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March 25, 2009

My 2006 Interview With A Defense Acquisitions Specialist

During last night's press conference, President Obama spoke about the need to reign in spending on defense contractors and procurement. It's rare to hear a "wartime president" call for such a thing, at least in recent memory, and I hope the president is serious and committed to imposing constraints and sacrifices on those who profit from war.

His mention reminded me of an interview I did three years ago for my then-podcast, "The Front Porch Podcast." The full show is just over 50 minutes, but the interview with "Steve" starts at about minute 25. This was my first direct encounter with someone involved in acquisitions for the military, and through his story, Steve was able to communicate not just the fact of wasteful spending but the how and even the why. 

I no longer do the podcast, but thanks to the Internet, you can still here this still-relevant exchange. Again, minute 25 is where we begin, though the entire show is pretty hot :)

 

Here's the link to the original podcast posting which has some interesting comments from readers and listeners.

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Filed under  //   contractors   government   interview   military   politics  

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March 25, 2009

Bad Day For Mass Transit, Planet: M.T.A. Increases Fares And Cuts Services In NYC

Updated, 11:40 a.m. | The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted on Wednesday morning to enact a series of fare hikes and service cutbacks needed to keep the transit system from going broke.

The vote was broken largely into three parts: fare hikes, toll increases and service cutbacks. After hearing from the public and the board members, the board approved each by a vote of 12 to 1.

...

The fare hikes on the subway and buses, including an increase in the base subway and bus fare to $2.50, from $2, will take effect on May 31.

...

The service cuts are far reaching. They include the elimination of 35 bus routes and two subway lines, the W and Z. Off-peak and weekend subway, bus and commuter rail service will also be cut back. The city comptroller’s office Web site allows you to search for the cuts by zip code.

via cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com

Boooooo. Part of the hangup was due to a few Democrats who didn't want tolls imposed on the Harlem and East River bridges. Their logic: "it's not fair to tax drivers to subsidize public transit."

Wrong. You SHOULD tax drivers precisely to subsidize public transit. That's how it works. You tax the bad, evil, planet-melting crap to encourage a less apocalypse-inducing lifestyle. We tax smokers to subsidize health care, and we should probably tax short-sighted, incumbent politicians to subsidize the campaigns of thinking people who will run them out of office.

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Filed under  //   energy   green   nyc   politics   public transportation   stupid  

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