Bush

[reconeil]

See no point debating whether or not Rebublicans are better liars than Democrats (or not),...since to me ANY OATH TAKING "Public Hireling" proven to be perpetually lying to his or her employer (ie. The American Citizenry), should be instantly jailed, shot or hung, depending on the criminal severity and havoc that such lies have caused. Since"They" ALL TAKE OATHS TO ME/US, no ideology and/or divisive political nonsense matters. NOR SHOULD IT. And besides and since not: "CONNECTED",...life's too short.

Also, and since Private Sector and/or NON-OATH TAKING Corporate Officials can be jailed if caught lying under oath regarding mismanagents of their people's monies,...why the big hang-up about jailing Ruling Elite Thieves and/or mismanagers of Public Funds? Do lordly politicos have some kind of Papal Dispensation?

Regardless Gimpy, I think you're way off the mark with ex-President Reagan. Hell, if it wasn't for Reagan, his building-up The Military, Threatening: "Star Wars" and The Neutron Bomb (greatest tank killer en mass ever devised) against The Soviets,...there should be no doubt whatsoever that; "The Wall" would still be up, The Cold(?) War would still be in effect, and The Soviets would still control about a third of The World.

Still, and in fairness Gimpy, you might be sort-of right. Had Reagan butted-out and left things alone, all we would have to contend with nowadays is The Old Soviet Union, instead of a whole bunch of new and feisty adversaries that their breakup has produced.

Neil :cl:

[SuperScout]

I call your attention to an article on the News wire today. In reading all of the above posts, I have noted a horrific absence of any solutions, other than the obligatory, "Off with their heads" mindset, which, while temporarily satisfying, doesn't yield long-term results. There is enough, more than enough blame to cover every political party, elected and appointed official, since Washington floated across the Delaware, but that still begs the question: what's the solution? Does whining about how evil closed political party primaries are solve the problem? Hardy! I proposed that instead of wasting more energy on beating dead or dying horses, why not start doing something productive, like getting Congress to end the fraud, waste, and abuse of existing programs. I guarantee that there will be enough money for concurrent receipt, for adequate VA health care, and for other needs that are Constitutionally required.
---------------------

WASHINGTON ? Over $200 million a year is wasted or defrauded from the federal employee health benefits and retirement pro-grams, according to recent testimony in the House Government Reform Committee, and lawmakers are looking for ways to reduce the losses.

Millions more dollars going down the drain can be saved if mismanagement and waste are put in check, say lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

?Since we?ve been given the directive to identify waste, fraud and mismanagement under our committee?s jurisdiction, we?ve been surprised by what we?ve found,? said David Marin (search), spokesman for the House Government Reform Committee, which oversees federal civil service programs, government contracting and reorganization.

According to officials at OPM, which administers all of the federal government?s pension, disability and health benefits, most of the annual losses can be attributed to erroneous medical payments to health care providers and insurance carriers.

OPM officials say audits have found that over $200 million had been lost in fiscal year 2002 [in just ONE year?] because of improper payments to insurance carriers, either due to mistakes in filing codes or duplicate payments, as well as fraud, where health care providers and insurance carriers have filed for -- and received -- payments for services not rendered.

In the case of retirement benefits, the OPM?s inspector general?s office found that $5 million in payments are sent to deceased retirees each year. [And how many years has this been going on?]

But, employee benefits is just one area of concern. Plenty of other steps can be taken toward tightening the federal belt.

Marin said the committee plans to investigate waste in federal contracting, as well as redundancy in programs. So far, the committee has found that, among other examples, the federal government is funding 90 different early childhood education programs in 11 different agencies, and 86 teacher-training programs in nine different agencies.

In July, three freshman House lawmakers announced the ?Washington Waste Watch,? in which they hope to identify ?the shocking amounts of wasted tax dollars? and suggest legislative solutions to problems such as the ones uncovered by OPM.

Reps. Tom Feeney, R-Fla., Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, and Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., plan to take to the House floor every week to bring attention to different areas of waste, mismanagement and fraud in the federal bureaucracy.

?Spending other people?s money can be an intoxicating experience,? Feeney told Foxnews.com. ?Part of this is to remind ourselves and one another that we are the guardian watchdogs of the taxpayers? purse.?

Feeney said that the losses mentioned by the OPM are a small amount compared to federal Medicare losses -- $35 billion in overpayments in 2002, according to the House Budget Committee.

Hensarling said people don?t realize that the money that is wasted could have been used more effectively somewhere else, and that taxpayers may be actually losing out on programs due to rampant mismanagement.

?Part of what we want to do is let people know that whatever people are saying about a dollar spent in Washington translating into a dollar of love, happiness and kindness, it?s not necessarily so,? Hensarling said.

Thomas Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, which this year identified a record $22.5 billion in federal pork-barrel projects in its annual ?Pig Book,? said the Government Reform Committee hearing, and the larger mandate to identify waste and fraud in the budget, is a good start.

[Gimpy]

I TOLD y'all he couldn't conceptualize the fact of Sparrows' statement(s)!

Hell I've been promoting the "solution" for at LEAST TEN YEARS now. You want increased veterans health care & benefits---vote the bastards OUT of office. I've posted SO many freakin congressional roll call votes that PROVE the republicans have NOT been keeping their "promises" to veterans now that even I've lost count of how many times this has happened. SuperDenial STILL refuses to see the TRUTH! All you have to do Super is READ the freakin evidence! The ROLL CALL VOTES PROVE IT!

Sure, you've got some "fraud & waste & mismangement" in government programs and agencies----just take a long hard look at the whitehouse if you want PROOF. Take a look at the "deal" the energy companies are going to get if Bush & Cheneys "Energy program" passes Congress? Cheney and his "committee" members have done everything possible to prevent the information from going public of showing WHO and WHAT they recommended because they've evidently got something to HIDE from the American people---kind of like how Ken Lay & Enron and Haliburton, and other BIG energy companies "helped" the administration "form" their "policy" to screw US and line their pockets with $$$$$$$$$$! And, how Haliburton (The Company that Cheney held the postion of CEO before becoming Vice-Pres) somehow "won" the "bidding process" (there WAS none) to rebuild Irag. Supposedly worth BILLIONS to the company! Talk about "FRAUD"!

Still---the BOTTOM LINE comes back to Lil Sparrows words, "This present fiasco has to be laid squarely at the feet of the Republican Party. I don't need to review the entire history of the United States Congress to deal with this particular issue. The Repulican Party made more than one promise to our Veterans before this last election. They let those of us that voted them in, because we believed their promises, down by not passing this very important piece of legislation."--end quote!

But YOU STILL won't admit it!

Talk about "blinded" by the RIGHT!

[reconeil]

MY/OUR Trustees in Washington paid-out: "35 Billion in Medicare overpayments in 2002",...and those bums still have the nerve to deduct a $56 monthly payment from my Social Security check for Medicare.
What a lordly slap-in-the-face!

Granted SS, I know you're more into solutions than crying about things. Still, and regarding the perpetual "FIXING" of Social Security and Medicaire,...I believe that some mass executions of theiving and/or incompetent lords are in order FIRST-OFF. Then, and just maybe(?), things can REALLY BE FIXED For The People INSTEAD.

Neil

[BLUEHAWK]

Well folks, takin' up the tail end of this long tale...

What Scout says about plenty of blame to go around surely is true, heaven help us all (we did this to ourselves)...don't think there is any way to stop it as long as the way we work this government stays the same, which it is likely to do. I suggested three very long term solutions, but he doesn't like 'em. I guess he must know how to "...get Congress to end the fraud, waste and abuse of existing programs." He's either a lobbyist, major political campaign contributor or in a position to sabotage congressional computers. Voting sure as hell ain't makin' any difference anymore, or is marginal at best and not even close to putting an end to anything... 35% of the eligible voters make 100% of the choices, that's how we define a "mandate" these days. Get rid of the electoral college, gerrymandering and closed primaries and we'll stand a fair chance, not until.

Reconeil's idea about those "Lordly politicians" having a "Papal Dispensation" is just about true, they do have what amounts to one... but here in America we call it "sovereign immunity" and "perks".

So anyhow Gimpy, I will be sticking around these parts, as long as there's electricity.

[reeb]

Neil,

And on top of that, If you dont have a checking acount, the DAMN bank takes another 2 doolars per one hundred.....

Yes even on Govt checks!!!!

BUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!

Like the damn check is going to bounce!!! Boing Boing!!!!!

enough..........