Mo’ money, mo’ money, mo’ money down the federal fiscal sinkhole
As a companion to my column yesterday on the Democrats’ $53 billion high-speed rail boondoggle and the systemic sabotage of financial oversight in the Obama administration, I offer you two more depressing items:
First, via GOP Sen. Tom Coburn: $800 million missing at HHS and nearly $2 billion in limbo:
# The nonpartisan analysis of an audit conducted by Ernst & Young on the balance sheets of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for FY2010, was included in HHS’s FY 2010 Agency Financial Report, dated November 15, 2010. The audit revealed concerning conclusions, among the many findings were the following:
* HHS Is Not In Compliance With Federal Financial Management Law. According to the HHS Inspector General’s review of Ernst & Young’s financial audit of HHS, “HHS’s financial management systems are not compliant with the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996.”
* Nearly $2 Billion Taxpayer Dollars Are Stuck in Limbo. “As of September 30, 2010, the audit identified approximately 102,500 transactions totaling an approximate $1.8 billion that were more than 2 year s old without activity.”
* Nearly $800 Million Dollars “Could Not Be Explained” Differing Between HHS’ Records and Treasury Department Records. “Based on our review and discussions with management, we noted differences of $794 million that could not be explained.”
Second: Who the hell is overseeing $7 billion in broadband stimulus funds? Via Multichannel News:
The Government Accountability Office has ongoing concerns about oversight of the government’s oversight of its Broadband Technology Opportunities Program stimulus grant/loan program, a concern long shared by some legislators and lots of cable operators. The Commerce Department, which is overseeing much of that program, also shares that concern, but says it has a plan if Congress will fund it.
That is according to the prepared testimony of Mark Goldstein, director of physical infrastructure issues for GAO, for a House Communications & Internet Subcommittee hearing Thursday, and a top Commerce Department official. Goldstein is a familiar face at communications-related hearings.
Commerce’s National Telecommunications & Information Administration and the Ag Department’s Rural Utilities Service have awarded over $7 billion in grants and loans for broadband deployment and adoption as part of the American Recovery and , and must now try to make sure the money goes where it should and to whom it should.
Goldstein says risks to the program’s success remain, including monitoring 553 projects that are “diverse in scale, scope, and technology” and funding that oversight since the recovery act funds ran out Sept. 30.But even with NTIA and RUS’ contingency plans, which Goldstein said have been developed by both on the advice of GAO, his office “remains concerned about the oversight of the broadband programs. In particular, GAO believes the agencies, and especially NTIA, need to do more to ensure their oversight plans reflect current fiscal realities.”
For his part, NTIA witness Todd Zinser, Inspector General of the Commerce Department, called the broadband stimulus program “the largest and most complex” grant program NTIA has ever overseen, and agreed there were concerns at Commerce about the ability to oversee the program.
While the grants have been awarded, most of the money has yet to be handed out. According to his prepared testimony, he will tell the legislators that the potential for waste, fraud and abuse will increase over the next few years as grant recipients spend the money, and tie his concerns to the issue of funding. “The uncertainty regarding NTIA oversight funding for FY2011 and beyond raises significant concerns for the Department about the adequacy of future BTOP oversight,” he says.
More here on yesterday’s hearing.
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Meanwhile,
Who in the heck are these people????
So the oversight of the oversight is running short of funds? Who’s in charge of oversight of the oversight of the oversight funds?
This is the kind of Sh## that makes my head hurt.
Government workers and welfare recipients.
Blacks, Hispanics, government workers, young people, a large percentage of women etc.
Sucklers on the Government teat.
Perhaps it is Comacast/NBC/GE…..
It’s not the Government’s teat, it’s our collective teats, and I don’t know about you all, but my nipples are way past sore, I don’t want to be a wetnurse no more. I’m done dried up.
Moneywise.
The 2012 presidential election will be the one to watch to answer all these questions about government behaviour.
If the right continues to talk about ‘electable candidates’ or ‘big-party’ modern conservatives or ‘centrist’ aggregators, then it is all over. If such a candidate emerges to lead the right, I think the slogan for both parties should be the same:
Lather, rinse and repeat.
Rogue, there’s a song in there somewhere. You should work on it.
Rogue, I have an awful image stuck in my head thanks to you.
MIND BLEACH!!!!!!
But then it is all too true-do da- do da- do da day. Somebody bet on the Bay. We are being bled dry, rights as a free people violated and our nation shamed.
===
Bring your federal agencies and programs here:
three chopping blocks, no waiting
Pod people don’t need rules. It’s not part of their culture.
You saw the video yesterday of the union drone demanding “Gimme more money!” That’s who the dead enders are.
That money isn’t lost, it’s their cut of the action. What do you expect a good mobster to do, go without that new Lexus?
***
No problemo. Just crank up the Gubmint printing presses and make another $800 million bucks and send it over to HHS.
***
What could possibly go wrong? No need to worry about Weimar Republic or Zimbabwe style inflation and total loss of the dollar’s value. Comrade Obama and Helicopter Ben have the situation under control.
***
It’s like watching a slow motion film of the Titanic hitting the iceberg. And the band plays on.
***
John Bibb
***
When can we get these guys to do an audit of the Federal Reserve Bank?
Is it any surprise that HHS is in this situation while being run by a Hag that was once Governor of Kansas and said Governor of Kansas did not pay her taxes??
Maybe we can give these guys a budget to begin criminal prosecutiions of Dems and their gub-mint burrow-cat buddies.
… Bro Eric certainly won’t do it.
Communists
My nipples are way past sore,
I don’t want to be a wetnurse no more.
Pat the wife,
Kiss the dog,
grab the keys,
and out the door.
Not going to work,
the boss’s a jerk.
Going drinkin instead,
Cuz I jest cain’t get these
money grubbing Government Unions
out of my head!
Hmmm number one with a bullet?
Don’t worry, I’m keeping the day job.
PERSPECTIVE. I once had an auditor from Atlantic Fleet HQ’s ding me for a one penny error on a foreign currency monthly report that was caused by a rounding error.
If I am accountable for pennies, than I’m holding those responsible, regardless of the amount, to account for any discrepancy. Also, how can you explain the defeciencies in financial management rules after 14 years? Kathleen, you got some “splaining” to do.
Rogue Cheddar-poet laureate of the Bitter Clingers (sniff-small tear falling)
Thanks, it’s no “Pasty and a G-string” but I think Tom Waits would appreciate it also.
my nipples are way past sore,
I don’t want to be a wetnurse no more.
Boom-boom Pow, Boom-boom Pow
She’s got me spendin’.
(Oh) Spendin’ all your money on me and spending time on me.
She’s got me spendin’.
(Oh) Spendin’ all your money on me, up on me, on me.
Boom-boom Pow, Boom-boom Pow
Hands up, getcha hands up
(get) your hands in the air like it’s a stick up
Boom-boom Pow, Boom-boom Pow
Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t,
Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t,
Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t stop the party.
Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t,
Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t,
Stop, stop, stop,
The, the, the, don’t stop the party.
Don’t stop the party
Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t,
Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t,
Stop, stop, stop,
The, the, the, don’t stop the party.
For all you Black-Eyed Peas fans
I guess they took that part about “at the discretion of the Secretary” a little too far and a bit premature, eh?
John Kyl is retiring, will not seek another term.
I liked him right up until he cosponsored the second attempt at amnesty.
Good riddance to anyone unwilling to uphold the rule of law.
We may have a fighting chance yet if we can weed out a few more, Lugar, Hatch, The Maine sisters, etc.
Errah
My nipples are way past sore,
I don’t want to be a wetnurse no more.
Pat the wife,
Kiss the dog,
grab the keys,
and out the door.
Not going to work,
the boss’s a jerk.
Going drinkin instead,
Cuz I jest cain’t get these
money grubbing Government Unions
out of my head!
Watched my senator and congress man on CSPAN last night
wished someone would pull the plug or just turn out the light
Though nuthin gets done, they’re all havin some fun
Its my paycheck that’s hiding from fright
Ohhhhh, My nipples are way past sore,
I don’t want to be a wetnurse no more.
Pat the wife,
Kiss the dog,
grab the keys,
and out the door.
Congress to HHS: “Alrighty then, seems HHS can operate with less money if its so careless with what they get. The total amount “stuck in limbo” and that which “could not not be exlained” will be deducted from its allotment from the coming budget until such time as we can agree on shutting down HHS as being beyond the scope of Federal authority.
This is the kind of Sh## that makes my heart cry and hurt for America.
my version
Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona announces he will not be running for re-election and now you know why–he can’t carry a tune.
Senator McVain of Arizona will run for Kyl’s seat and be the first twofer/ McVain doesn’t sing either but is known to rap.
That’s no problem for Bernake, the guy is either an idiot or a commie, wait, they are the same thing…nuff said.
I had to go through a rather intrusive background check to get a contract position with a Government facility in Oklahoma City.
Obummer’s finger is on the nuclear button and we haven’t even seen his birth certificate.
Defund until compliant.
Much better.
Mo’ money, mo’ money, mo’ money down the federal fiscal sinkhole:
Alright, sweating to the oldies!
A huge, huge part of what is wrong with America.
So much corruption that the gov can’t keep up. No surprises here.
Reason #5,329 to dissolve most Federal alphabet departments, bureaus and agencies, along with government employee unions.
I close my eyes
Only for a moment and RINOs cave
All their dreams
Pass the House and Senate, a monstrosity
Dust in the wind
Liberty is dust in the wind
Same old song
Establishment Pols don’t hear the angry TEA
All we do
Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to concede
Dust in the wind
My 401(k) is dust in the wind
Don’t hang on
No incumbency lasts forever, so you’d better try
It slips away
And all campaign money won’t another term buy
Dust in the wind
RINO seats are dust in the wind
–apologies to Kerry Livgren
Very nice, Dexter Alarius. Now I’m singing THAT tune in my head.
Nice,that was the shiznit DA.
Great article, Michelle! Reminds me of the Congress questioning the folks who are supposed to monitor the Fed…couldn’t account the billions of dollars on and off the Fed’s books. Time of eliminate ALL of these worthless agencies.
I say we put the vice president in charge of finding out where the money went, so there will be complete transparency…yeah, sure.