| GSA Non-Workergate Video; American Idle | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 6 2012, 12:19 PM (1,998 Views) | |
| LTC8K6 | Apr 9 2012, 01:25 PM Post #16 |
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Assistant to The Devil Himself
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The office of the inspector general was first alerted to improprieties in the Pacific Rims region’s Hats Off program after more than 40 iPods were found missing and reported to the Federal Protective Service of the Department of Homeland Security. A further inquiry by the inspector general found that 115 iPods valued at $20,000 were unaccounted for and possibly stolen. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/more-details-on-gsa-employee-awards-store/2012/04/09/gIQAdwoo5S_blog.html?hpid=z2 Edited by LTC8K6, Apr 9 2012, 01:25 PM.
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| Baldo | Apr 9 2012, 01:27 PM Post #17 |
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"This is not just about a single convention, but a festering culture of entitlement and wasting taxpayer money within the federal bureaucracy," Issa, R-Calif., wrote in a statement. "Taxpayer's time should be used for real work and not a high school musical like production on the Obama administration's stimulus spending spree. "Eleven months after the GSA inspector general briefed the Obama Administration on the facts about waste and wrongdoing, we are still looking for accountability and answers about delayed action that does not fully address the underlying problem." The House committee on Transportation and Infrastructure released new details last week from a report showing that GSA spent nearly $440,000 on "lavish gifts" such iPods and digital cameras for an incentive program for its employees. My incentive program in the midst terrible economic times is "Get to Work, Save Money, or Lose you Job!
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| cks | Apr 9 2012, 02:22 PM Post #18 |
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What was the ring that the woman received? What was its value? |
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| Kerri P. | Apr 10 2012, 06:02 PM Post #19 |
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They were planning on going back to Vegas. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/04/10/federal-agency-cancels-new-vegas-conference-amid-scandal-over-its-lavish-2010/ Federal agency cancels new Vegas conference amid scandal over its lavish 2010 event Published April 10, 2012 FoxNews.com The federal agency under fire for spending lavishly on a 2010 conference held near Las Vegas has made a shrewd decision about where to hold its next conference: not Vegas. The General Services Administration had been preparing to return to the Las Vegas area, but it has since changed those plans in the wake of the scandal over more than $800,000 spent on the 2010 event. The Washington Post reports that the upcoming conference, scheduled for April 25, at a Vegas hotel, has been cancelled. snip..... |
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| cks | Apr 10 2012, 06:06 PM Post #20 |
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They obvuiously thought what happens in Los Vegas stays in Los Vegas! WRONG!!!!!!! |
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| Baldo | Apr 11 2012, 04:03 PM Post #21 |
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GSA employees travel to Hawaii five-days for a one-hour ribbon cutting The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said Wednesday that five employees associated with the recently scandal-plagued Government Services Administration went to Hawaii for up to a week in 2011 to attend an hour-long ribbon cutting on space leased by the federal government for the FBI. Details of the incident surfaced in a transcript of an interview between the GSA Inspector General’s Office and a GSA employee. The employee indicated to the IG investigator that trip was not isolated and that there was another, longer junket scheduled for Hawaii this fall. That one would be in Hilo, Hawaii for 10 days and would include ribbon cuttings for a federal building, a post office and perhaps a courthouse. The transcript indicates that some of the GSA employees went snorkeling during their free time in the mornings. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/04/11/gsa-employees-travel-to-hawaii-five-days-for-one-hour-ribbon-cutting/ The only solution is to fire them. The amount of waste that goes on in our government by our employees is killing us. |
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| Baldo | Apr 12 2012, 09:50 PM Post #22 |
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The hits just keep coming! GSA Made Up ‘Jackass Award’ to Justify Dinners April 12, 2012 Officials at the General Services Administration invented fake awards as an excuse to hold taxpayer-funded dinner events at conferences, according to an interview transcript obtained by Roll Call. At one such event, GSA bestowed the “jackass award” on an employee, a GSA employee told the agency’s Office of Inspector General, according to the transcript. The GSA is under fire because the inspector general revealed in an April 2 report that the agency spent almost $823,000 on an October 2010 Las Vegas conference for about 300 people. The inspector general also said officials violated scores of rules and regulations governing spending of taxpayer dollars. In the wake of the report, GSA Administrator Martha Johnson resigned, two of her top aides were fired and four other managers were placed on leave. House Republicans say the “jackass award” and other revelations in interviews conducted by the inspector general show that the problem is deeper than the Las Vegas conference. “GSA has been using tax dollars as a slush fund to pay for lavish parties and exotic vacations. From what we’re learning, GSA has a whole laundry list of instances where they were abusing taxpayer dollars. This goes a lot farther and a lot deeper than what we’ve seen,” said Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), who chairs a Transportation and Infrastructure subpanel with jurisdiction over the GSA. In the interview transcript obtained by Roll Call, a GSA employee who attended the Las Vegas conference said the administration’s officials routinely created awards to justify taxpayer reimbursement for dinner events. “Typically at any — any conference in my memory over the last three or four years, probably even further back, there was always — there’s always one night where we have an awards ceremony and people are fed. I mean, it’s not even like it’s snacks. I mean, sometimes it’s pretty close to being like a full meal,” the employee said. Describing the award ceremonies as a “running joke,” the employee said, supervisors explained that the fake awards were designed to justify dinner events at the conferences....snipped http://www.rollcall.com/news/gsa_made_up_jackass_award_to_justify_dinners-213735-1.html?pos=hatxt |
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| Kerri P. | Apr 13 2012, 01:28 PM Post #23 |
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http://www.wral.com/business/story/10979491/ GSA aware of spending scandal last July Posted: 19 minutes ago WASHINGTON — An internal government memo released Friday shows officials of the General Services Administration were aware of a spending problem months before the scandal burst into public view this month. The GSA's deputy administrator, Susan Brita, emailed agency officials last July that the inspector general found no substantive agenda at a 2010 GSA conference at a Las Vegas resort. She said that expenses for a clown suit, bicycles used for a team-building exercise, tuxedos and a mind-reader didn't lend themselves to the claim of a substantive conference. The event cost taxpayers about $823,000. Brita also questioned why a regional administrator in charge of the conference received only a disciplinary letter that "is not even a slap on the wrist." A major concern in the memo was how The Washington Post, with thousands of readers who are federal employees, would report the story. A GSA spokesman declined to comment, saying the agency preferred to let the email speak for itself. The email was sent to Robert Peck, then the head of the GSA's Public Building Service, with copies to his deputy, David Foley, and another top agency official, Stephen Leeds. Peck and Leeds were fired after Inspector General Brian Miller issued a stinging report earlier this month on the cost of the conference to taxpayers. GSA administrator Martha Johnson resigned in the wake of the report. Eight GSA employees have been placed on administrative leave, including Foley. He is seen in a conference video giving an award to an employee who produced a rap video bragging about the conference spending. The email by Brita, who remains at GSA, was made public by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which will conduct the first of three hearings on GSA's spending practices next week. The agency is in charge of federal buildings and supplies, and part of its mission is to save taxpayers money. "The Obama administration has not been upfront with the American people about how long they've known about lavish spending abuses at GSA," committee chairman Darrell Issa said. The California Republican added, "It's clear that they were fretting about the political consequences and preparing for media scrutiny on abuses many months ago, but didn't seem to take real actions until the release of the inspector general's report couldn't be delayed any longer." Brita wrote that a letter to a GSA executive responsible for the conference, Jeff Neely, "should be crafted with a WAPO (Washington Post) mind frame." Neely is one of the eight officials placed on administrative leave. snip.... |
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| kbp | Apr 13 2012, 02:00 PM Post #24 |
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Just because they knew last July does not eliminate it from being open to blame on Bush! |
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| Baldo | Apr 13 2012, 02:34 PM Post #25 |
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Taxpayer money paid for GSA intern conference, documents show WASHINGTON — The fallout continues over wasteful spending by some employees at the General Services Administration, with new documents showing interns also got their own taxpayer-paid junkets. New revelations in GSA inspector general documents show the agency flew interns, at taxpayers' expense, to Palm Springs for a "networking" and a "thank you" conference in 2010. At the Vegas conference, the GSA spent money on yearbooks, souvenir books and spent more than $146,500 on sumptuous buffets with beverages, the documents indicate....snipped And that might not have been the only conference. "This was a yearly event," said a Congressional investigator. "The interns were flown in to Palm Springs from around the country." No dollar cost has been cited yet, but GSA had an estimated 150 interns in 2010, and a big number of them attended this conference, as well as top GSA officials, said Congressional investigators for Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), who is overseeing one of several hearings in Congress next week on the issue. The GSA is an independent government agency charged with managing and supporting the basic functioning of federal agencies. Furthermore, Congressional investigators said they have documents from the inspector general that show one of the top GSA officials who attended the intern conference had a suite at the Palm Springs Hotel, complete with two fireplaces and a spa. The government agency, which polices federal spending on conferences and real estate, is now under fire for spending more than $822,000 in taxpayer money on a lavish conference in October 2010 at the luxury M Resort Spa Casino just outside Las Vegas for 300 federal workers. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/taxpayer_money_paid_for_gsa_intern_ffMMY1p0O0xzUzM4kGLaaJ More waste! Sending interns to Palm Springs. As Meghan Kelly on Fox said she was in a large law firm. The only thing they did to reward interns was buy beers for them If they waste money on this can you imagine the money they waste on day to day activities. Do they get the lowest bid, do they fire unneeded employees? What are they purchasing? Do they report to work on time? Edited by Baldo, Apr 13 2012, 02:35 PM.
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| Baldo | Apr 13 2012, 11:08 PM Post #26 |
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GSA official to take the Fifth The General Services Administration official tasked with organizing a now-infamous $822,000 Las Vegas conference plans to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights ahead of a scheduled Monday grilling on the Hill. On Thursday, House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) served a subpoena to require Jeff Neely to appear before the committee, according to Democratic committee documents obtained by POLITICO. Neely’s attorney on Friday informed the committee Neely will exercise his right against self-incrimination and requested not to attend the hearing. “Requiring Mr. Neely to travel from California to appear before the Committee when you have been advised that he will not answer any substantive questions posed to him does not advance any legitimate Committee purpose,” the attorney wrote, according to the documents. Issa wrote Neely’s lawyer Friday to advise the attorney and Neely that the subpoena remains in effect. “Mr. Neely is uniquely qualified to answer questions about the WRC,” Issa wrote. “The Committee requires Mr. Neely’s appearance because of, among other reasons, the possibility that he will waive or not assert the privilege as to some or all questions.” Neely’s attorney later Friday confirmed Neely will attend the hearing. Neely may also face a Justice Department investigation into allegations of theft and contracting violations, according to The Washington Post....snipped http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0412/75121.html |
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| Baldo | Apr 13 2012, 11:11 PM Post #27 |
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GSA chief was scheduled to visit Solyndra, emails show Ex-General Services Administration head Martha Johnson was scheduled to visit Solyndra the week of the now-infamous Las Vegas GSA conference, according to internal agency emails released Wednesday by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. An email sent to GSA Deputy Administrator Susan Brita on Oct. 25, 2010, outlines a planned Oct. 28 visit to the now-bankrupt California solar company, including a tour of the facility and a meet-and-greet with workers. The author of the email — a GSA press secretary — added he or she is inviting “a few targeted reporters who seem like good fits for this sort of thing.” That same day, Solyndra informed the Energy Department it was planning to lay off 200 workers, although that information wasn’t made public until days later. On Oct. 26, a meeting was scheduled with at least Brita and GSA White House liaison Michael Robertson to discuss the planned Solyndra visit. GSA spokesman Adam Elkington told POLITICO he wasn't immediately sure the meeting occurred. The purpose of the proposed visit was unclear, but a DOE official earlier in 2010 had suggested a meeting to help Solyndra get a contract to provide solar panels for government buildings....snipped http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0412/75050.html pass that money out! Edited by Baldo, Apr 13 2012, 11:11 PM.
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| Baldo | Apr 16 2012, 04:16 PM Post #28 |
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Cheers! Photos Show Embattled GSA Official Enjoying Wine and Soak in Spa Tub at M Hotel During “Pre-Conference” Meeting![]() The government official on the frontlines of the scandal involving a wasteful government conference, U.S. General Services Administration regional commissioner Jeffrey Neely, will invoke his 5th amendment right against self-incrimination, his lawyer Preston Burton tells ABC News. He won’t comment on the $822,751 conference, many of the expenditures for which the GSA Inspector General called “excessive” and “wasteful.” He won’t comment on the bizarre awards ceremony, or the commemorative coins, the mind-reader/motivational speaker. Mr. Neely bares a bit more in a photo collection on his wife’s Google+ page. There visitors can see photos of Neely staying in a luxurious suite at the M Resort Spa & Casino in November 2009, during one of the eight scouting and off-site pre-conference meetings to prepare for the October 2010 conference....snipped http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/04/cheers-photos-show-embattled-gsa-official-enjoying-wine-and-soak-in-spa-tub-at-m-hotel-during-pre-conference-meeting/ The M Resort Spa Casino Las Vegas is one of the newest Hotel - Casinos on the south end of the Las Vegas strip with award winning dining, 4 star service, new hotel ... http://www.themresort.com/ Edited by Baldo, Apr 16 2012, 04:20 PM.
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| Baldo | Apr 16 2012, 04:18 PM Post #29 |
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GSA official Neely pleads the Fifth The General Services Administration official at the center of a scandal over lavish government spending declined to answer questions at a congressional hearing on Monday, invoking the Fifth Amendment. "Mr. Chairman, on the advice of my counsel I respectfully decline to answer based upon my Fifth Amendment constitutionally privilege," Jeff Neely, the GSA official, said repeatedly in response to a string of questions from Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee....snipped http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/1007-other/221707-gsa-official-pleads-the-fifth The same guy in the tub above! |
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| kbp | Apr 16 2012, 05:19 PM Post #30 |
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What criminal charge is he avoiding self-incrimination for? |
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