Do No Evil – The Government Printing Office's decision to export the work has proved lucrative, allowing the agency to book more than $100 million in recent profits by charging the State Department more money for blank passports than it actually costs to make them, according to interviews with federal officials and documents obtained by The Times.
A question I have is why did they outsource it to another country? Why didn't they at least have an American company do the work which might help our economy? I guess $600 to everyone is a better choice:)
I thought capitalism and a free-market economy was supposed to make things more affordable. Now it seems it just makes everything cost 10 times as much with the money going to BushCo's best friends while putting our nation's security at risk.
I don't know we can blame only Bush for this one, Clinton did sign NAFTA, and those running these agencies like the GPO can be running them through many administrations. So you never know if they're from the same party as the President or controlling Congress, and it would seem from what we see here and the reaction of Congress that they don't need the approval of anyone to do what they want to do. That said, this is truly a moronic thing for anyone, in any position in our government, to be doing
None of the mentioned countries are part of NAFTA and electronic passports didn't exist in the Clinton years.
True, but outsourcing has become a big thing since NAFTA. I know you'd like to blame Bush, and only Bush, but again, lot of things we see now started anywhere from a year to 4, or maybe more decades ago.
They didn't go into much detail on where the passports were made but mentioned Tailand and other "overseas" companies. That would exclude NAFTA right? It's sort of a moot point since outsourcing is a big thing now adays...
The outsourcing will only go on for so long, tho. At some point things will shift in the other direction. Always do...
Cool Zap, Clinton didn't create the NAFTA agreement, that was our beloved Ronald (de Chimp) Reagan. You remember him? Iran Contra? Ol' "Zip Lock" push NAFTA to break the unions; creating this thing called "illegal immigrants" across our borders. Don't blame the people who came north looking for a better life! Blame the ba$tards who set it up, then let us fix the damned problem. Gotta' love those Republicans. They know how to screw-up, then blame somebody else.
Any other history you care to re-write so it's not a Dem, or not Clinton...
"NAFTA becomes law -- December 8, 1993
President Clinton signs into law the North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The pact, which takes effect January 1, 1994, lowers or eliminates tariffs and removes other trade restrictions between the three countries."
http://www.cnn.com/resources/video.almanac/1993...
http://encarta.msn.com/media_701507082_76156434...
I'll give you that Reagan came up with the idea, but it was signed into law, over a decade later, by who...
NORTH AMERICAN TIMELINE
1980: Ronald Reagan voices idea for North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) â;; the concept of a "free-trade" agreement is mentioned by Ronald Reagan during his presidential campaign. www.Wikipedia.com
(cont)
Please know that we can and *should* blame only Bush for this one. The conjobs in power the last 8 years have deliberately set out to destroy almost every government agency not directly related to the military or defense. We're to believe that the wonderful amazing infallible (and totally unregulated) free market will magically keep everything in balance and privatization is the way to go.
In fact, what Bush is demonstrating by appointing incompetent people and allowing agencies like FEMA, Justice, the Courts, EPA, FDA (to name a few) to self-destruct is what we will see if we privatize all government functions: A continued lack of oversight or accountability and more of the right's same dangerous and destructive profit-at-any-cost philosophy. Even blind people should be able to see that government under this administration is far, FAR worse than under previous presidencies and it's not by accident.
buff,
I completely agree.
Many American companies have been outsourcing work for years to the detriment of American workers. Each time I hear some company CEO or CIO go to Washington and ask for more H1B visas because there's a shortage of technical workers in this country, my blood begins to boil.
If the U.S. government wanted to save money there are far better secure work that it can outsource than this one. As a matter of fact, there's a lot of pork and subsidies to large corporations that can be cut from our budget that would save our tax dollars.
As stupid as this is, did anyone really expect the government to handle things any differently?
Well, yes, I would with any other administration than Privatize George's.
Exactly, I would expect our government to perform the duties that clearly the government should handle internally.
BUT, I'm not suprised. bushco has been working to privatize as much of government as possible. This is yet another example of why that is bad.
"bushco has been working to privatize as much of government as possible."
Which is why I think he deserves another 4-year term. Too bad the Constitution doesn't allow it. Just as he was obliterating the sheer WASTE of government welfare, culling down the monumental payroll of USELESS government bureaucrats, and removing do-nothing programs that have SUCKED our tax dollars for years - his term comes to an end.
Fortunately, the corruption, the in-fighting and the colossal ineffectiveness of the Democratic Party has shown the majority of the American people that Hilldebeast and Obomb-out should be kept from getting in office, and hastening our slide toward Socialism.
Funny you mention waste. The $100 million in profit is a waste. That money comes out of OUR pockets.
The $100 million in profit also illistrates my point. Privatizing government simply opens up the opportunity for companys to make profit where none is being made. Put another way, privatization makes everything cost MORE. Not less. How is that good?
Puhleeeeese...
Talk about waste of money...the Iraq war is the best definition of sheer waste in this country in the last 5 years. Considering it SUCKS millions of dollars a day from us, and even more importantly cost us over 4000 American LIVES (not to mention the thousands of Iraqies), it's evident that what SUCKS here is the BUSH administration. Thank GOD he can't get another 4-year term. He's lucky the Supreme Court gave him his first, and I can't wait for his 2nd to end.
Sir,
Before you complain about the amount of money and lives the war costs us you should probably consider that illegals cost us more a year than we have spent on the war since day one, and that 9125 Americans die at their hands annually. That number is from the FBI and does not include the thousands who die or become ill from diseases that are brought into this country by these invaders.
tang,
Yes!
I expect for our government to do the right thing by all of us, not finagle, lie, obfuscate, and disrespect our rights and intelligence. But, this administration has failed in so many ways that frankly it doesn't surprise me in the least. We got the government that we deserve, at least for some of us.
While we are at it, could we just outsource our government. We would save a bundle and probably achieve the same results.
I hate to admit that I don't know a lot about everyone who started on this run for the presidency, but isn't that really what Ron Paul was suggesting? And I don't mean that in a bad way. I just kind of thought Mr. Paul was suggesting that the Federal Government should be down sized to a minimum, putting the real 'government' in the hands of the people.
FTA
"Officials at GPO, the Homeland Security Department and the State Department played down such concerns, saying they are confident that regular audits and other protections already in place will keep terrorists and foreign spies from stealing or copying the sensitive components to make fake passports."
I don't mean to be defending politicians but if you check you'll see these decisions are being made by unelected career bureaucrats. Actually, our elected officials run very little in D.C.
I can't believe I am agreeing with Wolfie and Dropkick in the same week but your right, even if the elected politicians change directions it is the same bureaucrats who run these departments and if the politicians go against national policies it's there responsibility to set them strait. One must wonder if there is much money changing hands when contracts are handed out to companies outside the country, companies will pay large kickbacks for contracts like these. I think this illustrates just what I have been saying for a while, the government has thrown away any rule book and is making up the rules as they go.
Is there anything left to out source from our country? Out sourcing crime would be nice, some used car dealerships, mortgage loan companies specializing in sub-prime loans, talk show hosts, some reality TV shows, the Dallas Cowboys.... But out sourcing our passport production seems, well, stupid.
Outsourcing crime has been around for years, look at the mob, Italian or Sicilian, Asian gangs from Japan, China and Vietnam, or the drug runners from Columbia or Jamaica. Much of the floor planing is done by offshore banks at car dealers for years and alot of TV personalities in Hollywood are not even American and never will be. BTW I agree with you your nations security should never be outsources but what do we know,,,,right.
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Yes, I heard that on the news this afternoon, I almost spewed tea all over! There is nothing like oursourcing our security, is there????...:[
No telling who has a passport, now! Who is in charge of that office?
Thanks zaph!
after reading this part of the story...
""Aside from the fact that we have fully vetted and qualified vendors, we also note that the materials are moved via a secure transportation means, including armored vehicles," GPO spokesman Gary Somerset said.
But GPO Inspector General J. Anthony Ogden, the agency's internal watchdog, doesn't share that confidence. He warned in an internal Oct. 12 report that there are "significant deficiencies with the manufacturing of blank passports, security of components, and the internal controls for the process.""
It appears NO ONE is in charge, or no one wants to admit it was their idea.
My Lord almighty what in the heck is going on????????
FTA: raising concerns that cost savings are being put ahead of national security.........
We shouldn't be outsourcing our jobs ( IE manufacturing of pet toys, kid toys, food, etc) and we most certainly shouldn't be outsourcing ANYTHING TO DO WITH OUR SECURITY NO MATTER HOW MUCH DANGED MONEY WE SAVE.
Stupid boneheads.
Security is not a real issue then; money and profit is.
Long live the Capitalist Monarchy.