My Reality: Most of Blackwater's work with the U.S.Government is based on "no-bid" contracts that rely on political connections.- Hmmm. Where do I start? Oh yeah, I already did. MOST OF THE AFFOREMENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE STATES THE CONTRARY! Here is an excerpt from an article in Mother Jones Magazine:
DynCorp, a Virginia-based military and technology company that receives more than 96 percent of its $2 billion in annual revenues from the federal government, wrote more than a dozen checks to the Republican National Committee over the past three years and made dozens of other contributions to key Capitol Hill lawmakers on committees that deal with defense issues.
The firms also maintain platoons of Washington lobbyists to help keep government contracts headed their way. In 2001, according to the most recent federal disclosure forms, 10 private military companies spent more than $32 million on lobbying. DynCorp retained two lobbying firms that year to successfully block a bill that would have forced federal agencies to justify private contracts on cost-saving grounds. MPRI's parent company, L-3 Communications, had more than a dozen lobbyists working on its behalf, including Linda Daschle, wife of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle. Last year L-3 won $1.7 billion in Defense Department contracts.
The campaign cash and personal connections give private military companies an unusual degree of influence, even by Washington standards. In at least one case, a company has successfully shifted U.S. foreign policy to bolster its bottom line. In 1998, the government of Equatorial Guinea asked MPRI to evaluate its defense systems, particularly its need for a coast guard to protect its oil reserves. To do so, MPRI needed a license from the U.S. State Department. But the Clinton administration flatly rejected the company's request, citing the West African nation's egregious record of torturing and murdering political dissidents.
MPRI launched a full-scale blitz to overturn the decision, quietly dispatching company officials to work the hallways of the Pentagon, State Department, and Capitol. "This is the kind of lobbying that's surgically executed," says Rep. Schakowsky. "This is not something they want a wide discussion on in Congress." MPRI's executives argued that the United States should be engaging Equatorial Guinea, both to improve its record on human rights and to ensure access to its oil reserves. It didn't hurt that the company could effectively pull rank, citing its extensive military experience. "Remember, these are high-level four-star generals, who can really make an argument that this is consistent with foreign policy," says Deborah Avant, an international-affairs expert at George Washington University.
So what makes Blackwater any different? I think this kind of thing goes on more so with Prince's company due to even better connections and more money than God!
Their Myth: Every one of our contracts was based on Blackwater’s merits and capability to do the job. No-bid contracts result from urgent and compelling needs of the U.S. Government; not political connections. The few contracts that were not bid account for only a few percent of our revenue—more than 90% of our contracts, and our revenue, came via competitive bidding.- Blackwater USA website
Well I guess I stand corrected. (laughter)
My Reality: Blackwater contractors earn much more money than members of the U.S. Armed Forces.- In an article in 2006 by Bill Sizemore he stated:
Private military contractors can earn substantially more money than members of the armed services.
A Government Accountability Office study last year found that contractors were earning $12,000 to $13,000 a month working on security convoys in Iraq and as much as $33,000 a month guarding high-ranking government officials.
That compares to $4,670 in monthly base pay and housing allowance earned by a typical Navy SEAL with 10 years of experience – the sort of person private military companies like to hire.
"The Navy will never compete financially with the civilian sector in sheer monetary terms," said Lt. Taylor Clark, a spokesman for the Naval Special Warfare Command. But Clark said an assortment of extra incentives, including re-enlistment bonuses up to $90,000, have helped the Navy keep SEALs in uniform.- Virginian-Pilot
Military officials say assignments can pay from a few hundred dollars to as much as $1,000 a day. I know our guys doing the groundwork over there don't make anywhere near this, since most of them are fresh out of bootcamp now.
Security contractors can also buy a $100,000 life insurance policy through the Uniformed Services Benefit Association that specializes in insurance for military personnel. Blackwater covers $361 of its contractors' first annual premium.
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