(Before 9/11) Produce just one case of terrorists hijacking airplanes and flying them into building?
(Before Cole) Produce just one case of terrorists using a speedboat bomb against a US warship.
Come on! It's no longer 9/10. Think outside the box!
That's easy to say when you're in a competitive industry, looking to save on labor costs or to improve a product.
When the government thinks "outside the box" it invariably leads to massive cost overruns, schedule slips, disappointing results. Been there, done that.
Risks must be weighed whenever the government lets a contract. Will the contractor perform? Are the requirements doable? Is there a fallback plan, in case the original one doesn't work out?
Understand, the government is by nature a conservative institution. When taxpayer money is committed to a project, no matter how trivial, the government likes to see it through to completion without any glitches. Minimizing risk is as important to government agencies as maximizing profit is in the business world.
Now, why am I spending time telling you about how the government works?
Because, in the case of changing control of P&O port operations at six American ports . . the new operator is a wholly-owned subsidiary of a government!
And not just any government, but one that is striving to be at the forefront in worldwide shipping and terminal operations. You think they will take any chances? Not on your life.
All the fuss and fury about this "deal" -- really a buy-out, which happens all the time in every industry -- needs to be consigned to the tin-foil heap where it rightfully belongs.