Saturday, November 19, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Broken System: LIRR Pension Scam is the latest Public Employee / Union Criminal Abuse
Endless corruption in the public employee sector: LIRR, NYPD ticket fixing scandal; Congressman Rangel, Congressman Meeks, Dept. of Energy / Solyndra ... it is just unending.
Public Employees Busted in Retirement Scheme
Employees of the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) have defrauded that organization of over $1 billion over the last seven years. In as many as 500 cases, LIRR employees falsely claimed disability benefits to supplement their pensions, employing a sophisticated scheme involving special “facilitators” and doctors operating “disability mills.” Eleven defendants have been named so far, including a former president of the railroad union; each has been charged with conspiracy to commit health-care fraud and mail fraud.
There were three doctors who participated in this scheme, and in return they received cash payments between $800 and $1,200 — along with millions in health-insurance fees for unnecessary procedures. These procedures, which included X-rays, MRIs, and physical therapy, were used to bolster their patients’ files for later claims. Afterwards, they provided patients with falsified medical assessments, claiming that it would be impossible for them to continue working. The LIRR employees would then immediately retire with both their regular and disability pensions.
The LIRR employees also collaborated with a few “facilitators,” who helped falsify disability applications and coordinated with the doctors’ offices. One of these facilitators, Joseph Rutigliano, was a former LIRR union president who had also falsely claimed disability benefits. Before retiring, he worked over 500 hours of overtime and took no sick days, yet applied for disability benefits due to back pain immediately upon retirement. His condition did not prevent him from playing golf several times a month.
Other brazen disability claims included that of Gregory Noone, who collected $105,000 a year; he claimed that “he suffered severe pain when gripping and using simple hand tools and pain in his knees, shoulder, and back from bending or crouching.” Yet this pain did not slow down his post-retirement tennis and golf games. Similarly, Steven Gagliano’s “severe and disabling pain in [his] back, shoulder and legs,” which rendered him “occupationally disabled,” did not prevent him from participating in a 400-mile bike trip across northern New York.
The structure of the LIRR’s pension system encouraged this massive scam. As early as age 50, a LIRR employee can retire and collect a LIRR pension, but has to wait until the age of 65 before he or she can claim a federal Railroad Retirement Benefit (RRB). However, if the employee is declared disabled immediately upon retirement, then that employee is entitled to both the LIRR pension and the RRB. This allows for the collection of an income equal to his or her previous base salary. In other words, the system created the incentives for deception by employees.
The high rate of disability claims at the LIRR relative to Metro North, a comparable regional railroad that does not have retirement at 50, illustrates this situation: Seventy-nine percent of LIRR employees over 50 claimed disability benefits, while only 15 percent of Metro North employees did.
Thus, while the LIRR scandal is a story of fraud, the real lesson lies in the dangers for abuse in entitlement systems.
The NY Post is also all over this LIRR story ...
Constituents Not Happy w/ OWS being supported by local NYC politicians
Elected local pols such as Scott Stringer, Margaret Chin and Daniel Squadron, all do nothing left-leaning politicians, come under fire from Downtown Residents, as does Community Board 1.
The above are supposed to represent people living in the area, not the Zuccotti Park squatters.
Wall Street’s Community Board Sides Against Its Residents
I wrote last week about how Wall Street–area residents were beginning to stir against their occupiers. Last week, over the objections of these residents, the members of Community Board 1 passed a resolution recommending that the Wall Street Occupiers be allowed to remain in Zuccotti Park indefinitely.
Here is a statement that Linda Gerstman, one of those residents, made to the Community Board:
We live in a community that was finally rebounding from September 11th. My fellow neighbors and I chose to live here despite many inconveniences (like limited car access) due to national security.
The protesters have driven our neighborhood into the proverbial toilet (pun intended). Not only does the occupation impact the park and the adjacent streets – where it smells like rotting food and raw sewage – but also impacts us blocks away.
Barricades have been erected in order to block their access to landmarks and terrorist targets. These barricades also prohibit residents from walking freely in their own neighborhood.
Children are frightened, the elderly are forced to walk blocks out of their way to fill a prescription, and our sidewalks are soiled because dogs don’t have access to the curbs.
Local retailers and restaurants are reporting drops in foot traffic and sales. Real EstateBrokers are seeing decreased activity in terms of responses to listings – which has a direct impact on our property values. Several of my neighbors have fled the neighborhood and are selling their apartments.
Our building has been burgled three times by protesters – once to wedge all access doorsopen (likely for future break-ins), once to hang a protest banner from a window and once to vandalize our building in the name of “art”. So now, not only are we significantly inconvenienced, we are now in fear of our safety and security.
Quite frankly, we are not interested in a “good neighbor policy”. These occupiers are not our neighbors. Our neighbors don’t beat on drums while children are napping, our neighbors do not verbally attack people on their way to work, our neighbors do not break in and vandalize buildings, our neighbors do not urinate and defecate in the street. The occupiers need to vacate our neighborhood.
This is our home. We are not the enemy. Many of the protesters go home at night to their homes in outside neighborhoods and live peacefully while our home life has become unbearable.
I support free speech, free expression, and equal justice for all, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of innocent bystanders. An unfortunate consequence of this is that these individuals are clearly stating that their rights should be taken more seriously than our rights. And that isn’t a fair tradeoff. Why should our basic rights of living peacefully in our homes be trampled on by those who don’t reside in the neighborhood, create unsanitary conditions, cause undue safety issues, and commit crimes. Where is the justice in that?
The question the elected officials must ask themselves is whether they stand for the individuals who have knowingly decided that the law does not pertain to them and side with out of towners or enforce the law and adequately protect those that put them in office. The answer to this question will be apparent in their actions and the members of the community will judge you in this light on election day.
Margaret Chin, who represents the Financial District in the New York City Council, andDaniel Squadron, who serves the same role in the New York State Senate, have been among the leading advocates of their district’s continued occupation. It’s not clear what will change (other than the weather), until and unless someone decides to run against them.
Occupy Wall Street -to real Homeless people - the 99% excludes You !
The 300-500 wussy, free-loader anarchists, leftists and assorted professional complainers were enjoying a free lunch - literally - with gourmet meals provided free by symptathetic chefs.
That is, until unwanted rabble, who most likely thought that they too were part of the 99%, started showing up for some free grub.
The protestors, it seems, don't care much for the homeless and ex-cons showing up in Zuccotti Park for some free food. The Nerve of the Homeless to think that this "movement" would be truly representing them too !
Listen Up You Vagrants - Get Thee to a Soup Kitchen Instead !
Instead of sharing, OWS "will provide directions to local soup kitchens for the vagrants and other freeloaders who have been descending on Zuccotti Park".
Hey, aren't they all Freeloaders down there ??
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Obama Pivots Again - To His Re-Election Campaign
Forget about the economy, forget about jobs, President Hopey Dope has given up hope and is out electioneering and fundraising pretty much full time.
Maybe he should just spend more time on the golf course ...
Bruce Krasting says his "pass my jobs bill" is all about getting re-elected by trying to buy some 2012 votes - and he's probably right: http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/politics-money-and-ows
Michael Goodwin: Aimless Obama Walks Alone
And Scandals are Lurking out there: Solyndra, and Fast & Furious. When Does AG Eric Holder (he of the Marc Rich pardon, the New Black Panther Party whitewash and assorted other fiascos, get perp-walked, or at least fired ?? http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/no_justice_from_justice_QBY3tMJGtJbaI5DjVLoTDM
Kyle Smith: Why is Obama making bad bets w/ our money ?
Saturday, September 24, 2011
UN Theater of the Absurd Week is now over
Thanks, and good riddance ! My regard for this fine institution is even below my regard for the current occupant of the White House and Congress.
As noted by Israel's Netanyahu, only in the corrupt cesspool known as the United Nations,
Well, this is an unfortunate part of the U.N. institution. It's the -- the theater of the absurd. It doesn't only cast Israel as the villain; it often casts real villains in leading roles: Gadhafi's Libya chaired the U.N. Commission on Human Rights; Saddam's Iraq headed the U.N. Committee on Disarmament.
You might say: That's the past. Well, here's what's happening now -- right now, today. Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon now presides over the U.N. Security Council. This means, in effect, that a terror organization presides over the body entrusted with guaranteeing the world's security.
You couldn't make this thing up.
Abbas (aka "Arafat in a suit") & Palestinian Rejectionist Theater:
and
Achmedinijad, the apocalyptic leader of Iran.
Joel C. Rosenberg writes: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/278195/ahmadinejads-apocalyptic-address-joel-c-rosenberg
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not a world leader worthy of the world stage. He is the evil leader of an Iranian death cult. A new U.N. report indicates that he is making progress in building nuclear weapons. He has predicted the arrival of the Twelfth Imam and called for wiping Israel “off the map.” He aspires to be a mass murderer beyond the scale of history’s great dictators. He deserves to be in prison, or an insane asylum. His speech on Thursday before the United Nations General Assembly was further proof, if any more were needed.
Did you see Ahmadinejad’s apocalyptic address, or read the full text? You should. It’s instructive. Unfortunately, you won’t find Ahmadinejad’s full speech reprinted in the major newspapers. It was pitifully covered by the mainstream media. It should have been carefully analyzed.
Highlights:
PM Netanyahu's masterful speech: http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/netanyahus-un-speech_594122.html
An Excerpt:
Today I hope that the light of truth will shine, if only for a few minutes, in a hall that for too long has been a place of darkness for my country. So as Israel's prime minister, I didn't come here to win applause. I came here to speak the truth. (Cheers, applause.) The truth is -- the truth is that Israel wants peace. The truth is that I want peace. The truth is that in the Middle East at all times, but especially during these turbulent days, peace must be anchored in security. The truth is that we cannot achieve peace through U.N. resolutions, but only through direct negotiations between the parties. The truth is that so far the Palestinians have refused to negotiate. The truth is that Israel wants peace with a Palestinian state, but the Palestinians want a state without peace. And the truth is you shouldn't let that happen.
Also read:
In this theater of the absurd, a United Nations dominated by third world thugs and grievance mongers, it is the useless Abbas that gets a standing ovation for his wooden, rejectionist speech, while Netanyahu's words of truth, hope and compromise, are met with largely a stony silence.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Mark Steyn on Obama's joke of a jobs "bill"
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/277492/pass-jobs-bill-mark-steyn
There is no bill, it won’t “create” any jobs, and it will be paid for with money we don’t have.
‘Pass This Jobs Bill!’
There is no bill, it won’t “create” any jobs, and it will be paid for with money we don’t have.
The president has taken to the campaign trail to promote his “American Jobs Act.” That’s a good name for it: an act. “Pass this bill now!” he declared 24 times at a stop in Raleigh, N.C., and another 18 in Columbus, Ohio, and the act is sufficiently effective that, three years into the Vapidity of Hope, the president can still find crowds of true believers willing to chant along with him: “Pass this bill now!”
Not all supporters are content merely to singalong with the prompter-in-chief. In North Carolina, a still-devoted hopeychanger cried out, “I love you!”
“I love you, too,” said the president. “But . . . ”
Oh, no, here it comes: conditional love. “But, if you love me, you’ve got to help me pass this bill!” You’d be surprised how effective this line is: I tried it on Darlene in the back of my Ford Edsel when I was 17 and we didn’t get home till two in the morning.
Pass this bill now, or I’ll say “Pass this bill now!” another two dozen times! With this latest inspiration, Obama has taken the post-modern phase of democratic politics to a whole new level. “Pass this jobs bill”? Simply as a matter of humdrum reality, there is no bill, it won’t “create” any jobs, and it will be paid for with money we don’t have. But the smartest president in history has calculated that, if he says the same four monosyllables over and over, a nonexistent bill to create nonexistent jobs with nonexistent money will be yet another legislative triumph in the grand tradition of his first stimulus (the original Dumb and Dumberto the sequel’s Stimulus and Stimulusser).
The estimated cost of the non-bill is just shy of half a trillion dollars. Gosh, it seems like only yesterday that Washington was in the grip of a white-knuckle, clenched-teeth showdown over whether a debt-ceilingdeal could be reached before the allegedly looming deadline. When the deal was triumphantly unveiled at the eleventh hour, it was revealed that our sober, prudent, fiscally responsible masters had gotten control of the runaway spending and had carved (according to the most optimistic analysis) a whole $7 billion dollars of savings out of the 2012 budget. The president then airily breezes into Congress and in 20 minutes adds another $447 billion to the tab. That’s what meaningful course-correction in Washington boils down to: Seven billion steps forward, 447 billion steps back.
This $447 billion does not exist, and even foreigners don’t want to lend it to us. A majority of it will be “electronically created” by the Federal Reserve buying U.S. Treasury debt. Don’t worry, it’s not like “printing money”: We leave that to primitive basket cases like Zimbabwe. This is more like one of those Nigerian e-mail schemes, in which a prominent public official promises you a large sum of money in return for your bank-account details. In the case of Ben Bernanke and Timothy Geithner, one prominent public official is promising to wire a large sum of money into the account of another prominent public official, which is a wrinkle even the Nigerians might have difficulty selling.
But not to worry. On Thursday night, the president told a Democratic fundraiser in Washington that the Pass My Jobs Bill bill would create 1.9 million new jobs. What kind of jobs are created by this kind of magical thinking? Well, they’re “green jobs” — and, if we know anything about “green jobs,” it’s that they take a lot of green. German taxpayers subsidize “green jobs” in their wind-power industry to the tune of a quarter of a million dollars per worker per year: $250,000 per “green job” would pay for a lot of real jobs, even in the European Union. Last year, it was revealed that the Spanish government paid $800,000 for every “green job” on a solar-panel assembly line. I had assumed carelessly that this must be a world record in terms of taxpayer subsidy per fraudulent “green job.” But it turns out those cheapskate Spaniards with their lousy nickel-and-dime “green jobs” subsidy just weren’t thinking big. The Obama administration’s $38.6 billion “clean technology” program was supposed to “create or save” 65,000 jobs. Half the money has been spent — $17.2 billion — and we have 3,545 jobs to show for it. That works out to an impressive $4,851,904.09 per “green job.” A world record! Take that, you loser Spaniards! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
So, based on previous form, Obama’s prediction of 1.9 million new jobs will result in the creation of 92,000 new jobs, mostly in the Federal Department of Green Jobs Grant Applications.
Just to put it in perspective, the breezy $447 billion price tag for the Pass My Jobs Bill jobs bill is about 20 times higher than the most recent Greek government deficit currently threatening the stability of the entire eurozone. Indeed Greece’s projected 2011 deficit — $24 billion at last count — is little more than half of just one of Obama’s boutique, niche “green jobs” programs. As Churchill almost said, never in the field of human con tricks has so much been owed by so many to so little effect.
Fortunately, there is no “American Jobs Act.” Indeed, the other day, tired of waiting for Obama to turn his telepromptered pseudo-bill into a typewritten actual bill, the Texas congressman Louie Gohmert waggishly introduced an “American Jobs Act” all of his own. But back on the campaign trail the chanting goes on, last week’s election results in Nevada and New York notwithstanding. America has the lowest employment since the early Eighties, the lowest property ownership since the mid-Sixties, the highest deficit-to-GDP ratio since the Second World War, the worst long-term unemployment since the Great Depression, the highest government-dependency rate of all time, and the biggest debt mountain in the history of the planet. And the president has just announced to the world that he’s checked the more-of-the-above box. The Pass My Jobs Bill jobs bill proclaims that this is all he knows and all he wants to know.
In my new book, I point out that Big Government leaves everything else smaller — and, when it’s bigger than anything ever attempted, the everything else is going to be way smaller. Maybe if you’re a “public service” worker or a tenured professor at Berkeley or a green-jobs racketeer or a New York Times columnist married to an heiress, you can afford Obama. But, if you’re not, look at your home, look at your savings, and figure out what’ll be left after another four years of “stimulus.”
“I love you!” squeals the Obammybopper in North Carolina. “I love you, too,” says Obama. “But . . . ”
But: You gotta take this half-trillion-dollar bill, and the next one, and the one after that. Like Al Gore says in Love Story, love means never having to say you’re sorry.
— Mark Steyn, a National Review columnist, is the author of After America: Get Ready for Armageddon. © 2011 Mark Steyn
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