$85.98 per sheet of plywood that cost $14.06" -- AP report.

[SlowwHand]

Ok, son. Here's your chance.


I pointed this out, as a side issue, but think it really deserves more space.
People make a big deal over the cost of government-related projects and material.
Unless you've worked at a Defense Contractor, you don't realize the costs incurred by the company.

Every single supplier to the Defense Contractor has to be site surveyed.
Every piece of material used has to face a withering specification check, both in Receiving Inspection and through the assembly process.
There are Government Inspectors in-house.


You add it all up, and what do you get?
I'll tell you what you get.
Plywood selling for $85.98 per sheet.




So, ok. Flame on, but facts are facts.

[Ben Kenobi]

And I'll post my comment from before:

Save taxpayer money,

Buy Canadian wood.

[MRT144]

this is why we need less defense spending on fake plywood tanks. ze germans cant be fooled twice!

[SlowwHand]

Do you ever have any trepidations about flying on an airplane built by the lowest bidder?

[chequita guevara]

Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that Halburton is politically connected and can charge what it damn well pleases? There is no way regulation and inspection costs 70$ a sheet. Costs my ass, defense contractors are among the most profitable companies there are.

[Kropotkin]

You can't demand that the armed forces should cut down on the costs, can you? I mean, no matter the size of the tax cuts that will take away badly needed funds from education and social issues the armed forces clearly needs even more money to inspect their materials even more. Nothing is after all to good for the boys and girls in a american uniform!

[SlowwHand]

No. Nice try. Very insightful.

But once again you have no frame of reference.

As in, you don't know what the **** you're talking about.

[MRT144]

Slowwhand, its rather ridiculous of you to purposefully target che with every post you make, every breath you take, cause you know we'll be watching you.

[Ben Kenobi]

[slowwy mode]

He's a big boy, MRT. He can take care of himself.

[/slowwy mode]

[SlowwHand]

Che knows. He'll be ok.

[Dinner]

The solution to this is to cut regulations which require triple checks on everything that is sold to the military. Instead there should be a dollar cut off; if an item costs less then X number of dollars then the triple checks can be waved and the items can be used. There is simply no point spending $50 inspecting an item which costs $20.

Also, as someone who worked for the military for six years I can tell you that it was damn hard to come across inspected plywood in Kosovo. The contractors weren't allowed to buy many items off of the local economy so replacements had to be shipped in from the U.S. . Congressman make these assinine requires to try to boost government spending in their home districts; it's old fashioned protectionism plain and simple.

The sad truth is the tax payer gets hit hard by these nonsensical regulations.

[SlowwHand]

But who's at fault, if there is fault?

Certainly not the contractor.
The contractor is doing what they're told.

[MRT144]

i wanted an excuse to make a parody of a sting song

[SlowwHand]

I got that, MRT.
You didn't think you could slide lyrics by me un-noticed, did you ?

[Dinner]

The contractors are following these bad regulations but they're still making nice fat profit margins. The solution is to cut regulations and cap the amount of mark up a company like Brown & Roote can charge. Something like how the utilities are allowed a simple cost plus a certain percentage.