From the Crony Capitalism Files: Michelle O's CGI Connection - Granite Grok

From the Crony Capitalism Files: Michelle O’s CGI Connection

healthcare-dot-gov-is-open-really-2It was only a matter of time after the hysterically botched launch of healthcare.gov that the repugnant stench of crony capitalism would seep through the cork and its putrescence would pall over the nation like a smog of rotting fish shrouding commuters on a crisp afternoon in Beijing.

A stench so steamy and acrid that not even the flatulent filtering underwear can withstand the load– and that’s saying something because these undies are made to withstand chemical warfare!

It turns out Michelle Obama, the First Lady who finally became proud of her country only after her husband decided to run for President, seems to have played a part in the picking and choosing of the company that was to detonate the most spectacular display of government incompetence I think I’ve ever seen.  It had the President doing infomercials it was so magnificently egregious.  A case study for what not to do. We need more of these to prove the point for limited government… anyway..

From TheDC:

First Lady Michelle Obama’s Princeton classmate is a top executive at the company that earned the contract to build the failed Obamacare website.

Toni Townes-Whitley, Princeton class of ’85, is senior vice president at CGI Federal, which earned the no-bid contract to build the $678 million Obamacare enrollment website at Healthcare.gov….

CGI Federal’s parent company, became an Obama 2012 campaign donor after his company gained the Obamacare website contract.

We shouldn’t be surprised. Actually, I doubt many who pay attention are. The repulsive odor of crony capitalism and Big Government is inevitable. In fact it’s a requirement. The belief that the government must do something, must be involved, must act and must slither its tentacles into every facet of peoples lives requires decisions be made: Who is going to oversee what? What is going to be accomplished? How are tasks going to get done and by whom? Etc. Many questions must be answered.

Answered by Big Governmenters in the government whose primary interests are continued bureaucratic growth, self-preservation and personal advancement. They’re the doing the picking and choosing and these other interests rank well above getting the job done right. Getting the job done right, probably isn’t even in the top 10 criteria. The deciders want a piece of the action. It’s a quid pro quo game, and the taxpayer are providing the ante. Crony Capitalism at its most invidious, and all we got was a $687,000,000 website that doesn’t work. Burn.

For those that are not that familiar with Crony Capitalism, I’ll provide a brief definition. Crony Capitalism is the ‘ol expression “you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch your back” applied to the political and legal process. Translated, you donate to my campaign, and I’ll consult you when writing laws, regulations, legal loopholes, and I’ll keep it fair (wink, wink) during the bidding process. In other words, it’s legal extortion with kickbacks tenuous enough to escape legal scrutiny and fall under plausible deniability.

Democrats love this stuff. So do Establishment Republican types. That’s why I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for the complete repeal of the NoHealthCareForAnyone law. The Big Gov crony capitalists infiltrate both parties and are entrenched. Why do you think the Republican Establishment is coming after the TEA Party. The TEA Party are principled fighters for smaller government. And they mean it. The Establishment was fine with the TEA Party when it got more of the R’s elected. But then became un-fine with the TEA Party when they realized the TEA Party really meant that they desired small government and they’re not going away.  They’re looking for people to rein in government, not just for people to reign in government like the parasitical suits do. And this means a potential end to the kick backs for the Establishment and for the Big Biz receivers the contracts, favors, etc.

Big Biz schmoozes with the Big Crats in Big Gov and create Big Laws and vast labyrinths in a regulatory miasma to smother the smaller guy in tedious hokum. Look, Big Biz like GE can handle any regulation you throw at them. Most have a legal departments bigger than many companies. They have resources to get around or deal with regulations in many ways. This includes “chatting” with elected officials and then, “coincidentally” making large contributions to their campaigns. The Joe Sixers do not have those types of resources or access to decision makers. And they get flattened by the regulatory steam roller constructed in part by their Big Biz competitor, and must work twice as hard to stay competitive. It’s a rigged game. And the healthcare.gov is emblematic of the process and its result.

No, I’m not the least bit surprised by the process nor the outcome. A functioning website wasn’t the only criteria for awarding the contract, for if it was, CGI wouldn’t have gotten it (there track record is horrendous). No, it’s good ‘ol crony capitalism at work. Get used to it. A Government this big has a lot Cronies to serve.

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