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Butters

Katrina trailers for sale — for $5 or less

By Butters, in Speakers Corner

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BikerBabe    0

BikerBabe
let's see. based on my experience in government procurement and acquisition (which this falls under, trust me), FEMA probably had the following scenario:

1. "We have all these trailers we need to get rid of. Let's see if we can reuse or recycle them somehow"

2. OK, if you want to reuse them, they have to get inspected and certified. This will cost x dollars per trailer.

3. Dumping them will cost y dollars per trailer

4. what if we give them away to charity? Ah, legal fees for that cost z dollars per trailer.

just as a guess, x >>> z > y >>>>> $0

5. can we sell them? yes, but then you have the question of where that money goes. You cannot just "put it back in the coffer". government spending doesn't work that way.

What probably happened is somehow contracting and finance got together with legal to figure out a way to "sell" them in order to provide some kind of "slush fund" for FEMA. like for office supplies or something petty like that.

When i was working at Kirtland AFB, we tried to find a way to donate used computers to charity. The legal and contractual wrangling required was sooo tedious and costly that in the end they just sat in storage....since disposing of them was even MORE expensive due to hazmat concerns.

This is why i left my job, and why i'm trying my damnedest to find a job outside of the defense/government sector.
Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

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TomAiello    25

TomAiello
Quote

Quote

I'm happy they're actually making them pay for their trailers. It'll help pay down the new national debt.



That's just it, why not charge $500 (or $1000) instead of $5 (or less)?



I bet they'd have to reclaim the trailers and actually store them if they were to charge any real money for them.

Honestly, I had thought of the trailers as a sunk cost of the FEMA response.

I'm in favor of the government doing less in almost all cases (including this one).

But I also think they probably ought to just give the things away if some private party has a use for them. That's a lot more efficient than hauling them off to a storage yard somewhere.
-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

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rehmwa    2

rehmwa
Andi has it right. And, if one person cuts a pinky on a loose piece of flashing, look for the lawsuits.

Better off just disposing of them all than take chance on a jury verdict for liability from someone that wouldn't be grateful for the charity.

Edit: I gotta admit, though, I wish some people would come to our DZ and haul away about a fourth of the trailer-piles we have.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

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BikerBabe    0

BikerBabe

lol, it's really sad that my first thought on seeing that article in the news wasn't "wow, that's neat" or "they should sell them for more" but rather "how the heck are they getting away with that?"

[:/]

Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

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billeisele    122

billeisele
this is your big chance to "help" the government

buy a couple thousands of these babies and park them in a field then after the next hurricane this year, sell them back to FEMA for half-off whatever the new price would be

FEMA would be getting a great deal
Give one city to the thugs so they can all live together. I vote for Chicago where they have strict gun laws.

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skyjames    2

skyjames
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lol, it's really sad that my first thought on seeing that article in the news wasn't "wow, that's neat" or "they should sell them for more" but rather "how the heck are they getting away with that?"

------------------------------
uhh...
Wait a few years, then you will be able to buy a Genuine GM (Government Motors)vehicle for about the same price, then you can pull the trailer.


"exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile"
'nother james

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