Obama vows to tackle government contracting

This makes me hopeful; he's recognizing the problems bit by bit, and sharing the solutions with us. More of this!

http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/obama-vows-to-tackle-government-contracting-2008-09-22.html

Obama vows to tackle government contracting
By Klaus Marre
Posted: 09/22/08 12:52 PM


Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama pledged to save the government tens of billions of dollars by cutting back on federal contracts.

According to a new plan that the Illinois senator’s campaign released ahead of a speech in Wisconsin on Monday, Obama wants to “cut federal spending on contracts by at least 10 percent." The campaign noted that spending on contracts has ballooned under Bush, doubling to $412 billion last year.

“The federal government’s ability to manage contracts has not kept up with the increase in the volume and complexity of federal contracts,” the campaign said. “Barack Obama will hire more contract managers and improve training. He also will ensure that contract oversight remains within the federal government so that a contract’s oversight is not outsourced to a business partner of the company doing the contract’s work.”

In addition, the campaign said, an Obama administration would audit more large contracts, “end abusive no-bid contracts and minimize 'cost-plus' contracts.

“Barack Obama will require each federal agency to defend each of its noncompetitive contracts to the Office of Management and Budget,” the campaign’s proposal said. “In addition, cost-plus contracts have increased more than 75 percent under the Bush administration. These contracts are vulnerable to waste because they provide no incentive to control costs. Obama will encourage the use of fixed-cost or incentive-based contracts and when cost-plus contracts are necessary, force agencies to use mitigating procedures like incentives tied to performance goals and cost savings.”

Lastly, the campaign said Obama would not award contracts to companies that are tax delinquent.

"...Section 2(b)(3) designating financial institutions as financial agents of the Government, and they shall perform all such reasonable duties related to this Act as financial agents of the Government as may be required of them ..."

This appears to allow the Bush Administrain free rein in selecting any "agents" or private contractors to handle the purchase of bad mortgage assets and other dubious financial instruments on behalf of the government. Will this involve the privatization of the entire process and the appointment of Bush crony companies with more no-bid contracts charging exhorbitant fees for their services? Is there any doubt about this?

that's not indicated in there. Gawd, I hope this proposed bailout is gone over with a fine tooth comb. x(

She's even suggesting that the Bush Administration might select the failing banks to be appointed agents to handle the details of the bail out of themselves. Considering who the President is right now, I wouldn't be surprised if that happened.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4057103&mesg_id=4057103

McClatchy: Can you trust a Wall Street veteran with a Wall Street bailout?

Seems lots of people are catching on...

Why not as a first resort set up a structure in which the healthier financial institutions bail out the failing ones? Every financial institution will suffer if the economy collapses. Every financial institution will benefit from the bail-out, whether they are the ones being bailed out or not.

Bush should be telling the healthier banks like Bank of America, Citicorp, and Wells Fargo that THEY will disintegrate if the economy dies. He should offer the Secretary of the Treasury as an assistant in organizing a massive bail out of private sector by the private sector. He should be scaring the private sector first. Instead, Bush is threatening and scaring the crap out of the American taxpayer.

Sub contractors funneling back donations - just ask my Congressman Duke Cunningham now prisoner 5890333