Living large on the public dime

[Stephanie]

this should make us ALL sick. But talk about REFORMING or cutting down these MONSTERS in these governments and you (or I should say, Republicans by these snakes in the Democrat party) are accused of not caring about : the poor. you little people suffer while they live high off the TAYPAYER HOG. and this is ONE STATE and guess which party runs it? this might give you a hint:

snip;
Living large on the public dime
CAIRO – Hundreds of people here rely on public housing for shelter, with the average income among Alexander County Housing Authority residents just $8,655 a year, the majority of them raising children and nearly half as single mothers. More than half of the county’s children live in poverty, and nearly a third are considered food insecure – meaning they don’t always know from where their next meal is coming.

But some of those who were charged with overseeing the shelter upon which many of them rely, lived large, records show, traveling extensively to conferences in destination cities, drinking on the authority’s dime, shelling out hundreds of dollars for steak, salmon, shrimp cocktails, sorbet and other multi-course meals, sometimes paying nearly $100 per person at fine-dining establishments.

Meanwhile, the public housing developments that provide shelter in the state’s poorest county have deteriorated into abysmal conditions, besieged by infestation and violent crime. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, following a review of its finances, listed the housing authority’s status as “troubled.”

As an example, receipts from the numerous trips include a $100 bill on Dec. 14, 2012, at La Salsa Cantina in Las Vegas, that is almost entirely alcohol purchases. Drinks bought using the authority’s credit cards, include a frozen margarita ($8.95); a frozen strawberry margarita ($9.50); and two cocktails called JamaicaMe Crazy ($19.90), which is a mixed drink that one website describes as tasting like strawberry-banana Starbursts, only better.

Click here to view a sampling of receipts showing extensive travel, fine dining and purchase of holiday gifts for employees and board members.

This and other drink and dinner tabs, as well as lodging and airfare for some trips, appear, based on an extensive review of records, to be paid for using the authority’s line of credit even as participants also received an “expense” voucher cut before their trips.

These vouchers are based on accounting that includes -- as part of the calculation -- reimbursement for mileage to far-off destinations, as if a personal vehicle was taken, even though participants flew in most cases. The vouchers also appear duplicative in nature – as in, it seems as though the authority provided “reimbursements” for at least some expenses also pre-paid or funded on location using the authority’s line of credit, such as for transportation, lodging and some meals.

December 2012 Las Vegas example

ALL of it here:
Living large on the public dime : News

 

[DGS49]

This sort of thing really has no party affiliation. It is the bureaucrats who survive Administration after Administration, regardless of who is in power. Supervisors never clamp down because the supervisors are the biggest abusers.

Yes, it is appalling. In my experience (8 years in public sector) it is much worse at the state level than at Fed or Local. Not sure why that is.

Government positions are positions of trust, and people who do such things ought to be fired, but government workers are never fired unless they basically commit a crime involving moral turpitude. This stuff is just business as usual.

 

[Auld Phart]

 

[guno]

this should make us ALL sick. But talk about REFORMING or cutting down these MONSTERS in these governments and you (or I should say, Republicans by these snakes in the Democrat party) are accused of not caring about : the poor. you little people suffer while they live high off the TAYPAYER HOG. and this is ONE STATE and guess which party runs it? this might give you a hint:

snip;
Living large on the public dime
CAIRO – Hundreds of people here rely on public housing for shelter, with the average income among Alexander County Housing Authority residents just $8,655 a year, the majority of them raising children and nearly half as single mothers. More than half of the county’s children live in poverty, and nearly a third are considered food insecure – meaning they don’t always know from where their next meal is coming.

But some of those who were charged with overseeing the shelter upon which many of them rely, lived large, records show, traveling extensively to conferences in destination cities, drinking on the authority’s dime, shelling out hundreds of dollars for steak, salmon, shrimp cocktails, sorbet and other multi-course meals, sometimes paying nearly $100 per person at fine-dining establishments.

Meanwhile, the public housing developments that provide shelter in the state’s poorest county have deteriorated into abysmal conditions, besieged by infestation and violent crime. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, following a review of its finances, listed the housing authority’s status as “troubled.”

As an example, receipts from the numerous trips include a $100 bill on Dec. 14, 2012, at La Salsa Cantina in Las Vegas, that is almost entirely alcohol purchases. Drinks bought using the authority’s credit cards, include a frozen margarita ($8.95); a frozen strawberry margarita ($9.50); and two cocktails called JamaicaMe Crazy ($19.90), which is a mixed drink that one website describes as tasting like strawberry-banana Starbursts, only better.

Click here to view a sampling of receipts showing extensive travel, fine dining and purchase of holiday gifts for employees and board members.

This and other drink and dinner tabs, as well as lodging and airfare for some trips, appear, based on an extensive review of records, to be paid for using the authority’s line of credit even as participants also received an “expense” voucher cut before their trips.

These vouchers are based on accounting that includes -- as part of the calculation -- reimbursement for mileage to far-off destinations, as if a personal vehicle was taken, even though participants flew in most cases. The vouchers also appear duplicative in nature – as in, it seems as though the authority provided “reimbursements” for at least some expenses also pre-paid or funded on location using the authority’s line of credit, such as for transportation, lodging and some meals.

December 2012 Las Vegas example

ALL of it here:
Living large on the public dime : News

Too funny Gob'ment cheese, medicaid , section 8 trailer park housing. food stamp and whines about gob'ment spending!! Priceless!!!!

 

[Andylusion]

This sort of thing really has no party affiliation. It is the bureaucrats who survive Administration after Administration, regardless of who is in power. Supervisors never clamp down because the supervisors are the biggest abusers.

Yes, it is appalling. In my experience (8 years in public sector) it is much worse at the state level than at Fed or Local. Not sure why that is.

Government positions are positions of trust, and people who do such things ought to be fired, but government workers are never fired unless they basically commit a crime involving moral turpitude. This stuff is just business as usual.

Because people don't pay attention. That's why.

At the local level, stuff spreads pretty quick, because funding is so limited. You find out x program boss is making big bucks, while the city can't fix the pot holes, and wow, the mud starts flying and people start getting replaced.

At the Federal level, you have partisan politics. We find out Solyndra collected millions in Fed money, and the CEO ditched town, and the mud starts flying, and people get replaced.

At the state level, it's not local enough for people to notice, and it's not national enough the partisans pay attention. Rush isn't going to investigate some wasteful state program in Iowa, when he can't tie it to Obama. And the Iowa farmer isn't going to worry about some random state program, as long as the pot holes are filled and the truck keep taking his potatoes to market.

Government workers are never fired, because doing so is a risk. You fire the wrong guy, without clearly detailed evidence, and then he starts a campaign against you, and you lose the next election, because "He fires poor union workers who did nothing wrong! What a terrible person!" and the media always sides with the workers over the leadership.

 

[Andylusion]

this should make us ALL sick. But talk about REFORMING or cutting down these MONSTERS in these governments and you (or I should say, Republicans by these snakes in the Democrat party) are accused of not caring about : the poor. you little people suffer while they live high off the TAYPAYER HOG. and this is ONE STATE and guess which party runs it? this might give you a hint:

snip;
Living large on the public dime
CAIRO – Hundreds of people here rely on public housing for shelter, with the average income among Alexander County Housing Authority residents just $8,655 a year, the majority of them raising children and nearly half as single mothers. More than half of the county’s children live in poverty, and nearly a third are considered food insecure – meaning they don’t always know from where their next meal is coming.

But some of those who were charged with overseeing the shelter upon which many of them rely, lived large, records show, traveling extensively to conferences in destination cities, drinking on the authority’s dime, shelling out hundreds of dollars for steak, salmon, shrimp cocktails, sorbet and other multi-course meals, sometimes paying nearly $100 per person at fine-dining establishments.

Meanwhile, the public housing developments that provide shelter in the state’s poorest county have deteriorated into abysmal conditions, besieged by infestation and violent crime. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, following a review of its finances, listed the housing authority’s status as “troubled.”

As an example, receipts from the numerous trips include a $100 bill on Dec. 14, 2012, at La Salsa Cantina in Las Vegas, that is almost entirely alcohol purchases. Drinks bought using the authority’s credit cards, include a frozen margarita ($8.95); a frozen strawberry margarita ($9.50); and two cocktails called JamaicaMe Crazy ($19.90), which is a mixed drink that one website describes as tasting like strawberry-banana Starbursts, only better.

Click here to view a sampling of receipts showing extensive travel, fine dining and purchase of holiday gifts for employees and board members.

This and other drink and dinner tabs, as well as lodging and airfare for some trips, appear, based on an extensive review of records, to be paid for using the authority’s line of credit even as participants also received an “expense” voucher cut before their trips.

These vouchers are based on accounting that includes -- as part of the calculation -- reimbursement for mileage to far-off destinations, as if a personal vehicle was taken, even though participants flew in most cases. The vouchers also appear duplicative in nature – as in, it seems as though the authority provided “reimbursements” for at least some expenses also pre-paid or funded on location using the authority’s line of credit, such as for transportation, lodging and some meals.

December 2012 Las Vegas example

ALL of it here:
Living large on the public dime : News

Too funny Gob'ment cheese, medicaid , section 8 trailer park housing. food stamp and whines about gob'ment spending!! Priceless!!!!

Are you like 3 and a half years old? That didn't make sense, was barely intelligible, and failed to make any point.

If you can't talk like an adult, or reason like an adult, maybe you should go to a forum where there are no adults, and more people like yourself?

You'll be better off around more people at your level, and we'll be better off with fewer people your level. You should consider it. It's a win-win for both you and all of us.

 

[mdk]

Consdiering the author, I was half-expecting this to be a "How to Guide" but alas.

 

[Seawytch]

Consdiering the author, I was half-expecting this to be a "How to Guide" but alas.

I had the same exact thought...

 

[NYcarbineer]

And what does that prove, other than that nothing works perfectly?