Investigators to Monitor Katrina Contracts, Dems Call for Independent Comm

[kerrygoddess]

Homeland Security Investigators to Monitor Katrina Contracts, Democrats Call for Independent Commission
September 13th, 2005

AP News reports that a “team of investigators” are being sent to “Hurricane Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast to follow the money — namely, billions of dollars in relief aid the federal government is pouring into the region without normal contracting safeguards.”

This should be good news to those worried about who’s getting the contracts to clean-up and rebuild the Gulf Coast. But it’s not good news. No, it’s more of the same old, same old… the Fox is watching the Hens, once again. Par for the course for the Bush administration, as we have seen over and over again. Here’s why we need to be concerned:

The 30 Homeland Security Department investigators and auditors are part of what officials call an unprecedented effort to ensure federal funds are properly distributed in a rescue, relief and rebuilding process expected to exceed $100 billion.

The team is being dispatched to monitor government contractors’ work in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi as critics call the spending deluge a disaster in waiting if not properly controlled.

“The message has gone out very clearly to everybody that we’re going to be efficient, we’re going to cut through red tape, but we’re not going to cut though the laws,” Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Tuesday.

Reading between the lines… We’re going to award more contracts to Bush cronies. We’ve made certain that the contracts already given to the Bush corporate whores, can’t be investigated… so now, we’ll cut through the “red tape” and see to it that they get more.

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=532

[DURHAM D]

1. Put Bunnie Greenhouse in charge !. eom

[OneBlueSky]

2. get the fox to guard the chicken coop . . . THAT's the ticket! . . . n/t

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