Dont believe the headlines

[kenimpzoom]

I hate the way the media sensationalizes the headlines. They really lose credibility when you reserch things further.<br /><br />Case in point, Halliburton.<br /><br />Read this:<br /> http://www.halliburton.com/news/archive/2003/corpnws_121103a.jsp <br /><br />Then read the national media headline which barely mentions the truth:<br /> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...031212/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/halliburton_probe_28 <br /><br />Ken

 

[mattttt25]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

this is what i do for a living - construction management and contract administration for the navy. obviously two sides of the story, and not enough info to base an opinion. i will tell you from experience that price is not the only way to judge a bid these days. we use best value practices, which has made the system significantly better. we may pay a bit more sometimes, but there is a reason (past performance, technical experience, etc). as for criticizing a proposal, it's a mute point. my job is to criticize every proposal received. and for the record, most proposals from big contractors are fair and reasonable. they want to do the job well and make their fair share of profit- that's it.

 

[KennyKenCan]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

One other thing the media always leaves out...<br /><br />The current contract that Halliburton is under, was decided on by...<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />Are you ready...<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br />^<br /> President William Jefferson Clinton !<br /><br />Halliburton has a contract as a "Call-In" with the U.S. Defense Dept., which means that Halliburton is the company that must be used, according to the contract negotiated by the Clinton Administration.<br /><br />And...Halliburton had lost the contract for the "Call-In", but the Clinton Administration did not want to use the lowest bidder, so they contracted Halliburton, who was already working in Somolia and Bosnia, instead of the lowest bidder.<br /><br />The Bush Administration had absolutly nothing to do with Halliburton getting the contracts in Iraq, it is all part of the contract they negotiated with the Clinton Administration.<br /><br />Go figure!<br /><br />But you never hear the media report that now, do ya?

 

[BassMan283]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

Well, if Clinton did it, then it MUST be bad.

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

thanks Ken.<br />regards,<br />M.Y.

 

[JB]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

Kenimpzoom.<br /><br />Please remove the links from your signature.<br /><br />Advertizing is not allowed here.<br /><br />Thanks.

 

[Knightgang]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

I guess it does not matter that he suggests Iboats (on his site) as a place to come and discuss/learn about the sportjet?<br /><br />Sorry, I see nothing wrong, just my $.02.<br /><br />I'll shut up, not my board.

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

too late...

 

[Knightgang]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

Yep, guess so.

 

[KennyKenCan]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

This site is getting too many Kenny's.<br /><br />I have never met so many Kenny's in one site ever before.<br /><br />At first, I thought you guys were yellin at me.<br /><br />Whew, it wasn't me!

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

ADMIRAL KKC,<br /><br />IF IT WOULD MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER, WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO YELL AT YEA! <br /><br />PLEASE SELECT A TOPIC: POLITICS, WOMEN, TRUE FISH STORIES. <br /><br />YOU CAN POTENTIALLY BE WRONG ON ANY OF THEM.

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

"true" fish stories?

 

[Link]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

I'm with MellowYellow... even when told the first time a fish story is at best a "Yarn"

 

[mattttt25]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

 

[plywoody]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

You will notice that the official company release did not mention the price charged for the fuel but only that they only made a "few cents a gallon"<br /><br />It seems like Halliburton's defense is that they paid twice as much as the going rate for the fuel to their supplier, and they only passed on the cost to the government. I guess it is better to be incompetent than merely a cheat.<br /><br />It is, of course, a fundamental flaw in non-negotiated cost plus contracts. The company has no incentive to keep costs down, as he has contractural ability to pass those costs on, plus a percentage profit. Of course, the more it costs, the more they make.<br /><br />The bottom line, of course, is that the US government was getting charged something like $2.65 cents a gallon for fuel, when the going rate, including transportation, ought to have been $1.50 a gallon or so. No matter who was profiting from it, it needs to be stopped, and these no-bid cost plus contracts must be eliminated or monitored better.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

hello<br /> well you also have to look at where the gas was going, how much do we have to have RIGHT now and how much by morning. I am sure halliburton had to contact several subcontractors to line things up quickly. the faster you want something the more it costs. that is a fundamental fact.<br /> I will wait and see what the investigation turns up.

 

[mattttt25]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

plywoody- you obviously understand contracting. i agree with you for the most part. but better monitoring is the key. i don't think they did anything wrong. quick response + reliable service = $$$. of course, the media will blow this out of proportion because the average joe doesn't understand the first thing about govt contracting or operations in iraq.

 

[plywoody]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

Yeah, I have no idea what it *really* should cost. Maybe they need a huge security convoy to go with the tanker trucks, and the cost is justifiable. I have no idea. I'm not entirely sure I'd like to volunteer for the detail of driving a 10k gallon bomb in that part of the world.<br /><br />From what I have read from company releases the realistic cost of transportation, including security, was something like 26 cents a gallon--not sure if that is accurate or not, but it does sound reasonable.<br /><br />But I was sort of periferally involved with what I considered the most gross example ever of the flaws of cost plus contracting---The WPPSS nuclear power plant project in Washington State--and they are at best fraught with danger.

 

[kenimpzoom]

Re: Dont believe the headlines

The main media bias is that if you believe the company release, the Army told Halliburton to buy the gas from Kuwait and the Army only approved one supplier, so what choice did Halliburton have?<br /><br />Anyway, hopefully the truth will come out, however, I almost guarantee that if Halliburton is innocent, there will be no headlines.<br /><br />That was my main point of this thread, Media Bias.<br /><br />Ken