Sure, take the money and figure out what do do with it? Someone needs to make a visit to these firms and see if they know how to do the work instead of just typing a letter and telling the government they might or can do this.

I think Joan was educated by the thugs that comprise the Obama administration and 'Czar' program. Crooked, corrupt, back room dealing. What we're seeing here is gubmint at its best. Total incompetency. Yeah, can't wait for Obamacare to kick in.

Kudos to the Strib for a story liberals would love to bury. This is why Govt should not be involved in social engineering. Let bids go to qualified and reputable firms. My industry has the same problem. We are often forced to use companies which we know will be a nightmare to work with, won't get the job done, and are often clueless on many levels. We waste money because some pol and academic dreamed up these nonsense affirmative action programs that steal jobs from firms with a proven track record on getting things done. Reason #4362 why the Left is killing our economy, and if we don't vote these people out, look for more insanity like this program. Although in this case, since the project is a light-rail boondoggle anyway, the irony of the double-liberal policy fail is beautiful.

Why oh why do we allow this sort of thing? Maybe we can send the protestors over to the Met Council. This is one of the many reasons the government cannot manage OUR MONEY!! MAP

This is the type of story that infuritates people. No wonder there is animosity between the races. The government uses the race card every day in a way that is devious and corrupt.... Let the bids based on meeting the specs and being the lowest bidder.

Joan Johnson sounds like a very shady lady.

Just visited her site. It's unbelievably J.V. It's obvious nobody cared that this is not a legit company...or that they never bother to vet this "business". Either way, it's corruption or incompetence. Sad for all involved.

Listen to the Cons crow at this story. How quickly they forget abot the BILLIONS in NO-BID contracts to WHITE owned firms like Blackwater which also started up with NO PRIOR experience and resulted in fraud and waste. The difference between firms like Blackwater (now defuntc) and J-MOS is in the number of zeroes that follow the amount tax payers were bilked. The Cons latch on to cases like J-MOS because it is easier for them to wrap there heads around the smaller number. But add three more zeroes to that number and their brains go numb.

This isn't about Obama or libs, it's about how a business will do everything they can to skirt the letter of the law right to the very edge, so that they can rip off the taxpayers and pad their pockets. It's been going on for far too long, under Obama, Bush, Clinton and all of the administrations. Total incompetency and little oversight.

This is completely ridiculous in the first place. I thought we were all supposed to be equal? So why not give the job to the best company instead of having these quotas where you have to give it to less qualified people because they are black or female? Ridiculous.