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Deficit Hawk-in-Chief
Topic Started: Jul 22 2010, 06:28 AM (229 Views)
Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
from http://www.politico.com/politico44
 
DEFICIT HAWK-IN-CHIEF: A day after signing the banking reform bill into law, President Obama holds another ceremony today to give his signature to the Improper Payment Elimination and Recovery Act – a bill that aims to reduce the deficit by cracking down on government waste. The White House guidance explains: "Each year, the federal government wastes billions of American taxpayers’ dollars on improper payments to individuals, organizations, and contractors. These are payments made in the wrong amount, to the wrong person, or for the wrong reason. In 2009, improper payments totaled nearly $110 billion, the highest amount to date."


Washington Post article on the Act:

The administration's other efforts to rein in excessive spending:
And to streamline federal agencies' hiring processes:
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
In other news, Mr. Albert Fox, best known for his recent leadership of the Department of Cunning, was put in charge of henhouse security.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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JBryan
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I am the grey one
This is like bailing with a teaspoon while there is a big hole in the boat.
"Any man who would make an X rated movie should be forced to take his daughter to see it". - John Wayne


There is a line we cross when we go from "I will believe it when I see it" to "I will see it when I believe it".


Henry II: I marvel at you after all these years. Still like a democratic drawbridge: going down for everybody.

Eleanor: At my age there's not much traffic anymore.

From The Lion in Winter.
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Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
The $110B expected savings is 5x~6x bigger than the "pork/earmarks" that then candidate McCain harped on, if you recall.

Incidentally, what "big hole" are you referring to?
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
Pray tell how some new law will eliminate these systemic, procedural and competence problems? I suspect it will be much like how HIPAA supposedly protects the privacy of our medical records.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
Mikhailoh
Jul 22 2010, 07:48 AM
Pray tell how some new law will eliminate these systemic, procedural and competence problems?
It's summarized as follow in the WaPo article:
Quote:
 
... the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act that Obama signed requires agencies to spend at least $1 million on audits to identify potential overpayments, produce plans to cut such overpayment errors and sets penalties for agencies that fail to comply.
Whack 'em if they fail to save money. But for now, spending $1m on audits to save $110B seems like a good trade off. They're trying to do the right thing. So let them try, encourage them to try. Whack 'em only if they fail to show results.
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
So the agencies will have to pay penalties to the government with money they got from the government because they wasted money they got from the government. Oh, and they will spend money they got from the government to identify the waste. What a marvel of efficiency. :lol2:
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Mark
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Our government is foul.
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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
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Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
Mikhailoh
Jul 22 2010, 08:01 AM
So the agencies will have to pay penalties to the government with money they got from the government because they wasted money they got from the government. Oh, and they will spend money they got from the government to identify the waste. What a marvel of efficiency. :lol2:
How do you know the "penalties" may not be in the form of punitive budget reduction or personnel demotion and/or demotion?

Like I said, let them try first. Whack 'em only if they fail to save money.
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Mark
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HOLY CARP!!!
Just "whack 'em" now.
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o 0
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
Uh.. Ax? How exactly does budget reduction differ from what I said?

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for waste reduction. You want to reduce waste? Take away the buffer. If they have identified all these areas of waste they already know about how much the agencies are wasting. Simply reduce their budgets by about that much and guarantee savings.

Instead what they have done is created a whole bunch of additional spending to identify waste on a regular basis. How many people do you think it will take to administer this 'savings' program? Where will they work? How much paperworkw ill be involved?

You don't save money by adding administrative burdens. That is already one of the key drivers in rising healthcare costs.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
The actuarial estimate of waste is not the same as the waste identified as such through audits.

That's the difference.
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Mikhailoh
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Mark
Jul 22 2010, 08:24 AM
Just "whack 'em" now.
Not a bad idea. A couple well publicized hits and watch the savings mount up.
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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