Corps asked to explain pump contract
NEW ORLEANS - When the Army Corps of Engineers solicited bids for drainage pumps for New Orleans, it copied the specifications — typos and all — from the catalog of the manufacturer that ultimately won the $32 million contract, a review of documents by The Associated Press found.
The pumps, supplied by Moving Water Industries Corp. of Deerfield Beach, Fla., and installed at canals before the start of the 2006 hurricane season, proved to be defective, as the AP reported in March. The matter is under investigation by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.
In a letter dated April 13, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., called on the Corps to look into how the politically connected company got the post-Hurricane Katrina contract. MWI employed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, President Bush's brother, to market its pumps during the 1980s, and top MWI officials have been major contributors to the Republican Party.
Once again, the Bush administration, and the Bush family are tied in with shady dealings on government contracts. I thought Halliburton and Enron were bad enough, but now it seems that they'll take advantage of every single tragedy that befalls the American people.
This is disgusting.
NEW ORLEANS - When the Army Corps of Engineers solicited bids for drainage pumps for New Orleans, it copied the specifications — typos and all — from the catalog of the manufacturer that ultimately won the $32 million contract, a review of documents by The Associated Press found.
The pumps, supplied by Moving Water Industries Corp. of Deerfield Beach, Fla., and installed at canals before the start of the 2006 hurricane season, proved to be defective, as the AP reported in March. The matter is under investigation by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.
In a letter dated April 13, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., called on the Corps to look into how the politically connected company got the post-Hurricane Katrina contract. MWI employed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, President Bush's brother, to market its pumps during the 1980s, and top MWI officials have been major contributors to the Republican Party.
Once again, the Bush administration, and the Bush family are tied in with shady dealings on government contracts. I thought Halliburton and Enron were bad enough, but now it seems that they'll take advantage of every single tragedy that befalls the American people.
This is disgusting.
posted by Lou Schwing at 6:27 PM
3 Comments:
Disgusting, yes, but are you in any way shape or form surprised?
I'm going to grab this reference for mine own blog but I will credit you appropriately.
At some level, no, I'm not surprised. I'm certainly disappointed. On the other hand, yes, I am constantly surprised not only with the brazen greed and disregard for the American people that the Bush family displays, but also with their hubris.
However, as long as we allow them to get away with these things, with no consequences, we shouldn't be surprised when it happens again.
Ah, I see that "Crony Capitalism" - a practice in which the Bush family has long engaged to the fullest extent possible - is still alive and well ...
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