Report: $67 Million Missing from Obamacare Slush Fund:
"A Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration report released on Wednesday found that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) cannot account for $67 million spent from an Obamacare implementation slush fund.
"Specifically, the IRS did not account for or attempt to quantify approximately $67 million [from the slush fund] of indirect ACA costs incurred for Fiscal Years 2010 through 2012," read the report."
Friday, September 27, 2013
Audit: Real estate investments cost Detroit pension funds more than $144 million over two years
Audit: Real estate investments cost Detroit pension funds more than $144 million over two years | Crain's Detroit Business:
"The report also found "disconcerting administrative protocols for the handling of employee health care and other benefits," according to a news release.
The audit also found that 13 percent of the city's unemployment compensation claims processed between July 2011 and March 2013 were "likely fraudulent."
In addition, there were questionable interest rates applied to GRS annuities and overtime pay included in the average final compensation calculation, the report's executive summary says."
"The report also found "disconcerting administrative protocols for the handling of employee health care and other benefits," according to a news release.
The audit also found that 13 percent of the city's unemployment compensation claims processed between July 2011 and March 2013 were "likely fraudulent."
In addition, there were questionable interest rates applied to GRS annuities and overtime pay included in the average final compensation calculation, the report's executive summary says."
Titanic battle between "art" lovers and "handicapers"
Why Calder flowers now will stay into ArtPrize's final week | MLive.com:
"GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Removal of an ArtPrize piece that Alexander Calder’s grandson called an “abomination” is being postponed so the artist’s son, who has Down Syndrome, can see the work during a school field trip next week."
"GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Removal of an ArtPrize piece that Alexander Calder’s grandson called an “abomination” is being postponed so the artist’s son, who has Down Syndrome, can see the work during a school field trip next week."
Trayvon Martin Verdict Proves It’s ‘Legal To Hunt’ Children In Florida
University Of Maryland Official: Trayvon Martin Verdict Proves It’s ‘Legal To Hunt’ Children In Florida:
"A University of Maryland official is coming under fire after he sent an email to students where he wrote that the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case is evidence that "it is legal to hunt down and kill American children in Florida.”"
"A University of Maryland official is coming under fire after he sent an email to students where he wrote that the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case is evidence that "it is legal to hunt down and kill American children in Florida.”"
New normal-no corporate spending unless government contributes
Norton Shores issues tax break for expansion at Eagle Machine Tool | MLive.com:
"The Industrial Facilities Exemption was for machinery and equipment totaling $137,500 and will help add two jobs in the Muskegon area, said Eagle Machine Tool Corp. President Ted Fleis."
"The Industrial Facilities Exemption was for machinery and equipment totaling $137,500 and will help add two jobs in the Muskegon area, said Eagle Machine Tool Corp. President Ted Fleis."
Muskegon County man found with heroin needle in arm in Applebee's parking lot |
Muskegon County man found with heroin needle in arm in Applebee's parking lot | MLive.com:
"In the last couple of months, there have been several reports of heroin-related incidents reported to police.
The problem has worsened since 2009, authorities have said, as heroin is quickly becoming one of the drugs of choice in urban areas of the county."
"In the last couple of months, there have been several reports of heroin-related incidents reported to police.
The problem has worsened since 2009, authorities have said, as heroin is quickly becoming one of the drugs of choice in urban areas of the county."
'Healthy Muskegon Day' proves good health can only come from government grants
'Healthy Muskegon Day' provides updates on community projects, introduces future endeavors | MLive.com:
"The presentation provided evidence that the Healthy Muskegon Initiative is making strides.
The biggest being the McLaughlin Grows Urban Farm, which was able to double the size of its farm thanks to the grant. "
"The presentation provided evidence that the Healthy Muskegon Initiative is making strides.
The biggest being the McLaughlin Grows Urban Farm, which was able to double the size of its farm thanks to the grant. "
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Save a Forest: Print Your Emails
Save a Forest: Print Your Emails | AEIdeas
"I’ve featured this before on CD, but it’s so good I thought it was time to post it again:
In response to the ubiquitous email taglines inspired by a sincere, but possibly misguided attempt to help save the planet like: “Please consider the environment before printing – Save trees, save paper” and “Be green, keep it on the screen,” tree farmer and keyboard player (Allman Brothers, Rolling Stones) Chuck Leavell uses this email tagline:
Notice: It’s OK to print this email. Paper is a biodegradable, renewable, sustainable product made from trees. Growing and harvesting trees provides jobs for millions of Americans. Working forests are good for the environment and provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat and carbon storage. Thanks to improved forest management, we have more trees in America today than we had 100 years ago.
That tagline was featured in Chuck’s Wall Street Journal op-ed in March 2011 (co-authored with Carlton Owen, forester, wildlife biologist and CEO of U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities), where they concluded that “We don’t advocate wanton waste of paper or any other material, but avoiding the print option does absolutely nothing to save the planet or forests. Honest, it’s okay to print. Trees are renewable, recyclable and sustainable.”
Detroit Police: Now finding residents who've "moved". They're in the suburbs!
Police: Body parts found in suburban Detroit sewer:
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say body parts have been found in a sewer in suburban Detroit for the third time in just over a year."
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say body parts have been found in a sewer in suburban Detroit for the third time in just over a year."
WARNING!-Microsoft: Security diversity good and you ain't got it with us.
Microsoft: Security Essentials provides "baseline" protection - Neowin:
"Holly Stewart, senior program manager of the Microsoft Malware Protection Center, has told Dennis Technology Labs in an interview that Security Essentials is intended to provide "baseline" protection and recommended that users install an anti-virus on top of it for better security from advanced threats.
Stewart said,
"It’s not as efficient to have one kind of weapon.
Like anything you must have that diversity.
It’s a weakness to just have one.""
"Holly Stewart, senior program manager of the Microsoft Malware Protection Center, has told Dennis Technology Labs in an interview that Security Essentials is intended to provide "baseline" protection and recommended that users install an anti-virus on top of it for better security from advanced threats.
Stewart said,
"It’s not as efficient to have one kind of weapon.
Like anything you must have that diversity.
It’s a weakness to just have one.""
Only little pay property taxes in Detroit-$27 million in tax incentives approved for new Detroit office tower
$27 million in tax incentives approved for new Detroit office tower | Crain's Detroit Business:
"Developers of a proposed $111 million office building in Detroit received approval Wednesday for $27 million in tax incentives.
The board of the Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority voted Wednesday afternoon during a meeting at the Guardian Building to approve the incentives for the 320,000-square-foot office building on the Monroe Block, bounded by Monroe, Bates and Farmer streets, Woodward Avenue and Cadillac Square.
The brownfield incentives won't be awarded until after the building is constructed.
Construction of the development by Livonia-based Schostak Bros. & Co. "
"Developers of a proposed $111 million office building in Detroit received approval Wednesday for $27 million in tax incentives.
The board of the Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority voted Wednesday afternoon during a meeting at the Guardian Building to approve the incentives for the 320,000-square-foot office building on the Monroe Block, bounded by Monroe, Bates and Farmer streets, Woodward Avenue and Cadillac Square.
The brownfield incentives won't be awarded until after the building is constructed.
Construction of the development by Livonia-based Schostak Bros. & Co. "
Obamacare fiscal jihaad against marriage: The New Federal Wedding Tax
The New Federal Wedding Tax: How Obamacare Would Dramatically Penalize Marriage:
"One bizarre feature of the Senate-passed health care bill is its pervasive bias against marriage.
Under the bill, couples would face massive financial penalties if they marry or remain married.
Conversely, couples who cohabit without marriage are given highly preferential financial treatment.
If the Senate bill becomes law, saying “I do” would cost some couples over $10,000 per year."
"One bizarre feature of the Senate-passed health care bill is its pervasive bias against marriage.
Under the bill, couples would face massive financial penalties if they marry or remain married.
Conversely, couples who cohabit without marriage are given highly preferential financial treatment.
If the Senate bill becomes law, saying “I do” would cost some couples over $10,000 per year."
Military commanders investigated for mishandling Army’s ‘lost’ Medal of Honor nomination
Military commanders investigated for mishandling Army’s ‘lost’ Medal of Honor nomination | McClatchy
Petraeus, based in Kabul, commanded the U.S.-led international force in Afghanistan in the summer of 2010, when Swenson’s original Medal of Honor packet – the telephone book-size package of sworn witness statements, maps and other documents supporting the nomination – went missing.
Every electronic copy of the packet also disappeared from U.S. military computer systems, except for an incomplete version that was found on a classified network.
......But according to an Aug. 4, 2011, Memorandum of Record obtained by McClatchy, the “informal” investigation failed to pinpoint the reason why Swenson’s paperwork disappeared.
Moreover, the probe was closed despite uncovering evidence of a possible attempt to kill Swenson’s award through an improper downgrade to a Distinguished Service Cross.
$5.25 Million for Senate Hair Care and 21 Other Ways Politicians Are Living the High Life at Your Expense
$5.25 Million for Senate Hair Care and 21 Other Ways Politicians Are Living the High Life at Your Expense : Freedom Outpost:"In fact, just the other day Nancy Pelosi insisted that there were "no more cuts to make" to the federal budget."
Keep in mind that there are only 100 U.S. Senators, and many of them don't have much hair left at this point."
"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.."....... well it is sure gettin' popular.......
Truly "Exceptional" And Dumber Than Ever: Verbal SAT Scores Plunge To Fresh Record Low | Zero Hedge:"Having followed this tragic development year after year, it is amazing that we are still surprised by what the chart below shows, yet here we are: surprised.
Although judging by recent social, fiscal and monetary developments (and the complete lack thereof as the same old broken approaches are tried with a lunatic's intensity and an idiot's resolve that this time will be different), we can certainly believe it.
In brief: another year, another record low for the average verbal SAT score, and another sad achievement for a nation that is getting fatter, dumber and ever more in debt."
Shock report! Detroit stole its way to bankruptcy!
Detroit Spent Billions Extra on Pensions - NYTimes.com:"Detroit’s municipal pension fund made payments for decades to retirees, active workers and others above and beyond normal benefits, costing the struggling city billions of dollars and helping push it into bankruptcy, according to people who have reviewed the payments.
The payments, which were not publicly disclosed, included bonuses to retirees, supplements to workers not yet retired and cash to the families of workers who died before becoming eligible to collect a pension, according to reports by an outside actuary and other people with knowledge of the matter.
How much each person received is not known. But available records suggest that the trustees approving the payments did not discriminate; nearly everybody in the plan received them.
Most of the trustees on Detroit’s two pension boards represent organized labor, and for years they could outvote anyone who challenged the payments."
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
FHA financially DOA.
The Federal Housing Administration may need a bailout:
"The Federal Housing Administration, weighed down by losses on souring loans, will likely need a cash infusion from the U.S. Treasury for the first time in its nearly 80-year history when the current budget year ends, according to sources familiar with the matter."
"The Federal Housing Administration, weighed down by losses on souring loans, will likely need a cash infusion from the U.S. Treasury for the first time in its nearly 80-year history when the current budget year ends, according to sources familiar with the matter."
Government binges on taxpayer drunkenness,
Census: State and Local Income, Sales, Motor Fuel, Motor Vehicle, and Alcoholic Beverage Taxes Hit All-Time Highs in 2nd Quarter | CNS News:
" Revenues from state and local individual income taxes, general sales and gross receipt taxes, motor fuel taxes, motor vehicle taxes and taxes on alcoholic beverages each hit all-time highs in the second quarter of this year, according to data released today by the Census Bureau."
" Revenues from state and local individual income taxes, general sales and gross receipt taxes, motor fuel taxes, motor vehicle taxes and taxes on alcoholic beverages each hit all-time highs in the second quarter of this year, according to data released today by the Census Bureau."
Obama’s UN Declaration: ‘The World Is More Stable Than It Was Five Years Ago’-Clarifies "I meant my golf world"........
PJ Media » Obama’s UN Declaration: ‘The World Is More Stable Than It Was Five Years Ago’:
"President Obama gave a meandering defense of U.S. policy before the United Nations General Assembly in New York today, capped by declarations of wiggle room on key issues such as Iran as he directed Secretary of State John Kerry to begin dialogue with new “reformer” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
......He even declared that al-Qaeda had still been damaged even after rattling off recent terror attacks, and boldly proclaimed “the world is more stable than it was five years ago” — just before acknowledging that “a glance at today’s headlines indicates that dangers remain.”"
"President Obama gave a meandering defense of U.S. policy before the United Nations General Assembly in New York today, capped by declarations of wiggle room on key issues such as Iran as he directed Secretary of State John Kerry to begin dialogue with new “reformer” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
......He even declared that al-Qaeda had still been damaged even after rattling off recent terror attacks, and boldly proclaimed “the world is more stable than it was five years ago” — just before acknowledging that “a glance at today’s headlines indicates that dangers remain.”"
Goats in Detroit? Councilman explores new way to address unruly lawns-Unions complain recruitment efforts going baaaaaadly........
Goats in Detroit? Councilman explores new way to address unruly lawns | MLive.com:
"It's been proven to save money and it's an inventive way to address some issues that we all have," Tate said."
"It's been proven to save money and it's an inventive way to address some issues that we all have," Tate said."
Obama’s handshake a ‘kiss of death’
Obama’s handshake a ‘kiss of death’ | New York Post:
"Two years after Obama shook hands with Libyan dictator Moammar Khadafy at the G-8 summit in Italy in 2009, Khadafy was dead, tortured and killed by foes after a 42-year reign of terror.
In May 2011, Obama shook hands with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad — and just this past March, the communist leader died of cancer.
Egyptian despot Hosni Mubarak shared a handshake with the Leader of the Free World at the White House in September 2010.
The ailing 85-year-old former president is now under house arrest in a military hospital outside Cairo."
"Two years after Obama shook hands with Libyan dictator Moammar Khadafy at the G-8 summit in Italy in 2009, Khadafy was dead, tortured and killed by foes after a 42-year reign of terror.
In May 2011, Obama shook hands with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad — and just this past March, the communist leader died of cancer.
Egyptian despot Hosni Mubarak shared a handshake with the Leader of the Free World at the White House in September 2010.
The ailing 85-year-old former president is now under house arrest in a military hospital outside Cairo."
Gore Wrong As Arctic Ice Cap Grows By Million Square Miles In Year
Gore Wrong As Arctic Ice Cap Grows By Million Square Miles In Year - Investors.com:
"A 2007 prediction that summer in the North Pole could be "ice-free by 2013" that was cited by former Vice President Al Gore in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech has proven to be off . .. by 920,000 square miles.
But then Democrats have never been good at math — or climate science."
"A 2007 prediction that summer in the North Pole could be "ice-free by 2013" that was cited by former Vice President Al Gore in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech has proven to be off . .. by 920,000 square miles.
But then Democrats have never been good at math — or climate science."
Disability Insurance Trust Fund Nears Insolvency-Senate moves to redefine "insolvency".
Disability Insurance Trust Fund Nears Insolvency | Mercatus: "Data from the 2013 Trustees Report show that the disability fund is currently predicted to be three years from insolvency. "
Wayne State forfeits state funding- Coconspirators giddy!
14 of Michigan's public universities to benefit as Wayne State forfeits state funding | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"Wayne State University’s 8.9% tuition hike, which violated a tuition increase cap put in place by the Legislature, will benefit Michigan’s other public universities as they now divide funding that would have gone to WSU.
State Budget Director John Nixon formally notified WSU on Sept. 10 that it was forfeiting $534,700 in performance funding.
That money, in turn, was divided among the other 14 public universities.
....But at Wayne State, the lost state money is far less than the university is getting from its tuition hike.
The increase, which is 5.15% higher than the state limit, is expected to generate around $7 million in additional revenue this year, WSU spokesman Matt Lockwood said."
"Wayne State University’s 8.9% tuition hike, which violated a tuition increase cap put in place by the Legislature, will benefit Michigan’s other public universities as they now divide funding that would have gone to WSU.
State Budget Director John Nixon formally notified WSU on Sept. 10 that it was forfeiting $534,700 in performance funding.
That money, in turn, was divided among the other 14 public universities.
....But at Wayne State, the lost state money is far less than the university is getting from its tuition hike.
The increase, which is 5.15% higher than the state limit, is expected to generate around $7 million in additional revenue this year, WSU spokesman Matt Lockwood said."
Union collaborator of indeterminate gender gets new job.
Interim Wayne State Provost Margaret Winters gets job through 2015 | Crain's Detroit Business:"Winters, .....was lead management negotiator through months of contentious bargaining with the American Association of University Professors-American Federation of Teachers Local 6075.
The talks led to a controversial eight-year labor contract with Wayne State's faculty union."
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