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NSA wastes our money,makes us unsafe,violates Constitution, falsely charges hero
2012 Aug 18, 5:26pm 1,162 views 2 comments
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Shaman
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2012 Aug 18, 6:28pm
Hmm, interesting. But the article you linked to was written in May of last year, old news? Unsurprising that big defense spending would lead to corruption in government, seeing as how government employees make the decisions and thus have billions at stake in their decision tree. All the focus on lobbyists is at the congressional level, but where it really heats up is at the regulatory level.
lostand confused
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2012 Aug 18, 9:54pm
Well, we spend more on defense than the rest of the world combined. I am surprised they didn't kill this hero outright.
I don't know about defense, but have a good idea about IT. Back in the day, when it was full time employees, people got the work done and not much waste. But with the shift to outsourcing/offshoring etc. there is monumental waste. The focus is to get as much billable hours as possible and the best way, is to make it as muddled and confusing as possible. If any employee in the company actually understands what is going on, they try their best to get rid of him, so they can continue their scheme. Then the chain of managers can continue getting their kickbacks and the mess continues.
The defense industry sounds the same. I think I was reading that it was Halliburton -or some company-that when they had a flat tire, instead of fixing the flat or changing tires, they changed the whole truck. Becuase they got a highger percentage of profit for a new truck, than a tire. Then there was this Major or General who asked his troops to wash their underwear more frequently-because the company that got the contract complained that they were not getting enough underwear to wash. Also when they were building a bridge in iraq and a local company quoted about 30k and one of ours quoted 30 million and the 30 million got the contract.
They survive on big contracts and will do anything to protect that cash flow coming in. I have seen in IT, where many a good manager/worker was laid off/fired, when they dared open their mouth about the absolute waste these vendors indulge in. I have seen some projects that took 1 year or more and multiple resources, but could be done by 1 person in a few weeks.
I think the old adage-follow the money-is very apt here. The defense industry here makes more money from government than any other and there is revolving door of lobbyists, congress critters and private corporations-so they are just one big giant web. I am surprised they let him live.
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http://www.whistleblower.org/blog/31/1128
Your government wastes billions of dollars a year on a project, Trailblazer, that failed to protect America and violates everyone's basic Constitutional rights. Meanwhile, it killed a much smaller and less expensive project, Thinthread, that cost just a few million and would have prevented 9/11, and it didn't violate the Constitution.
And the whistle blowers who revealed this truth? Your government raided their homes at gunpoint, pulled one of them out of the shower with a gun to his head, and attempted to charge a lifetime protector of the U.S. with treason and espionage. That man, Thomas Drake, was a soldier and dedicated worker at the NSA and they turned on him in a second.
The trumped up charged were later dropped when 60 minutes and other news agencies ran the story exposing that the NSA was persecuting a hero who was exposing corruption, fraud, and failure at the NSA, and doing so to make America safer.
And the cause of all that corruption and failure? NSA careers are based on getting big, expensive projects. So, shouldn't the Tea Party and the small government types oppose big spying?
The NSA does not deserve the support of the American people. The NSA does not have your safety or interests in mind. The primary mission of the NSA is keep the NSA funded with as much of your tax dollars as possible. The NSA looks out only for the NSA. NSA: Nazis Subjugating America.