$6,000 phones for Iraqis

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2 total messages Started by B0B Fri, 03 Oct 2003 13:30

#1302

Author: B0B
Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2003 13:30

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<snip>

Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) catalogued some of
the items in Bush's Iraq request, including $3.6 million for 600
radios and phones, at $6,000 apiece; 80 pickup trucks at $33,000
apiece; $40 million for a $333-a-month computer training course that
would cost $100 to $200 at a U.S. community college; and a
$10,000-per-month business school that is twice the monthly cost of
the Harvard Business School.

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell bristled at the suggestion that
some of the administration's requests -- such as a $9 million plan to
create Zip codes -- are "luxury items."

<snip>
.......
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24935-2003Sep30.html

Re: $6,000 phones for Iraqis

#1303

Author: Curtis CCR
Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2003 18:37

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rweter0@yahoo.com (B0B) wrote in message news:<3f7d79d7.3655270@news.io.com>...
> <snip>
> 
> Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) catalogued some of
> the items in Bush's Iraq request, including $3.6 million for 600
> radios and phones, at $6,000 apiece; 80 pickup trucks at $33,000
> apiece; $40 million for a $333-a-month computer training course that
> would cost $100 to $200 at a U.S. community college; and a
> $10,000-per-month business school that is twice the monthly cost of
> the Harvard Business School.

Daschle is throwing aroung numbers that sound outrageous but are
probably in line with what we pay for things here.

Exmaple of "radios" at $6,000 each.  I work in the telecom business
and have some experience with the cost of installing and operating two
way radios systems like those that are used by police, fire and
industrial users.

Ordinary Mobile radios may only cost a few hundred dollars each.  If
they are more specialized, like the trunked systems can easily cost a
couple of grand each.  I haven't actually done any "hands-on" istall
work in a while, but the last repeater I installed was about $12,000. 
It cost about $2,500 to have a qaulified crew go up a tower to install
the $300 antenna and cable to make it work.  The labor to install and
run these systems cost more than the equipment itself in most cases. 
So $3.6 million for a new radio system to support 600 users....  There
are probably many government owned systems of similar cost in Senator
Daschle's home state.

Just because you can go buy a toy walkie talkie at Radio Shack for
$29, doesn't mean that a commercial radio system is, or should be,
comparably priced.

Have you priced pickup trucks lately?  I have an approriation to buy
two new 3/4 4WD trucks without a many frills for a couple of my
employees.  By the time I am done, it will easily cost $60K for both
trucks.  And I don't have to ship them to Iraq.

It usually cost more to set things up overseas, especially if you are
starting from scratch.  Just the way it is.


> Secretary of State Colin L. Powell bristled at the suggestion that
> some of the administration's requests -- such as a $9 million plan to
> create Zip codes -- are "luxury items."

No kidding.  Stop using zip codes on your mail here and see how long
you it takes before slow mail starts effecting your business... bith
professional and personal.

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