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Is a Boeing Bailout Taking Shape?

mattstoller.substack.com

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Re: Is a Boeing Bailout Taking Shape?

#4

Post by devoply »

devxvda wrote: post #3
Proven wrote: post #2

Author fails to spot the fact that "defense" budget itself is nothing but a permanent subsidy for military-industrial complex.

So no bailout, but suddenly Boeing gets a lot of new contracts courtesy of Uncle Sam.

America actively protects its corporations and key industries from threats at times by destroying the competition and at other times by subsidizing those in trouble.

Re: Is a Boeing Bailout Taking Shape?

#5

Post by danielscrubs »

devoply wrote: post #4
devxvda wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So no bailout, but suddenly Boeing gets a lot of new contracts courtesy of Uncle Sam.

America actively protects its corporations and key industries from threats at times by destroying the competition and at other times by subsidizing those in trouble.

If those in trouble happen to be a company they will get it from taxes.

Shouldn’t they ask the people for the money like the homeless do? ;) /jk

Re: Is a Boeing Bailout Taking Shape?

#6

Post by hitekker »

> Stake-driving when you intentionally under-estimate costs so that you can get the project started by telling politicians that it won’t cost that much. Once you get a legislature ‘put the stakes in the ground,’ it becomes too politically difficult to kill. You can tell the politician that, well, you’ve already put so much into the project, there were unforeseen costs, yada yada, you might as well finish it by topping up the amount needed. This form of political accounting means cost overruns aren’t actually mistakes, they are more a subtle form of accounting fraud perpetrated on decision-makers too embarrassed to admit they were snookered.

Fascinating stuff. This also applies to software project (mis)management

Re: Is a Boeing Bailout Taking Shape?

#7

Post by listenallyall »

Although the author admits his thoughts on the matter are mostly speculation, I commend him for shining some light on a $100B project regarding nuclear weapons. There was a time when mainstream news outlets paid attention to projects of this size, and certainly anything to do with nuclear weapons. That time has passed, of course. And it's not just mainstream news. This HN post has 5 comments, just above it are 350+ complaining that juggling Netflix AND Prime Video is just too annoying.

Re: Is a Boeing Bailout Taking Shape?

#8

Post by gist »

This seems like the type of FUD that would be spread by people that are looking to short the stock. Start to float an idea and put out a few provocative headlines. Next thing you know if enough of it is spread around it becomes a reality that people think about and act on.

Re: Is a Boeing Bailout Taking Shape?

#9

Post by salawat »

The thing is, it depends greatly on how much Boeing ends up poisoning the well.

If, for example, people started circulating this whole MAX travesty enough as evidence that Boeing in it's current form is toxic; any political goodwill to grant contracts may legitimately dry up. The company may end up getting disintegrated, essentially rolling back the McDonnell Douglas merger. Regardless of the fact that pretty much does nothing to undo the toxicity inherent to government procurement.

Boeing honestly had to do only one thing to stay healthy. Don't screw up civilian aviation. A flub up anywhere else could be efficiently hidden. Not so, however, in Civil Aviation.

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