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I often wondered what relations are like between soldiers being paid dick, and private contractors alongside them pulling six figures to do crappy and sometimes deadly plumbing work?

Automan Empire says

I often wondered what relations are like between soldiers being paid dick, and private contractors alongside them pulling six figures to do crappy and sometimes deadly plumbing work?

I understand part of it is healthcare. If a soldier gets injured his treatment is on the taxpayer while if a contractor gets injured its on the employer. Realistically that's bullshit of course since the costs of those contractors treatment is rolled into the amount charged to the government and then some. Of course most of these contractors are ex military so we the taxpayers did the training and are now paying extra for their expertise.

It am also be a matter of propaganda. An injured or killed soldier can become a newsworthy item and lead to protests while an injured or killed contractor is too bad but hey they knew the job was dangerous.

Fucking contractors are everywhere now from janitors all the way to military....

First of all, a private contractor/consultant is a self-employed (or farmed out) worker. There's no need for a company to hire a 40-50 hour per week W-2 employee, if the work could be done in 20 hours by a contractor.

What Blackwater & Co are are a bunch of mercenaries. Those are hired rogues, not too distinct from the archetypical hit men or guns for hire.

End of Christopher Walken's 'Dogs of War':

http://www.B-vUTKgx4lo

Prior to the end, here's the battle of the Mercenaries vs the Tin Pot Dictator:

http://www.Ua1nSDaCSPg
http://www.WUaGSXy1G0w

Automan Empire says

I often wondered what relations are like between soldiers being paid dick, and private contractors alongside them pulling six figures to do crappy and sometimes deadly plumbing work?

I think some are fighting for America, others are in it to line their pockets. That's how I always saw it.