Government bad, private sector good...right?

NYT: "Without a public debate or formal policy decision, contractors have become a virtual fourth branch of government...The contracting explosion raises questions about propriety, cost and accountability that have long troubled watchdog groups and are coming under scrutiny from the Democratic majority in Congress. While flagrant cases of fraud and waste make headlines, concerns go beyond outright wrongdoing."

Comments

[The CA]

Perhaps if government had a truly open bidding process, there wouldn't be this trouble. The Democrats might want to be careful about what they find under those rocks, particularly because they are in bed with labor. If government contracts are a racket, they helped invent it.

[Ed Cone]

Absolutely the Dems helped invent it, as the linked article makes clear, and graft and incompetence know no party affiliation. However, as the amount spent on contractors has doubled under Bush, and the present admin has an ideological reason for the boost, it's not quite as simple as "everyone does it."

[pfknc]

I think there is a strong correlation between the large increase in the amount of government outsourcing and its accompanying lack of accountability that ties directly to the greased palms policies of our Congressional representatives and the K Street lobbyists. It crosses party lines, political affiliation, liberal or conservative trends, former WH staff, former civilian and uniformed Pentagon employees all are feasting on the trend that has grossly accelerated in the last 6 years.

Pigs feeding at the public trough - the taxpayer is being screwed royally.

[The CA]

Agreed. The question is what the solution will be. As long as government is passing out the goodies to gain favors, the problem will go on in a bipartisan manner. You first have to get rid of the preferences, whether they be corporate, labor, or social. Open the process up entirely, and you will go a long way towards cleaning up this problem. The problem is the market isn't being allowed to be the market.

[David Boyd]

If the government is going to take on a task, it's better to outsource the task to the private sector. At least you get some potential benefits of competition assuming the bidding is on the level as Sam suggests. However, what's far more important is that it's still the government deciding where to direct resources.

As far as the Republicans/Democrats angle on this, I blame Republicans far more than Democrats for inherent problems of fraud and abuse. They've pulled a bait and switch the last several years by saying they believe in smaller government/more competition, but doing exactly the opposite.

[David Wharton]

If the government is contracting for it, it's not "private sector." It's "government spending."

[The CA]

"They've pulled a bait and switch the last several years by saying they believe in smaller government/more competition, but doing exactly the opposite."

Exactly why so many rank and file Republicans are mad at them and why enough of them stayed home or voted Democrat on election day to cause a change in Congress. There is no question the GOP has lost its way. But Gingrich will be running for President and at the very least, it will force the other candidates to confront the Republican betrayal of the conservative values that put them in power in the first place. If they can't figure this out and get it straight, they deserve to lose again.

[Connie Mack Jr]

Absolutely the Dems helped invent it, as the linked article makes clear, and graft and incompetence know no party affiliation.*Ed

Wow! That is great news. Now the Wig Party can claim they were pure as the Republican Party during the War of Northern Agression.