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Unisys Gets DHS Contract Worth Up to $750 million
feamsr00 writes "In an affirmation of its business relationship with Unisys Corp., the Department of Homeland Security awarded the Blue Bell firm a "bridge" contract worth up to $750 million.
Some controversy erupted in the fall after it was reported that the government was auditing a Unisys contract because the company had possibly overbilled the Transportation Security Administration by as much as 171,000 hours of labor and overtime. TSA is a division of the Homeland Security department.
Unisys is also to upgrade the Department of Homeland Security's headquarters facility in Washington."
Man I wish I was in security right now.
I just find it amazing how security experts are getting paid such big bucks yet according to recent audits show they arent really making things all that much safer.
It makes me feel much better, considering they cut the CyberSecurity budget to $16 million.
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
Posting anonymously for obvious reasons.
:(
Reading a story about 'us' overbilling, generally being corrupt is a bit of a non event. Breaks my fucking heart to see some of the shit that goes on with middle and upper management, coming into the office every day means giving up a bit (read: a lot) of self respect, unfortunately I've got bills to pay
Shouldn't a company properly investigated and found to overbill the US federal government be prevented from all federal contracts for a reasonable period of time such as 10 years?
If you are stupid enough to follow his advice you deserve what you get.
Correct. True wealth without initiating force against anyone else.
not having investments for your future beyond retirement is idiotic.
I have investments and I recommend everyone invest in their own businesses or the businesses of those they know and trust. My investments make between 20% and 50% a year on average -- as a profit payment (dividend). I still have growing equity above and beyond.
If you don't trust stocks, invest your 401k's in bonds (and lose out on returns... but have the warm fuzzies knowing you didn't take a risk).
Bonds have never kept up with the true cost of living increase. Prices go up because of currency inflation by the central banks -- in a free market prices go down because the money supply is fixed. I would never invest in bonds, they're the true suckers' investment.
I have my finances worked out such that I will be able to retire early and live off the interest, minus inflation - leaving an estate to donate as I see fit and money to pass on to my children when I feel they are ready upon my death.
If you trust the government to keep the dollar solid. I don't. If I'm wrong, the worst that happens is what? My gold is worthless? I don't see that happening, as gold has been relatively stable for thousands of years. If you're wrong, what can happen? Massive debt, worthless stocks and no savings.
I profited well off of my 401k's and stocks. The lifetime trend of the stock market is about 9% a year.
No, you don't. You profit off of buying a stock at a sucker's price, never earning a dividend (which is true profit of the company) and hoping you can sell it off to some sucker at a higher sucker's price. Even factoring in the money you're "profiting" in, you're barely keeping up with true consumer inflation! 9% annually? The Federal Reserve is currently printing 10-15% inflationary dollars annually, which will eventually cause prices to rise by that figure once the dollars return to the common market. My investments in local businesses offer me a TRUE profit plus the increase in share prices. Your investments offer you no dividend, right?
You can't do much better than that. Small companies are hit and miss. Hit and do a lot better, miss and lose it all. (Not to mention harder to get your money out if an emergency comes up)
I lose on 1 out of 10 companies, usually my entire investment. On the 9 out of 10 that don't fail, I make 20-50% annually. I double my money as a profit in 2-4 years, and I still own the company. Even factoring in the 100% loss on the failed investments, I double my money in approximately 5.5 years and I still retain control. Anyone can do this, and it doesn't require a stock broker who is making money on you if you win or if you lose.
On top of all that, the stock market is experiencing what the Austrians have been talking about for 2 decades: an increased valuation due to the easy credit and currency counterfeiting of the central bank. Greenspan prints new money and sends it out at 1-4% interest. The lemmings get this money as increased wages and easy loans. The lemming sees this money at 4% can make him 9% in the market, so he invests there. Millions of other lemmings do the same, causing a supply shortage based on the increased demand that the Federal Reserve created -- causing the stock prices to go up. Artificial price increase.
Then the market crashes, so the Board drops interest rates lower and counterfeits more new money (legally). This gives the lemmings even more money at a lower interest rate, and what do they see now? Houses are going up 10% annually! Said lemmings then invest in the housing markets, hoping to be the "flip it!" millionaire by 40. Except houses are depreciating assets, just like cars and clothes and food. Houses need maintenance, new houses replace old ones -- houses go down in price in a free market. Why did our hous
And a hearty skull and bones set of secret handshakes all around. How about companies like DynCorps (Mercenaries R Us) who have been caught involved in human slavery, kidnapping and selling women? They still get lucrative government contracts. How about Haliburton doing business with Iran, while the US is officially boycotting them? Same old same old with revolving door government/corporation/government "officers" and "workers" and the "good ole boy" network. The only rules or laws that apply to them are "make money however you can" and "try not to get caught, and if you do, don't worry, if you are big enough, nothing happens anyway".
The only good thing about it is all corrupt empires eventually fall. History proves this, over and over. The bad thing is it sucks if you are there when it happens.
If they were to "ban" high level corporations who have been caught ripping off the tax payer and engaging in unethical and illegal behavior, they would have to ban virtually every big corporation that does business with the government, including all the big "Homeland Security" defense contractors. All of them, no exceptions that I am aware of. Take your pick, from lockheed to EDS, and etc, right down the list, all have been busted at one time or another. They get a fine that is basically nothing, that they recoup right back with the next big skim contract.
The DHS has been using UNISYS for some time now and, like may other possibly illegal lucrative operations recently, is NOT located in the United States. Instead, they are located on the Island of Bermuda, the Bahamas, They Cayman Islands, various other Carribean countries, even Mexico! Heck, I wonder if the Government is monitoring any phone calls coming from the 537 area code. (Hint: America blocks most websites from this CoUntry BecAuse of its free health care and education. To any of you slashdotters not in the United States, try mirroring some of that country's sites because I think at this point that country's government is way better than ours at this time.)
Sometimes I think that we, the United States, are the terrorists. And I don't mean because of the secret tourture camps, or the violations of the 4th and 8th ammendments, but because of the adminstration that has become corrupt. We have seen this many times last year and is inexcusable. I have a good feeling that we, the People of the United States, will be storming the castle this year. Alot of hands are going to get caught in the cookie jar and we are going to make darn sure that if anyone skips down, they won't get as far as the airport even if it is in another country!
KMFDM!
The Rapture is NOT an exit strategy.
If you trust the government to keep the dollar solid. I don't. If I'm wrong, the worst that happens is what? My gold is worthless? I don't see that happening, as gold has been relatively stable for thousands of years. If you're wrong, what can happen? Massive debt, worthless stocks and no savings
You can invest internationally on a 401k. Its called diversification. My 401k did better than 9% and I sleep very well at night. Some of my funds did 40+% last year.
Sure, if you want to earn $15-$25 per hour. Even the worst contractor can charge $80+ per hour.
(Not an option in my industry, but anywayas...) My first job fresh out of college I was making $25.00 an hour. With about the best benefits you can find. I'm not sure $80 an hour could make up for those benefits. Not to mention my employer matching my 401k contributions, profit sharing and safe harbor contributions... we are talking 7.5-10k a year right there in tax-free "free" money you would not have as a contractor. Its not dollars you make per hour, its how much money I have in investments when I retire. And retire young. I don't plan having to work past 50. If I work past 50, I'm working because I want to, not because I have to. And in the mean time, I am living modestly but I have about the best benefits a guy and his wife and kids could ask for. Which is money in the bank cause when my son gets sick I take him to the hospital without thinking twice. $20 copay? Who cares. Its pretax anyway with the company cafateria plan.
Gold is a poor investment, but then again you already have a few slashbots telling you that. Anything more than a couple percent in gold is just too much.
-everphilski-
Okay, yes, Unisys is a big company, but unless there is one person posting over and over, they've got the worst goddamn employee morale that I have *ever* seen.
I see something like twenty posts from Unisys and ex-Unisys employees here that are overwhelmingly negative about the company. I see only *one* that's remotely positive, and that's from a guy who says that he's so detached from Unisys that he barely knows who he's working for -- and *that's* what he considers good.
Any program relying on (nontrivial) preemptive multithreading will be buggy.