Friday, June 22, 2012
Prison privatization
Anonymously contributed:
from Paul Krugman:
"And, sure enough, despite many promises that prison privatization will lead to big cost savings, such savings — as a comprehensive study ... concluded — “have simply not materialized.” To the extent that private prison operators do manage to save money, they do so through “reductions in staffing patterns, fringe benefits, and other labor-related costs.”
"So let’s see: Privatized prisons save money by employing fewer guards and other workers, and by paying them badly. And then we get horror stories about how these prisons are run. What a surprise!
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/opinion/krugman-prisons-privatization-patronage.html?_r=1&hp
Krugman is a polarizing figure, but his comments really resonate here. Just substitute "laboratory" for "prison"!
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18 comments:
Please release me.....let me go..
Former LANL Director Sig Hecker once called LANL a scientific "prison" because of the sad state of science at the lab after the for-profit LLC took control.
He made this statement during a Senate hearing about 4 years ago. Of course, the Senators paid him no heed.
My Management at LANL keep informing me that "I am welcome to leave at anytime" and they remind me regularly. It's unfortunate that LANL has turned into a "turnkey - beltway bandit" operation where no one (particularly management) gives a shit about anyonee around them. I work in ES-Division where the Division Leader (Dan Steinberg) who was from Bechtel didn't even have the professionalism (let alone courtesy) to say he had left the Lab. He just disappeared like the rest of these carpetbaggers from Bechtel.
Look on the bright side... When you are incarcerated in "prison" you get to wear those neat prison shoes that GRIP!
You also get to spend endless amounts of your time being freely "educated" with online training on different subjects.
And let's not forget the regular urine tests for illegal drugs and the occasional polygraph tests to ferret out your latest crimes.
It's all good since Bechtel took over the NNSA labs for a big, juicy annual profit. Especially for the "prison warden", who makes a very nice salary along with a 20% bonus for himself and all his prison bosses.
It's all good since Bechtel took over the NNSA labs for a big, juicy annual profit.
Bechtel is privately held, so they don't have to divulge profits. An annual report I found on the web states their 2010 revenue was $27.9 billion. So even if they are like a grocery chain and run on a narrow profit margin, say 3%, that equals $900 million. Pulling in a few $10's of million for managing national labs is a nice add-on , but hardly a game changer for them. They no doubt have a healthy respect for the bottom line, but they were asked to the party by UC to bolster their operational credibility.
I'm a UC guy through-and-through and know very little about Bechtel. Just adding a different perspective.
Thank you for your perspective, true-blue "UC guy". Maybe a mega corporation doesn't worry itself about "nice add-ons." Maybe Bechtel really sued Bolivia as a matter of principle and not over money. They were supposedly promised a 16% rate of return for their affiliate, so they must have felt awful when the deal broke down.
Just a quick note to tell Scooby... love the new look with the bookshelf background.
Keep up the good work. You are the only source left for the "real story" at the NNSA labs at this point in time. Thanks!
Thank you visitor! your spirit is what keeps the tired USA going.
CERN over in Europe is about to announce the discovery of the Higgs boson (aka "God Particle") on July 4th in a historic conference. They made use of their massive Hadron Collider at CERN.
Meanwhile, breakthrough discovery's back here in America and at the nation's rapidly declining nuclear labs? Not so much....
And does anyone think the useless 'boat anchor' called NIF will successfully achieve fusion by the fall? Not a chance! That was clear before it was even built but no managers at LLNL had the honesty to come clean. It was a complete waste of precious resources whose prime achievement was to advance the position of NIF managers during the decades of its expensive construction. How sad.
The LANL Associate Lab Director for the Environmental Program Michael Graham just announced his departure into the Bechtel "Black Hole". Another Bechtel transplant just "punching his card" at the Labs spending just enough time to get into the LANS pension.
LANS pension is being raided as we speak. Just look at the $50 million that Charlie took away to pay for his programmatic luxuries like 1st class trips to Russia for the whole LANS executive team! Wake up, people!
Anyone know who all went on the Russia trip?
9:47 am, apparently "the whole executive team" has shrunk to three people. McMillan, Wallace, and Nicholas went to Russia on the trip organized by NNSA, with Cook, Parney, Hommert, and others.
4:45 am, there is no LANS pension. TCP 1 is closed. Graham came in 2008, well after it closed.
Christ, doesn't anybody check facts on this POS blog?
@4:09 Wallace has been known to act like he is 'the whole executive team'. That is perhaps what the post means.
4:45 am, there is no LANS pension. TCP 1 is closed. Graham came in 2008, well after it closed.
Christ, doesn't anybody check facts on this POS blog?
July 3, 2012 4:09 PM
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well, I was told by a LANL/Bechtel employee at a fairly high level (and in an organization that would know) that certain key personnel were added to TCP1 after the transition. He justified by saying that, like UC, Bechtel was a parent company, so "transferring" employees were entitled to come in just like UC. The fallacy is that unlike UC, no Bechtel employee ever contributed or was part of UC pension. My guess 10 or so key personnel were added to TCP1. Someone like Mallory is likely in TCP1.
Speaking of LANL key personnel, anyone notice the creation of several new positions since Charlie took over? Also note how many of the top positions are filled by 'acting' types. Must be harder than expected to find the right staff to hire in the slots.
Must be harder than expected to find the right staff to hire in the slots. (5:29 AM)
I don't understand why? The standards at LANL for "executive excellence" in science management have been lowered to the point were it should be very easy to find people to permanently fill these slots!
Yep, all you need is a LAHS diploma. No other skill required for promotion after promotion.
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