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DEL.ICIO.USBad mood at Moody
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Moody Air Force in Valdosta, Ga., is getting 1,000 new troops in 2009. So far, it has a total of two houses to put them in. And neither house has 500 bedrooms.
Work stopped months ago on the base’s Magnolia Grove housing project in which a private developer, American Eagle Communities of Connecticut, was supposed to build more than 600 new, private homes. But only two homes have been finished, construction is already $25 million over budget and the project is now in receivership. The lawsuits have begun.
So what went wrong? That’s what Georgia’s Republican senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, want to know. The two won Senate approval Friday for a federal investigation into what happened at Moody and at least three other bases around the country.
“We need to take a good look at this situation and get to the bottom of the factors and decisions that contributed to the Air Force awarding this contract to ensure it does not happen again,” Chambliss said.
“The delays in the completion of these housing projects … are unacceptable,” Isakson said, “and have a significant impact on our airmen and their families as well as the local community.”
Comments
By Victor Jones
September 28, 2007 11:20 PM | Link to this
Dear Saxby & Johnny, Please start your investigations before you obligate the taxpayer by signing on the dotted line. thanks.
By Don
September 29, 2007 7:18 PM | Link to this
I didn’t think Isakson and Chambliss knew how to ask for an investigation. Ever since they signed that loyalty pledge to King George they’ve been more forgetful of their duties than Jason Bourne.
Seriously, our esteemed Senators are outraged over this construction fiasco, but how about the needless deaths and wounding of 30,000 U.S. service personell? Not a peep. Heck of a job Johnny, heck of a job Saxby.
By Waste, waste, watse
September 30, 2007 10:56 AM | Link to this
If there’s one thing we do well in Georgia, it’s building houses.
So the Pentagon hires some big national firm that wastes millions of taxpayer money, and can’t get the job done. The money wasted by the Pentagon goes into the billions. No accountability. No one giving a damn about waste. As long as the big contractors and vendors get theirs…
By Charles
October 1, 2007 7:36 AM | Link to this
Anytime the government is involved in any project or service there will ALWAYS be problems and higher costs.
Are you supporters of Hillary-Care listening?
By BPJ
October 1, 2007 10:30 AM | Link to this
There are things which government should not be doing, but the comment that government always means higher costs & problems is wrong - and sadly represents the blind faith in the private sector common among “market fundamentalists.” Consider Medicare: it’s overhead is much lower than private sector insurance. And they are more likely to pay claims without all the bs. Facts don’t get in the way of market fundamentalism, though; the great god Market is always the answer.
A more sensible approach is respect for markets, which do many things well….but which do some things poorly or not at all.
By Carismar
October 1, 2007 12:14 PM | Link to this
The government deals with problems by spending more deficit….which in turn leads to more abuse and corruption.