Posted on 12/31/2005 6:13:21 AM PST by johnmecainrino
"GOP is asleep at the switch."
Ever since the GOP won the majority in Congress in '94, I'ver been hearing this line.
There is only one way to view this. Either the GOP has become grossly incompetent, or they have not. I find it difficult to believe that Republican Party "strategies" are the result of stupidity.
But if it is not stupidity, what is it? That could only be answered with some very ugly "realities".
Safety codes don't require Swedish granite countertops in areas not accessible to the public.
About 20 members of the governor's staff – who focus on constituent services, children's issues, women's policies and other functions – will work on the newly restored floor.
Reads like the officespace would be better suited to use as an emergency command center. Situating these work functions in the penthouse of the capital has to be the most inefficient placement of social functions anywhere in the state.
the governor's top aides considered not fixing the 6th floor.....But the sixth floor project was bid six days before Hurricane Katrina came ashore .. on Aug. 29.
If the project was bid on that date, when was the bid opening and generally there is a minimum 2 week buffer to insure all bid bonding had been cleared. There are generally other contractual elements that afford the offeror mechanisms to void the project even after award with minimal cost.
Clarke said he became concerned that the state could be sued successfully if the restoration project were shut down.
The contracting officer for the state simply has to identify the costs caused by the government from canceling the project for the good of the offeror. Those costs are typically about $1500-$3k for the bid bond. No more than 25% overhead and profit and perhaps some prepurchased materials if ordered in advance for a rapidly paced project even if the government decided to roll over in the grave without any recourse.
Considering the act of God and the state government control of future contract offers to specific contractors, I reasonably wouldn't foresee a cost of more than about $15k to resolve the possible conflict, and if the contractor wanted favorable status during a time of numerous large repair contracts about to be lent, he probably would offer to rescope the project to elsewhere with minmal profit,..to help the public without cost to him.
"...these renovations would be a very low priority."
A good contracting officer should know the difference between will and shall, would and should.
"The floor had not been improved since the early 1980s and the space needed to be upgraded to meet safety codes, Clarke said. "
So the safety of the governor's pet aides in an office is unforegivably important, while corpses are allowed to rot in areas she has condemned and refuses any entry, let alone funding to perform emergency service..... this speaks volumes to a let them eat cake mentality of the Landreiu regieme.
MeeMaw BLANK-O= Stuck on Stupid
Which one is she?
The only reason I observe for the Blanco crew to allow the project is that they had minimal number of pet projects where they could control kickbacks for some added new year bonuses to their personal coffers. If they cancelled the project, they would limit the amount of kickbacks they could receive to low 5 digit, while if they allow it to continue, with the hurrican as justification, they might foresee a 6 figure pushing 7 figure change order and series of kickbacks.
This project looks like it started with personal nepotism and there is no satiation of greed amongst these types of socialists. I strongly doubt if the project was competitively bid, but their team probably has sufficient control to avoid accountablity for their actions.
This is the type of malfeasance that sneaks up on corrupt government officials. They manipulate the system for ulterior motives, succeed in their involvement, then simply believe the system will carry them through after their involvement and leaving themselves with some leverage for even further manipulation once they get away with it the first time.
But the sixth floor project was bid six days before Hurricane Katrina came ashore near Buras on Aug. 29. Clarke said he became concerned that the state could be sued successfully if the restoration project were shut down.
Clarke is full of s__t and is lying through his teeth.
Just because the project was bid means squat. No letters of award were issued, nor contracts signed. Nobody could sue the state - period.
And even IF contracts were signed, the most the state would be out per 'most' standard AIA contracts - depending on how the supplemental conditions were written, would be the "reasonable profit" 'expected' by the contractors. The max allowed is usually is around 12% or $67,781.00 in this case (at least in IL).
And from personal experience, contractotrs love it when work is deleted or canceled after contracts are signed, as there is zero chance of a loss (your estimated labor is the big bugaboo). You submit an invoice and final waiver, get your 'profit' money and say thank you.
Somebody in LA should be screaming about this, it stinks to high heaven.
She commandeered the rest of the states busses after converting the NO voting machines into subaquatic land sculptures.
On I-10 between Beaumont & Houston there are a lot of yellow submarines with for sale signs covering the school locations on the sides. I nearly ran off the road laughing.
Nothing like, take care of yourself first!
......She is not only incompetent but she is also a partisan hack......
She also reads too much Southern Living and watches too much H&G TV.
It's hard to believe that there are sill a few Americans who do not know that our politicians live literally like royalty. They have free medical service, servants (aides) people to drive them around in limos, fly around in corporate jets, have private cooks, secretaries, and others who answer their every whim, and these are the underlings..
The key to great wealth in America today is to gain high political office. Even village clerks in small hamlets reward themselves generously out of public funds, legally and illegally.
LA city council members pay themselves $150,000 a year for example.
Go into any politicians' office and you will find that the drapes on the windows of his or her office cost more than the furnishing of your entire house. You will find casual chairs in the outer office that cost more than your automobile.
Even minor government workers' have offices that would put to shame the office of the president of a large corporation.
These are called "perks" but they are really plunder.
My Mississippi Mother always said, "Well, we may have the most incompetent fools on God's green earth running our State, but at least they're not just out-and-out criminals like Louisiana's."
This, by the way, was in the era when the Democrat Party was hugely dominant throughout the South.
Well said and quite true.
(The above statement has not been cleared with my wife, who also serves as Secretary of War.)
This statement gives the impression that the state would lose the case and be out the entire amount of the contract award. Not true. The bidder could sue, but probably only win a judgement to recover costs of proposal preparation and whatever materials had been ordered over the six day period. Given the states's budgetary crisis, it may have been better to settle with the bidder rather than spend $500K. Once the job gets started, you can be sure that, like most contracts, this one will wind up a lot than the original amount.
Let them eat cake, eh Blanco?
White rural Louisianans have nobody to blame but themselves, since they voted for Blanco out of pure racism.
These are not executive level grades.
"Retail therapy" at its finest.
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