Forum Post: True confessions of a Wealthy Government Contractor

OWS is absolutely correct in saying that a privileged few benefit at the expense of the vast majority. On that, I’m with you 100%. I work for big league government contractors like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing and General Dynamics and I can tell you for certain that we win contracts worth billions of dollars in a pay-to-play environment. It makes me sick.

Let me also tell you that we’re not the ones who made it that way. Wall Street, and in my case Crystal City Drive, does not call congress or the white house to offer cash for contracts. Rather it is Independence Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue calling us for a shake down. You must believe me when I say we just want to do business in an environment where the best proposal and best solution gets the award. But we get calls all the time from elected officials and their staff saying such things as “I noticed that you are bidding on the US Coast Guard Headquarters building on the old St Elizabeth’s campus in SE DC and I’m surprised to find that I don’t have a record of your company giving to my campaign”. “Want to be considered for the job? Then pay up”. Here’s just one example from a member of congress who was stupid enough to leave her message on a voice mail recorder – you can even follow a link and listen to her own words for yourself: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Politics/dialing-dollars-democratic-rep-asks-lobbyist-campaign-cash/story?id=11655808.

Rich and powerful individuals and corporations are enabled by the 535 members of congress, the President and the Vice President. If you think Republicans are worse at this than Democrats, you’ve been taken for a fool. In my 20 year experience, both parties seek out the big money in their pay-to-play distribution of the middle classes income. If anything the Democrats are the worse because the media and protesters like OWS let them get away with it more than they do Republicans.

So what’s my point? If you really want to make a difference, the movement needs to focus on Independence Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue – not Wall Street.