NYT:Private Jobs and Big Pay Draw U.S. Ex-Terror Officials

[deminks]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/washington/18lobby.html?ex=1308283200&en=45d4817d76b16196&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

WASHINGTON, June 17 — Dozens of members of the Bush administration's domestic security team, assembled after the 2001 terrorist attacks, are now collecting bigger paychecks in different roles: working on behalf of companies that sell domestic security products, many directly to the federal agencies the officials once helped run.

At least 90 officials at the Department of Homeland Security or the White House Office of Homeland Security — including the department's former secretary, Tom Ridge; the former deputy secretary, Adm. James M. Loy; and the former under secretary, Asa Hutchinson — are executives, consultants or lobbyists for companies that collectively do billions of dollars' worth of domestic security business.

More than two-thirds of the department's most senior executives in its first years have moved through the revolving door. That pattern raises questions for some former officials.

"People have a right to make a living," said Clark Kent Ervin, the former inspector general of the department, who now works at the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan public policy research center. "But working virtually immediately for a company that is bidding for work in an area where you were just setting the policy — that is too close. It is almost incestuous."

[spindrifter]

1. And then there is Rudy--albeit, not

a former fed, nevertheless, he's out there with his consulting company giving advice on security.

[lyonn]

2. To make matters worse there is no oversight on where

the money is going, you know, receipts. When you have a national debt that is flirting with a trillion and no one is accounting for the cost of the war there has got to be way to much hanky panky going on. Since Congress ignores this issue, it's not the only one of course, we need a near clean sweep on the Hill. That would make me feel much better. Maybe get some "new rules" as Mahr says.

[UpInArms]

3. Former Antiterror Officials Find Industry Pays Better (Lobbying Gov't)

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/washington/18lobby.html?ei=5094&en=2b212143597d60a3&hp=&ex=1150689600&partner=homepage&pagewanted=all

(free registration or try www.bugmenot.com)

WASHINGTON, June 17 — Dozens of members of the Bush administration's domestic security team, assembled after the 2001 terrorist attacks, are now collecting bigger paychecks in different roles: working on behalf of companies that sell domestic security products, many directly to the federal agencies the officials once helped run.

At least 90 officials at the Department of Homeland Security or the White House Office of Homeland Security — including the department's former secretary, Tom Ridge; the former deputy secretary, Adm. James M. Loy; and the former under secretary, Asa Hutchinson — are executives, consultants or lobbyists for companies that collectively do billions of dollars' worth of domestic security business.

More than two-thirds of the department's most senior executives in its first years have moved through the revolving door. That pattern raises questions for some former officials.

"People have a right to make a living," said Clark Kent Ervin, the former inspector general of the department, who now works at the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan public policy research center. "But working virtually immediately for a company that is bidding for work in an area where you were just setting the policy — that is too close. It is almost incestuous."



...more...

[Dover]

4. Homeland Security is like the Enron of security enterprises

Created purely as a quick money-making scheme, filtering funds through it into private companies and individual bank accounts. Replacing national government entities with corporate governance.

The entire neocon infrastructure is built on a revolving door. People aren't leaving this administration because they are jumping from a sinking ship (as so many DUers seem to think).
A rolling stone gathers no moss...or legal liability, history and bad press.
They are an army of fire ants with a mission...to dismantle governments, to privatize resources, to globalize their power and governance.
Unfortunately it's not just the neocons and as long as we keep the illusion alive that change will come from the top down in this corrupted system, we the people cannot combat them. They will continue to create fear and hot button issues to keep the people distracted and divided, parading people like O'Reilly and Coulter before us to ignite (and exhaust) our outrage, draw our fire, spend our ammunition and defuse our power. And yet we continue to react like rats in a maze.