# My story needs an expensive, high fiber MacGuffin!



## Yumi Koizumi (Feb 19, 2015)

OK. That sounded pretty awful for a subject, no?

What I need is a mechanism to describe, from real life, that Evil Corp can use to get funding from the taxpayers or government directly. Can be from black projects, foreign aid, etc. I'm just after a _MacGuffin_, and Evil Corp is going to be persuading influential politicians to give them money. 

What I lack is knowledge about how a president can influence committees, or those in charge of distributing funds. On the other side, how can the president be _convinced_, and then what mechanisms are available for him/her to either sign off on the money, or force others to do so.

After all that, you get where I am going, I hope. Evil Corp needs funding, and government contracts, greased skids, etc. and is greasing palms and extorting anyone they need to to get the money. The Bad Guys(TM) get the drop on the president (I know how already), and he/she has no choice but to cave in and make the money happen, which also leads to lucrative contracts, etc. down the line.

If you don't know this already, where would you go for a crash course in how moneys are illegally/unlawfully/immorally handed out in such abundance that the president has to be involved and approve?

Since I KNOW this is done every day *wink* *wink*, this shouldn't be as difficult as it is for me. I'm a tech geek, not a polSci gal!  And as a MacGuffin, I don't really need this chain of money/command to be that accurate-it just needs to be viable. 

Evil Corp (the Bad Guys(TM)) gets caught/exposed by our Good Guys(TM), and the president doesn't need to do the "wrong" thing. It's that simple. Am I barking up the wrong tree here? My story isn't about politics, but characters & technology... 

Thoughts?


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## Cran (Feb 20, 2015)

Politically aware US citizens will have a better take on this, so understand that I am coming at it as an outsider. 



Yumi Koizumi said:


> What I need is a mechanism to describe, from real life, that Evil Corp can use to get funding from the taxpayers or government directly.


OK, so you need something is, or can be portrayed as, vital to the future security of the United States. 

That can mean defense security (offensive or defensive arms, intell, strategic alliance), or home security (intell, surveillance, pre-emptive capacity), or food/water/energy security (resources protection or repair or innovation), or social/health security (tech or biochemical innovation, economic innovation), or some other form of security that ensures the people of the United States will be or feel safer, happier, etc.  

Assuming your story is contemporary (ie, set in this decade), then the cutting edge and do-wants include: 

instantaneous macroscopic matter transfer over any distance (there are reports that microscopic matter transfer over limited distances have been achieved);

viable cold fusion (many tries, but only dubious successes) or other high-end renewable energy technology; 

broad-based non-invasive and limited to nil side-effects cures or treatments for cancers and/or other terminal or debilitating conditions;

practical thought transference or similar power usually relegated to the paranormal;

positive and definitive proof of either the existence or non-existence of other technologically advanced worlds or space-faring civilisations;

practical and portable anti-radiation technology;

and the list could go on.




> Can be from black projects, foreign aid, etc. I'm just after a _MacGuffin_, and Evil Corp is going to be persuading influential politicians to give them money.
> 
> What I lack is knowledge about how a president can influence committees, or those in charge of distributing funds.


I'm not sure the President is the right target. I don't know if it is the President or Congress who appoint committee members, but it is usually Congress (or their committees) who have the say over large appropriations. The President does appoint the Treasury Secretary, the Defense Secretary, the Attorney General, the Surgeon General and the Secretary of Health, etc, as well as various advisers. 

From what I can tell, the President is called upon to decide various national actions and responses, but each decision comes down to a choice of options put forward by the various Secretaries and advisers. When it comes to money, however, the President's discretion appears to be limited. Appropriations of funds, even the national budget, have to be presented to, and passed by, Congress. And, I believe, must then go through the Senate. 

At best, the President can persuade the relevant Secretary or Secretaries to cough up some of their departmental discretionary funds, or if pushed (or needed to be totally under the radar), can perhaps persuade some fiddling of the books (eg, $150 for a non-metallic left-handed screwdriver).    



> On the other side, how can the president be _convinced_, and then what mechanisms are available for him/her to either sign off on the money, or force others to do so.


The President can be convinced by presenting the do-want as a must-have-ASAP. The logic and persuasive arguments depend on the item.

Otherwise, the fallback is usually blackmail.


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## InstituteMan (Feb 20, 2015)

You might want to research the old Iran-Contra Affair, which involved clandestine funding of projects by a president (Reagan) without congressional authorization. The mechanisms involved were pretty complicated as I recall, but they moved relatively large sums of money (perhaps not enough for your purposes, but enough to fund a Central American revolution in that example).

Cran makes some good suggestions in terms of the types of projects that would potentially motivate funding for national security reasons. I would add quantum computing to the list, especially for use decrypting communications.

Of course, the character you put in the Oval Office will have a set of priorities and passions that are subject to manipulation, at least in terms of diverting funds appropriated for other purposes by congress. Maybe your president has a firm and abiding belief that this project for communicating with the Lizard People is vital.


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## Riis Marshall (Feb 21, 2015)

Hello Yumi

A couple of ideas come to mind but I have two of questions:

1. Do your bad guys actually get their hands on the money to work their evil ways or are they just trying to get it?

2. Is the President involved in some way or is it you want him to appeared duped into approving the funds?

You may want to check out Huey Long who was governor of Louisiana before WWII and was involved in all sorts of back room deals to line his own pockets but, more importantly for your story, to line the pockets of his pals. No, he wasn't President and in the US federal politics are not subject to the same levels of abuse sometimes seen at state level, but there may be enough parallels in Long's life to give you some ideas (this is fiction we're talking about here, after all).

All the best with your writing.

Warmest regards
Riis


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## Cran (Feb 21, 2015)

InstituteMan said:


> You might want to research the old Iran-Contra Affair, which involved clandestine funding of projects by a president (Reagan) without congressional authorization. The mechanisms involved were pretty complicated as I recall, but they moved relatively large sums of money (perhaps not enough for your purposes, but enough to fund a Central American revolution in that example).


Yes, of course! I should have remembered. Arms-length and usually illegal operations involving the CIA and/or military as ... um, unofficial overseers is another way. 

And, from fiction, you might try to *Wag the Dog* - ie, organise a group to create a realistic fiction, such as a fake war, alien invasion, zombie plague, nuclear disaster, internet and security systems hijacking, or whatever, to convince the public and its national representatives to approve huge amounts of money and raise the approval rating of the President in the process.


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## Kevin (Feb 21, 2015)

You could have "aid" sent overseas; planeloads of actual cash. supposed payments for goods, backed up by invoices, some of it simply disappeared. Pay a contractor, inflated invoices (they actually do some work, a front really). Hours can be billed, equipment gets 'stolen'. Paperwork phonyed  to back it up. Billions and they wouldn't even need to hide it. What's a million here or there sent to an offshore account for a kickback? And some donations to political funds?


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## Yumi Koizumi (Feb 21, 2015)

@Riis,

Thank you for writing!



Riis Marshall said:


> A couple of ideas come to mind but I have two of questions:
> 
> 1. Do your bad guys actually get their hands on the money to work their evil ways or are they just trying to get it?



In keeping the plot as uncomplicated as I can(!), the Bad Guys(TM) are foiled in their plot by the Heroine/MC. Evil Corp (not real name! just keeping things easy) creates and sells RNM technology & research to our government. The NSA, and it's subsidiaries like DHS, CIA & FBI, use it to further their own desires. Our heroine/MC is not affected (for complex reasons) to this tech, yet can detect it. 

The govt/military contractor, therefore, has the ability to sway the minds of those deciding on it's getting funding/contracts. Kind of like a conflict of interest. Perhaps it would be simpler to have, for this one book/story, a _False Flag_ as @Cran indicates. I originally thought that it would be easier to follow if the President his/herself were simply 'directed' to bring monies to Evil Corp. Looking at it now with the input of you all, that seems a pretty flimsy MacGuffin. Since the story is character-driven, I really haven't put a lot of stock in the plot itself; "...just propping up something half-way believable would be good enough", I thought. 

Thankfully I'm now giving it far more consideration than I would have. I see now that a more important plot-even as a skeleton-supplies me with far more opportunities to allow the reader to get to know the characters demonstrably. 



Riis Marshall said:


> 2. Is the President involved in some way or is it you want him to appeared duped into approving the funds?



I think I posted early on about doubting the President was even the right person... I wanted the President to at _least_ be _in on_ tracking down and killing off the Good Guys(TM), as their exposing the activities of the Bad Guys(TM) would be much more damaging than if it were discovered that some obscure company was acting like street thugs. For other reasons, the heroine works to expose the ill-doings of Evil Corp to all, putting their very existence (funding, contracts) at risk. Think of it like the immense challenge one person would have taking down EG&G, or some of the bigger ones in this list by themselves. They simply couldn't do it, and the reasons why are the stuff of the connection between government/military contractors that create, maintain, and use the technology that both helps us find Bad Guys(TM), _and_ bend the Good Guys'(TM) actions to suit their designs.

My _ideal _character, to be honest, would be one in political power that is the equivalent of _The Hudsucker Proxy_'s Sidney J. Mussburger, played so well by Paul Newman. He was, in the story, the power behind the power, and is a drop-in to the story. He controlled the things that really mattered. The office/role/job in our political system that is the equivalent of Mr. Mussburger is who/what I originally sought. I just don't know enough about the halls of the White House and other shady buildings in Washington.

Q: Is there such a role in Washington that watches Presidents come & go, but remains the consistent figurehead of our hidden, real government? Is there a Sidney J. Mussburger?! 

Readers are savvy enough to figure out if I'm making up some job in D.C., and I want to give the suspension of disbelief 1/2 a chance... 

So thankful for your response, @Riis! 

- - - Updated - - -



Kevin said:


> You could have "aid" sent overseas; planeloads of actual cash. supposed payments for goods, backed up by invoices, some of it simply disappeared. Pay a contractor, inflated invoices (they actually do some work, a front really). Hours can be billed, equipment gets 'stolen'. Paperwork phonyed  to back it up. Billions and they wouldn't even need to hide it. What's a million here or there sent to an offshore account for a kickback? And some donations to political funds?



Thanks, @Kevin! That is definitely on the right track...


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## Yumi Koizumi (Feb 21, 2015)

Cran said:


> And, from fiction, you might try to *Wag the Dog* - ie, organise a group to create a realistic fiction, such as a fake war, alien invasion, zombie plague, nuclear disaster, internet and security systems hijacking, or whatever, to convince the public and its national representatives to approve huge amounts of money and raise the approval rating of the President in the process.



@Cran ("Mr. Admiral, sir"?),

Thanks for writing. This turned on a dim light bulb in me. What about a False Flag, which we actually have quite commonly these days? Contractors like Blackwater (now _Xe Services_), Craft International, etc. conduct terrorist acts on our soil all the time, and thus would be quite believable (in either name or function).

It's the dark underbelly of American life; the kind of thing we don't like to admit or acknowledge even exists, which makes it perfect! 

I think the difference between _Wag the Dog_-style activities and what our own False Flag contractors do is that in the former nobody (except a few key characters) are killed, where the latter kills Americans on our own soil to evoke a specific 'knee jerk' reaction, usually to shove objectionable legislation through. I think I'm zero-ing in on something! 

Thank you, @Cran!

(or am I way off from what you posted?)


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## Yumi Koizumi (Feb 21, 2015)

Thank you for writing, @InstituteMan!

I remember Oliver North and the whole debacle! Talk about _Blame Management_! I never thought to read up on it, and draw up an 'org chart' of sorts! I think now I can appreciate the 'affair' more so than when it happened!

Thank you!





InstituteMan said:


> You might want to research the old Iran-Contra Affair, which involved clandestine funding of projects by a president (Reagan) without congressional authorization. The mechanisms involved were pretty complicated as I recall, but they moved relatively large sums of money (perhaps not enough for your purposes, but enough to fund a Central American revolution in that example).
> [...]
> Of course, the character you put in the Oval Office will have a set of priorities and passions that are subject to manipulation, at least in terms of diverting funds appropriated for other purposes by congress. Maybe your president has a firm and abiding belief that this project for communicating with the Lizard People is vital.


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## Cran (Feb 21, 2015)

> (or am I way off from what you posted?)


No, that's right on track, and the sort of thing that can work. 

And yes, I believe there are highly-placed people both inside the public service - eg, department heads/Directors (think Director of CIA or similar), career public servants - and others with direct political influence - eg, career Senators or Congresspersons(?) - or indirect but powerful influence - eg, Defense contractors, some lobbyists, some campaign donors - who see many Presidents come and go while they stay put.


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## Riis Marshall (Feb 22, 2015)

Hello Yumi

Here's another one to think about. The only problem is it needs several years to work well; fine if your story evolves over enough years or if you can build it into your back story:

You have two outfits that make tanks for the Army, Tanks'Я'Us and Tanks4U. All the executives for these two companies are retired Army majors, colonels and generals. They all went to the Academy with the still-serving majors, colonels and generals responsible for writing the specification and procuring tanks for the Army.

The Army guys put the requirements for their new tank out for bid. Any competent tank maker can make this tank and sell it for a profit at $6,000,000 per tank.

By agreement Tanks'Я'Us submits a bid of $10,000,000 and Tanks4U submits a bid of $12,000,000 per tank. Tanks'Я'Us is awarded the contract, naturally.

But, you ask, what does Tanks4U get out of this? Good question. A couple of years later the Army put the requirements for their new APC out for bid and this time Tanks4U is low bidder and is awarded the contract. Everybody's happy - except the taxpayers, of course.

But wait, ladies and gentlemen, there's more.

The tanks are scheduled for delivery in five years. Three years into the contract, by prior agreement, the Army guys decide they want 42" wide treads instead of 36" wide treads. Bummer! However, all is not lost. Built into the contract is a clause that states any changes in the tank specification will raise the cost. The result of this change is that tanks now cost the Army $15,000,000 each and delivery is in seven years instead of five.

All the majors, colonels and generals at Tanks'Я'Us now share out their ill-gotten gains with the majors, colonels and generals still serving. Everybody is happy, again except the taxpayer.

A similar sort of process is known to work, on a smaller scale naturally, within the lighting fixture industry for the procurement of lighting fixtures for skyscrapers, university complexes, hospitals and government buildings.

This works even better for aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, each of which costs a whole heck of a lot more than a tank.

People who make and install large IT systems are, as we speak, catching on to this way of doing business with the military and the government.

All the best with your writing.

Warmest regards
Riis


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## Yumi Koizumi (Feb 22, 2015)

Cran said:


> No, that's right on track, and the sort of thing that can work.
> 
> And yes, I believe there are highly-placed people both inside the public service [...] who see many Presidents come and go while they stay put.



Thank you for writing, Admiral @Cran! 

I don't know why, but I am leaning toward what I guess you could call a '_plausible fiction_'. So these little things are something I find important enough to look up, as just making up positions & roles on the fly is not going to satisfy any reader-especially ones who know better.

I see now from your, and others', posts that what fits for this scenario is going to be a series of false flag events that will precipitate first local, then national martial law (think NSPD 51 & HSPD-20, etc.). There are lots of people, and not just conspiracy theorists, here in the US that believe that we are being set up for just such a thing. There is something in all of us, a nerve of sorts, that gets plucked when we're asked to completely trust our government and it's shady agencies. 

I'm also playing on the more recent false flag events we've seen, allowing the large amount of high resolution video and photography to identify government contractors (primarily Blackwater/"Xe Services" & Craft International) at disasters like the Boston Marathon, and many others in recent years.  This has let me observe just how easily we hand over our liberties, and are scolded and outcast when we question the ultimate authorities over us. 

_...regrets for rambling...
_
This suits the story's big players well as well: Politicians, Military, Military Contractors, Technology Corporations (just 1 in my case), and the pantheon of good/bad/2-faced players who interface with them.

I appreciate you all allowing me to brainstorm. With a character-driven plot in mind, I gave little thought to the environment's plot, or the MacGuffin. Talking (writing/reading) it out with you all has shown me that  I was a fool to downplay the importance of the backdrop. By wisely choosing a backdrop that is useful to character development & discovery, it should provide lots of opportunities and situations for the characters to be discovered.

Thank you!


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## Yumi Koizumi (Feb 22, 2015)

Riis Marshall said:


> Hello Yumi
> 
> Here's another one to think about. The only problem is it needs several years to work well; fine if your story evolves over enough years or if you can build it into your back story:



Thank you for writing, @Riis!

I wish I could take the time to develop this type of pace in a story. I've always had a hard time with long periods of time passing. One problem I have is keeping a character's extreme emotion for that long. I wish I was good/confident enough to try to write like that... 

The limitation isn't the great idea, but in the implementer! (me)


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