Kick contractors out of ME & let Soldiers do their jobs

[shintao]

Seems we are paying troops to sit on their asses in the ME and living the life of Shintao here at home. The difference is, I pay my own way and you pay the troops way. What is wrong with a troop digging a hole to climb in, do his own laundry or make his own meals? We are spending billions to give these guys the easy life. This isn't about his combat duties, it is his domestic duties. We did our own shit in nam or paid to have it done from our own pocket. We got about 1 hot a week if we were lucky, made by our own troops, not some gourmet chef. Look at this despicable spending record. Those troops won't be setting around worry about politics and other morale busters.

U.S. SPENDING IN IRAQ

Spent & Approved War-Spending - About $900 billion of US taxpayers' funds spent or approved for spending through November 2010.

Lost & Unaccounted for in Iraq - $9 billion of US taxpayers' money and $549.7 milion in spare parts shipped in 2004 to US contractors. Also, per ABC News, 190,000 guns, including 110,000 AK-47 rifles.

Missing - $1 billion in tractor trailers, tank recovery vehicles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and other equipment and services provided to the Iraqi security forces. (Per CBS News on Dec 6, 2007.)

Mismanaged & Wasted in Iraq - $10 billion, per Feb 2007 Congressional hearings

Halliburton Overcharges Classified by the Pentagon as Unreasonable and Unsupported - $1.4 billion

Amount paid to KBR, a former Halliburton division, to supply U.S. military in Iraq with food, fuel, housing and other items - $20 billion

Portion of the $20 billion paid to KBR that Pentagon auditors deem "questionable or supportable" - $3.2 billion

U.S. 2009 Monthly Spending in Iraq - $7.3 billion as of Oct 2009

U.S. 2008 Monthly Spending in Iraq - $12 billion

U.S. Spending per Second - $5,000 in 2008 (per Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on May 5, 2008)

Cost of deploying one U.S. soldier for one year in Iraq - $390,000 (Congressional Research Service)


Iraq War Facts, Statistics at November 30, 2010 - Iraq War Casualties, Spending

As of March 2010, there were 95,461 DOD contractor personnel in Iraq compared to approximately 95,900 uniformed personnel in-country. Despite fluctuations throughout the last seven quarters, troop and contractor levels have remained relatively equal. Contractors made up approximately 50% of the Pentagon's workforce in Iraq as of the second quarter of 2010.

Contractors perform a wide range of services in Iraq. As of March 2010, 62,295 personnel (65% of contractors) performed base support functions such as maintaining the grounds, running dining facilities, and performing laundry services. Security was the second most common service provided, with 11,610 personnel (12% of contractors). Combined, these two categories accounted for almost 80% of Pentagon contractors in Iraq.


Private Contractors and Troops in Iraq - Contractors, Mercenaries and U.S. Troops in Iraq

 

[kyzr]

IF war breaks out in Korea, the Iraq and AFG exercises will be canceled. Then again, what will China do? IMHO, China likes doing business with US more than going to war with the US.

 

[Granny]

My son has a quick retort to those who tell him he's their employee because they pay his salary:

Hell, I'm self-employed - I pay my own salary.

 

[Toome]

I remember when the Army first began outsourcing many of these tasks back in the early 90's. The way it was explained to me was that a lot of jobs were being civilianized in order to allow soldiers to focus more on their combat duties.

 

[daveman]

I remember when the Army first began outsourcing many of these tasks back in the early 90's. The way it was explained to me was that a lot of jobs were being civilianized in order to allow soldiers to focus more on their combat duties.

Indeed. And that's what it's about.

Hey, lefties: You can get outraged over the use of contractors in the Middle East, or you can get outraged over the number of active-duty military. You can't do both.

 

[editec]

And I thought Joe Heller was trying to be funny when he created the MILO MIDERBINDER character.

Little did I know he was being prophetic.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Seems we are paying troops to sit on their asses in the ME and living the life of Shintao here at home. The difference is, I pay my own way and you pay the troops way. What is wrong with a troop digging a hole to climb in, do his own laundry or make his own meals? We are spending billions to give these guys the easy life. This isn't about his combat duties, it is his domestic duties. We did our own shit in nam or paid to have it done from our own pocket. We got about 1 hot a week if we were lucky, made by our own troops, not some gourmet chef. Look at this despicable spending record. Those troops won't be setting around worry about politics and other morale busters.

U.S. SPENDING IN IRAQ

Spent & Approved War-Spending - About $900 billion of US taxpayers' funds spent or approved for spending through November 2010.

Lost & Unaccounted for in Iraq - $9 billion of US taxpayers' money and $549.7 milion in spare parts shipped in 2004 to US contractors. Also, per ABC News, 190,000 guns, including 110,000 AK-47 rifles.

Missing - $1 billion in tractor trailers, tank recovery vehicles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and other equipment and services provided to the Iraqi security forces. (Per CBS News on Dec 6, 2007.)

Mismanaged & Wasted in Iraq - $10 billion, per Feb 2007 Congressional hearings

Halliburton Overcharges Classified by the Pentagon as Unreasonable and Unsupported - $1.4 billion

Amount paid to KBR, a former Halliburton division, to supply U.S. military in Iraq with food, fuel, housing and other items - $20 billion

Portion of the $20 billion paid to KBR that Pentagon auditors deem "questionable or supportable" - $3.2 billion

U.S. 2009 Monthly Spending in Iraq - $7.3 billion as of Oct 2009

U.S. 2008 Monthly Spending in Iraq - $12 billion

U.S. Spending per Second - $5,000 in 2008 (per Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on May 5, 2008)

Cost of deploying one U.S. soldier for one year in Iraq - $390,000 (Congressional Research Service)


Iraq War Facts, Statistics at November 30, 2010 - Iraq War Casualties, Spending

As of March 2010, there were 95,461 DOD contractor personnel in Iraq compared to approximately 95,900 uniformed personnel in-country. Despite fluctuations throughout the last seven quarters, troop and contractor levels have remained relatively equal. Contractors made up approximately 50% of the Pentagon's workforce in Iraq as of the second quarter of 2010.

Contractors perform a wide range of services in Iraq. As of March 2010, 62,295 personnel (65% of contractors) performed base support functions such as maintaining the grounds, running dining facilities, and performing laundry services. Security was the second most common service provided, with 11,610 personnel (12% of contractors). Combined, these two categories accounted for almost 80% of Pentagon contractors in Iraq.


Private Contractors and Troops in Iraq - Contractors, Mercenaries and U.S. Troops in Iraq

Absolutely!!!!!!

Between BUSHCO's accounting-skills.....​

"Iraq was awa$h in ca$h - in dollar bills. Piles and piles of money," says Frank Willis, a former senior official with the governing Coalition Provisional Authority. "We played football with some of the bricks of $100 bills before delivery. It was a wild-west crazy atmosphere, the likes of which none of us had ever experienced."

The environment created by the coalition positively encouraged corruption. "American law was suspended, Iraqi law was suspended, and Iraq basically became a free fraud zone," says Alan Grayson, a Florida-based attorney who represents whistleblowers now trying to expose the corruption. "In a free fire zone you can shoot at anybody you want. In a free fraud zone you can steal anything you like. And that was what they did."

.....and, the FACT that insurgents would take-out their REVENGE on U.S. troops....for murders committed by CONTRACTOR$....

*

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqM4tKPDlR8[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqEzExaI48Q[/ame]

*

.....and, then, there's.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chXjCtkymRQ&feature=related[/ame]

Let The PROS do all-the-work....the U.S. Military!!!!!​

 

[Sallow]

I remember when the Army first began outsourcing many of these tasks back in the early 90's. The way it was explained to me was that a lot of jobs were being civilianized in order to allow soldiers to focus more on their combat duties.

Indeed. And that's what it's about.

Hey, lefties: You can get outraged over the use of contractors in the Middle East, or you can get outraged over the number of active-duty military. You can't do both.

Iraq's been a big cluster fuck from beginning to end. And I am not even talking about the argument of whether we should have invaded or not..it was a crime to invade. But that aside what could possibly be going through the minds of an administration that:
-Disbands an army of 300k people.
-Disbands all police forces.
-Criminalizes the only political party in the country.
-Fires all public employees.
-De-nationalizes formerly nationalized industry and then sells them to foreign concerns.
-Hires foreign nationals as truck drivers and other high paying jobs while there is massive unemployment.
-Fails miserably to provide the same level of public services available prior the invasion.

Even today..oil rich Iraq doesn't have power available to Iraqis at the same level they did during the Hussien Regime. Bush really screwed the pooch here.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

I remember when the Army first began outsourcing many of these tasks back in the early 90's. The way it was explained to me was that a lot of jobs were being civilianized in order to allow soldiers to focus more on their combat duties.

I'd say the Cheney-ver$ion was a little-more profit-driven.....

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7S8TRIyDjs[/ame]

$$$$$

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jej2yvQpMig&feature=related[/ame]​

 

[Mr. Shaman]

I remember when the Army first began outsourcing many of these tasks back in the early 90's. The way it was explained to me was that a lot of jobs were being civilianized in order to allow soldiers to focus more on their combat duties.

Indeed. And that's what it's about.

Ah, yes.....at least....that's what "They say....", right???

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cJlJudDtVE&feature=related[/ame]​