US Pays Mechanics in Iraq $5 Mil to Work 43 Minutes a Month

It was just a single contract for a single job on a single base in Iraq. The Department of Defense agreed to pay the megacontractor KBR $5 million a year to repair tactical vehicles, from Humvees to big rigs, at Joint Base Balad, a large airfield and supply center north of Baghdad. Yet according to a new Pentagon report [PDF], what the military got was as many as 144 civilian mechanics, each doing as little as 43 minutes of work a month, with virtually no ... Full Story »

Posted by Kaizar Campwala - via Craig Newmark, David Corn, Mother Jones, NewsRack (Business), Google News (Iraq), Rachel Fus (t), Joey Baker (t), Steven K Samra (f), Tobie Openshaw (f), Fabrice Florin (f)

See All Reviews »

Review

Kim C. Maynard
4.0
by Kim C. Maynard - Mar. 26, 2010

I would like to say that I am shocked to note that mainstream media has not covered this story. I would like to say that. But of course I can not. Mother Jones magazine is revered by the left and renounced by the right. Both views have some validity, but no one can argue that Mother Jones covers stories ignored by the more conventional media. This article exemplifies that view. This is well written and not overtly biased. This also brings to mind the fact that conventional media has suffered a great failure in the death of investigative journalism per se. Thankfully there are vehicles like Mother Jones, Harpers, and yes, Rolling Stone, that fill some of that black hole of responsible journalism.

See All Reviews »

Kim's Rating

Overall
4.0

Good
from 4 answers
Quality
4.0
Facts
4.0
Fairness
4.0
Popularity
4.0
Recommendation
4.0
How our ratings work »