer?

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[TheAnvil 0]

Why ever would you say that, my dear kallend?

One needn't sweat finding examples of media bias in the mainstream media - they are so plentiful and obvious. Disgusting, to be true, but obvious nonetheless.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[masterblaster72 0]

If Reuters screwed up. Shame on the reporter.

That doesn't mean Fox is objective.

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Disgusting, to be true, but obvious nonetheless.

Are you referring to bias in general, or just bias that leans left? I think *all* journalistic bias, be it right or left, is disgusting and I think Rather got off easy. You know where Brit Hume stands. I'm curious to know what you think of his reporting.

Also, that Reuters f.cked up that one fact doesn't mean the others are wrong. I'm curious: being that you benefit 0% (unless you are employed by one of the companies) from these deals the reporter wrote about, what do you think of your tax dollars repeatedly going to these companies that this administration has such close ties to? Are you in favor of it? Against it?

Be humble, ask questions, listen, learn, follow the golden rule, talk when necessary, and know when to shut the fuck up.

[TheAnvil 0]

Nor does it mean Fox is non-objective. Why do you bring up Fox here, praytell?

With regards to bias being easy to find, it is most easy to find left leaning bias in the media. Since you brought up Fox, O'Reilly was slamming the hell out of the Bush administration last night - not for the first time, either. Such a right winger, eh?

Having quite of bit of knowledge myself about gov't contracting, I don't really have a problem wtih companies repeatedly winning contracts. The criteria for awarding contracts are fairly clearly spelled out in the FAR. Any company that has a problem with such an award has but to send a letter of protest to the GAO to get the matter reviewed, though for emergently awarded contracts such as these they are probably shit-out-of-luck. US$0.37 + paper&ink wouldn't really bankrupt any company with a legitimate protest, so when folks scream about such awards squelching competition due to some good-ole-boy network I tend to chuckle quite a bit.

If you've a problem with these companies repeatedly being awarded contracts, please give us a few examples of contracts they've been awarded as well as competitors and why the competitor would have been a better choice.

Truth be told, I'd like for all high $ gov't contracts to be awarded via competitive bid. Low $ too, with exceptions such as JWOD, but that isn't really feasible for myriad reasons. The hard fact is that competitive bidding is not always possible. Acquisition law realizes this and is written to accomodate that. Sometimes there is only a sole-source capable of product or service delivery in a satisfactory/timely manner.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[mnealtx 0]

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Truth be told, I'd like for all high $ gov't contracts to be awarded via competitive bid. Low $ too, with exceptions such as JWOD, but that isn't really feasible for myriad reasons. The hard fact is that competitive bidding is not always possible. Acquisition law realizes this and is written to accomodate that. Sometimes there is only a sole-source capable of product or service delivery in a satisfactory/timely manner.

But, but... that's not fair!!!

Does that mean that the local 5-employee, Small Business Initiative shop with all the politically correct and approved employees WON'T get the next contract for base support in Iraq? Oh, the HORROR!!!

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706