Will Obamacare get its act together in time?

[Imran Siddiqui]

That's actually not the problem with government contracting. The anti-discrimination rules make it essentially impossible to hire competent people. And not actually because you have to hire black people, before the screams of racist come wailing in from Kentonio. It's because you have to do things like log every damn thing about a person to prove later that you aren't a closet racist, since the burden of proof is on you--this is an enormous expense. Plus, you have to hold jobs open for at least a month so that disabled veterans get a chance and stuff, by which time smart people have found other jobs. It's a mess. And it makes it inevitable that the government is simply incapable of pulling off a project like the obamacare exchange successfully, even disregarding the fact that the government sucks at running commercial services, which is why it usually leaves that up to the private sector, except when it's feeling power hungry, like now.

I guess this is especially a program when private contractors cost more than keeping it in house:

http://www.pogo.org/our-work/reports/2011/co-gp-20110913.html

Our findings were shocking—POGO estimates the government pays billions more annually in taxpayer dollars to hire contractors than it would to hire federal employees to perform comparable services. Specifically, POGO’s study shows that the federal government approves service contract billing rates—deemed fair and reasonable—that pay contractors 1.83 times more than the government pays federal employees in total compensation, and more than 2 times the total compensation paid in the private sector for comparable services.

(Of course, the onerous rules for hires for contractors don't seem to bother people like Lockheed Martin all that much - why do you think the government is more capable of pulling off military projects? Same rules apply, right?)

[Hauldren Collider]

I guess this is especially a program when private contractors cost more than keeping it in house:

http://www.pogo.org/our-work/reports/2011/co-gp-20110913.html

I think it depends. There are times when contractors are the only option and there are times when you can get something from a contractor much faster than you could in-house.

(Of course, the onerous rules for hires for contractors don't seem to bother people like Lockheed Martin all that much)

I've heard it's different for DOD contractors. They have different rules.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I've heard it's different for DOD contractors.

I doubt that. I imagine they'd be subject to more regulations - esp on veteran hirings (then again, vets may have more expertise in military area so are a better fit)

[Hauldren Collider]

The burden of proof isn't on them to show they aren't racists to the DoL. This isn't true of contractors for other agencies.

[Imran Siddiqui]

The burden of proof isn't on them to show they aren't racists to the DoL. This isn't true of contractors for other agencies.

Once again, I doubt that they don't play by the same rules (I'm not even sold on the rules being as onerous as you are making them out to be, sans proof - or are you discussing the required Affirmative Action Program and self-audit [basically an employee census], in which case... , because the rule itself says "good faith effort" is good enough - I imagine you aren't referring to the EEO-1 report, which is kind of what you sound like you are objecting to, because every employer with over 100 employees needs to file that - for government contractors its every contractor with over 50 employees, IIRC).

[The Mad Monk]

When Jon Stewart starts taking shots...

[giblets]

Rah why do you keep using the term repugs? I've never seen anyone else refer to them as that. It's kind of stupid.

He wants to be feel unique like some slimy hipster.

[Sava]

The anti-discrimination rules make it essentially impossible to hire competent people.

Where do you come up with this nonsense?

[giblets]

Anything that stops employers from doing whatever they want is automatically bad. All of HC's conclusions follow frm that premise.

[regexcellent]

Every single contractor in my department at the fed was black. Every last one. Oh wait one was half Mexican half Asian (Korean I think?). It took me a couple weeks to put the pieces together.

[Imran Siddiqui]

In other anecdotal examples ... I investigated a pension plan for a government contractor. The office was like 95% white (though they did have lots of women ).

[regexcellent]

The reason the fed contractors were black had to do with minority owned business rules.

[Sava]

DURP DURP I WORKED FER THE GUVERMINT

AND THEY WERE ALL BLACKS AND JEWS

DURP DRUP

THANKS OBAMA

[rah]

He wants to be feel unique like some slimy hipster.

You're as bad as ben trying to tell me how I feel. Especially after I already answered the question. Douche. "wants to be feel unique" what does that even mean?

[pchang]

The reason the fed contractors were black had to do with minority owned business rules.

Minority OWNED has nothing to do with minority STAFFED