SO people who know are saying that the Healthcare.gov site should have cost 2-5 Million dollars to set up and execute.

We, as taxpayers, spent $634 Million. And they are “fixing it” again

Now, while I am sure that the software and hardware vendor made a profit, this  was not a project for which bids were solicited.

This project was GIVEN to a single vendor with no bidding or other competition…Despite government rules which require a competitive bidding process. (and the contractor was fired by the Canadians a while back for failing to complete a similar project after 3 years of delay)

Which leads me to wonder:

What sort of kickbacks, gifting or ghost-employment happened?

We got a website (after 3 years) that doesn’t work, written and executed with technology that is at least 10 (ten!) years out of date.  So for 126 times the realistic expected cost, we have an unworkable website that uses outdated technology. Even if the experts are wrong by a factor of 5, we still spent 25 times as much as we should have.

Makes ya wonder, don’t it?

Draw your own conclusions.

Seems that the House held a hearing regarding the behavior of the National Park Service over the course of the Government “Shutdown”.

So what?

While the answers given by Director Jarvis may or may not have been lies, the fact is that besides being on the “hot seat” for the stupid behavior of the NPS, what will come of it?

Will he or any of his deputies be fired?
Will steps be taken to see that this sort of BS will never happen again?
Someone sent to bed without supper? 

What, really, have the House lawmakers accomplished?

From where I see, nothing.

And that is, Sadly their record in all of this.

Lots of noise, very little effect.

Proving once again that the GOP has absolutely ZERO guts, Zero principles, and ZERO willingness to stand for anything, the Senate and House will vote for the current proposal to stave off the real hard choices that come with hitting the debt limit.

Further, they will, over time, cave to the DNC and allow the US to continue farther down the path to economic ruin.

And leave us in the same boat they did a while back, looking forward to more and further budget battles when this latest “fix” runs out.

Seems that stopping at a Ranger station and taking a picture is worth $125. 

These peoples names need to be publicized. they have to live somewhere, and their neighbors should be informed as to what who lives near them….in order that they can shun them as they would a pedophile.

One would hope that their local barista would refuse to serve them…their local diner would at best give surly, slow service…

Their community needs to know what kind of assholes are living in their midst so that they can apply some “negative reinforcement”.

NBC news tonight was FULL of stories about the soon to be reached Federal Credit Limit and the coming “default” of the US on its debt and the resultant armageddon which will happen worldwide shortly thereafter…..They suggested that everyone’s mortgage rates would go up, no one would be able to get a loan, etc.

Which is, of course, a lie.

The US may not be able to spend into the future devalue the dollar even further go farther into debt, but no matter what, it is law that the interest and other obligations MUST BE PAID.

And it will. Anyone who states differently is either ignorant of the law or, more likely, is a liar.

There may be severe spending cuts, but the US debt will be paid. Personally, I hope we reach the debt limit and start living on a balanced budget.

New mortgage rates may increase, and new loans may be a bit harder to get and my be more expensive, but old ones won’t increase until the end of their term…

Of course, it is more likely that the GOP will fold and allow a debt limit increase.

Some say that the Feds are gonna cut off EBT/SNAP.

I dunno.

If true, then things might get all…”sporty”. Especially in the higher density “Blue” areas.

I’d take the time to think about that, if I lived in or near such an area.

Then again it might just be disinformation.

But having a plan never hurts.

‘Cause a significant portion of our population will get upset if the free food runs out. They might not behave as you or I would….

If you live in or near Chicago (or the State of Illinois, for that matter), you are generally aware how things work when the Government (State, County, and Local) spend money….

Someone, somewhere, gets a kickback. Usually the person who has the power to grant a contract….often without competitive bids, or that person provides enough information that the vendor of goods or services has inside info to tailor his/her bid to make sure that they are awarded the contract…maybe not in all cases, but in most. Or someones family member is given a “ghost” job that pays way more than the title for that job would suggest.

It is the “Chicago Way”. Been going on for years. There are rules as to how it works and how to do it legally, and most politicians are very careful to not get caught doing anything illegal. They may toe the line, but (with the exception of the past few Governors of Illinois) the line is never crossed.

Now we find out that the contract for the (totally unworkable) Healthcare.Gov website was granted WITHOUT ANY COMPETITIVE BIDDING. (and, likely no oversight either).

Barry matured in politics, tutored by the best Democratic Machine politicians in the area, in Chicago, as did many of his closest advisors…..Draw your own conclusions.

And whoever signed off on it won’t be fired, either. Betcha.

ETA: “I will finally end the abuse of no-bid contracts once and for all,”

S0 the $634 Million dollar Obamacare website still doesn’t work.

But the contractor still got paid, and the government employees responsible for oversight are, somehow, still employed.

Yet the Amazon website, for which people are responsible and who MUST make work in order to KEEP THEIR JOBS works, and works well.  In fact, their entire IT system works, as without it, Amazon would lose millions every minute that it doesn’t.

See for yourself:

You can buy tar HERE

And your choice of feathers from THIS page.

Get ’em now, before the rush. Just sayin’.

Strange how Amazon can get it right and yet those responsible for ObamaCare can’t….

You just know that the GOP will fold and give the DNC a raise in the debt limit for the US.
in 2013.

They have, in fact, already proposed it, albeit with some concessions.

Eventually they will, like in the past, fold and let things happen the DNC way.

If they do this (again!), then everything you have saved, every dollar in your IRA and in your bank account, will be worth even less. That $10/20/40/50/80/100 thousand you have put back for your “Golden Years” will buy even less in your retirement than it does today.

Forget being able to go shooting and travelling in your retirement, you are gonna be happy you can buy enough to eat…..

Everytime they raise the debt limit of the US, they generate dollars out of free air. Just conjure them up into existence.

This makes the existing dollars worth, proportionately, less.

Now, if you are paying off long term debt, then this isn’t a bad thing…sorta. If you are paying off a mortgage or business loan, then this is kinda nice. You are paying off a loan taken out in, say, 2000 in dollars that are worth about half as much in 2013. Same dollar number, they just have less value…they’ll buy less.

This is part of why food and fuel and ammo cost more than they did 5 or 10 or 20 years ago. THat dollar you use to buy is worth less because it has no real value except for what someone else will give you for it. It is based, not in gold or silver or other tangibles, but on the “full faith and credit of the United States”. Which means very little when the dollar supply keeps growing.The rest of the world has evaluated what the “full faith and credit” is worth….less every day.

Now if you were a Saudi, or a Chinese, and you were selling your oil or labor or tin or lead or whatever to a guy who just keeps making more money, with nothing backing it, would’nt you want more of those dollars for your stuff? They are only worth what some other guy will give you for them, and you can’t buy as much with them  as you did last year…

I sincerely hope that the debt limit becomes a hard ceiling. It’ll stop the devaluation of my retirement.

I’d like to have enough to spend on wild women and good whiskey, rather than dog food and cheap wine.