Jan. 28, 2006 - 21:19 MST

SPREADING SICKNESS

It seems sometimes to me that our country is beset by a loathsome contagion that threatens to utterly destroy us. Yes, I know examples exist through all history, but do we have to keep doing it over and over again ? Example is an article in this Morning's Rocky Mountain News by Tillie Fong of that paper. In full:

FEDS ARREST 2 COLO. MEN

FEMA employees accused of scam in New Orleans

"Two federal Emergency Management Agency employees from Colorado were arrested in New Orleans Friday on charges of soliciting and accepting $20,000 in bribes from a food-service contractor."

"Andrew Rose and Loyd Hollman, whose hometowns and ages were not available were in federal custody in Louisiana, being held without bond. A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday."

"FEMA dismissed the men Friday, agency spokesman James McIntyre said. "We have no tolerance for fraud, not against FEMA, not against the American taxpayers, our partners, and certainly not against the victims of these hurricanes."

"According to the federal affidavit, after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on Aug. 29, a Louisiana businessman was awarded a $1 million meal service contract with FEMA to provide meals to personnel at the FEMA base camp in Algiers, a community in New Orleans."

"The contract calls for the contractor, who was not identified, to provide about 150 meals a day at the rate of $35 per person per day."

"The affidavit alleges the following:"

On Dec. 22, Rose and Hollman, disaster assistance employees who ran the Algiers camp, took the contractor into a supply office at the facility and locked the door."

"The two men then proposed a deal in which the contractor would make extra money but would require the contractor kick back money to them,."

"Rose and Hollman told the contractor they could inflate the 'head count' for meals served, but that would require the contractor to pay them (Rose and Hollman) $10,000 per week," according to the affidavit."

"Jim Letten, U.S. Attorney for the eastern district of Louisiana, said that after that meeting, the contractor reported the offer by Rose and Hollman to the Department of Homeland Security and to the FBI."

"According to the affidavit, on Jan. 19, the contractor met with Rose, who demanded that the contractor pay him $20,000, which he would split with Hollman. At that time, Rose told contractor that Hollman would continue to inflate the occupancy number, even when both Rose and Hollman knew the actual numbers were far less, the document states."

"On Jan. 24, the three men met again. At that time, Rose explained that the $20,000 they had asked the contractor for earlier was payment for Rose and Hollman's efforts to secure the meal service contract for the contractor, the affidavit states."

"At a later meeting the same day, Rose and Hollman allegedly told the contractor that he would need to pay them $2,500 each per week for continuing to provide the inflated head count."

"On Friday, at a pre-arranged meeting at the camp, the contractor gave two envelopes to Rose and Hollman, each containing $10,000, according to the affidavit."

"Rose and Hollman placed the envelopes in their pockets, then discussed ways with the contractor that they could continue to inflate the meal numbers, the affidavit states."

"They were arrested at the scene after the meeting."

"If convicted of the federal bribery charges, Rose and Hollman would each face a two-year prison term. Additional charges of conspiracy could add five to 10 years."

"McIntyre said Rose and Hollman were hired Sept. 5 as disaster reservists and deployed to Louisiana soon afterward."

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We exist in a country of no-bid contracts which is bad enough and now we have employees of FEMA who are trying to bleed the contractors.

I wonder, sincerely wonder just how much money, time and effort is put forth without fraud or bribery to bring the Gulf Coast out of their disaster and up and running once again. Can this be accomplished at all ? Can it be done honestly ?

Apparently the days of "The Carpetbaggers" are still with us, just using different terminology.

The taint of pervasive greed runs rampant from the lowest to the highest in our country nowadays. To my mind it is a SPREADING SICKNESS . . . . . . . . . . .