Muffin Watch

Post #347,880 by beepster 9/20/11 12:32:59 PM Reply	Muffin Watch obviously the government is a perfect steward of our hard earned and easily taken dollars http://www.bloomberg...-conferences.html Those muffins better have been really good. And they should source from IKEA for the meatballs. Probably taste better and they could have them imported from HQ for less. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #347,881 by drook 9/20/11 12:36:48 PM Reply	Good thing nobody ever said that, isn't it? -- Drew
Post #347,882 by beepster 9/20/11 12:39:28 PM Reply	It's certainly been implied not by you all to often...but by others...who have countered my claims that the gov could reduce its expenditures without much of an effort. (for say, muffins and meatballs) Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #347,885 by drook 9/20/11 1:07:55 PM Reply	They sure could Let's see, eliminate conferences entirely, assume that there was no productive work accomplished there that would need to be made up some other way, and you could save a whole $73.3 million per year. Why, that's nearly 0.06% of the cost of the Bush tax cuts! Yeah, let's go for those big-ticket items first. -- Drew
Post #347,888 by boxley 9/20/11 1:56:40 PM Reply	homeland security would be a good start get rid of that and the horses they rode in on. Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 55 years. meep
Post #347,890 by folkert 9/20/11 2:41:53 PM Reply	Wow. I can't believe this. boxley actually said something I can agree with. Make sure that includes the TSA and all those "Private Company" scanners. Rescind the Patriot Act, COMPLETELY.
Post #347,891 by boxley 9/20/11 2:47:39 PM Reply	yup, lets get America back Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 55 years. meep
Post #347,894 by mmoffitt 9/20/11 3:13:00 PM Reply	We can't do that! It won't be safe anywhere then. </sarcasm>
Post #347,895 by boxley 9/20/11 3:29:05 PM Reply	rather deal with the mischief makers than the feds using the Persian meaning of mischief Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 55 years. meep
Post #347,896 by drook 9/20/11 3:37:42 PM Reply	Can't find that meaning, what is it? -- Drew
Post #347,909 by boxley 9/20/11 7:14:08 PM 9/20/11 7:18:05 PM Reply	look at the title of this article http://jarrarsupariv...hia-mischief.html then look look at the actions of the people described as Shia (Persian Based) they are disturbing the "Velayat-e-Faqih" with mischief edit: replaced ummah with Velayat-e-Faqih as that is a better definition of what I was trying to describe Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 55 years. meep Edited by boxley Sept. 20, 2011, 07:18:05 PM EDT Expand All History
Post #347,903 by beepster 9/20/11 5:01:03 PM Reply	Hmm there you go. Instead of wondering what other governance may be questionable (like investments in solar companies)..you jump right into a ridicule of the implication. So, lets add you to the list of those that imply that the government is a good steward of our cash (except for conferences). Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #347,904 by drook 9/20/11 5:37:32 PM Reply	Nope, not ridiculing the implication Yes, the food charges were wasteful. They were a fraction of $73 million. The tax cuts cost -- at a most conservative estimate -- $130 billion per year. We can spend our time trying to fix big, gaping holes in the budget, or we can spend it looking for nickles and dimes. And rather than wait for the back-and-forth that ends with me making it explicit, I'll just say it now: I'm not denying the possibility that there may be big-ticket examples of waste. But you didn't lead with the solar thing. You started with the muffin thing. It's a trivial example, and a distraction. The only point of that story is to stir up manufactured outrage. It clearly works for you. I'm done talking about it. -- Drew
Post #347,905 by beepster 9/20/11 6:10:49 PM Reply	Re: Nope, not ridiculing the implication Tax cuts don't cost anything. They reduce available revenue by letting you and other citizens keep their own money. The article points out a simple fact, there are gaps in spend governance inside the government. It >should< stir up outrage. I disagree that its a distraction, its a symptom. Solar thing is different, more likely a result of corruption...a different symptom of the same disease. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #347,923 by mmoffitt 9/21/11 8:25:59 AM Reply	Yes. We can keep "our" money. And since our capitalist system does such an outstanding job of equitably distributing wealth, this "keep our money" thing works for all of us, doesn't it? Now, whom do I go to about "my money" that was extorted from me from insurance companies? How about oil companies? Wall Street? How do I get that money back?
Post #347,927 by beepster 9/21/11 8:52:52 AM Reply	Now you get to the point did the oil companies extort it from you? Why did you choose a car over a motorcycle or scooter, or even non gas burning. Why do you drive so much? You don't need to buy insurance either. You haven't been forced to do that until Obamacare. Got any other wonderful examples of your freedom of choice leading you to complain about something? How about keeping the money away from the government that fines companies for hiring, that prices manufacturing out of existence through non-competitive legislation? That can't even get a "new deal" right anymore by spending money on the creation of actual physical things? The gov shares as much of the blame for the polarization of wealth as the system..after all, they are the ones that set (and change) the rules. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #347,937 by folkert 9/21/11 10:45:34 AM Reply	Re: Now you get to the point after all, they are the ones that set (and change) the rules based on what the rich people "contribute" and dictate for. There fixed it for you.
Post #347,939 by beepster 9/21/11 10:48:33 AM Reply	Forgetting It's rich people we, the people, keep electing Thanks for the help. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #347,953 by mmoffitt 9/21/11 1:47:33 PM Reply	We've no choice. In 2008 I didn't vote for any of the usual suspects. I went the extra distance required by Indiana to vote for an "Official Write-In Candidate" so that my vote would be counted (you have to spell the candidate and his running mate's name exactly as it appears on the official write-in candidate list published by the state, but not distributed to polling places or they disregard you ballot in its entirety). The result? The Indiana State Board of Elections *told me they would not count my vote because it wouldn't change the outcome anyway.* The local board of elections did count the write-in's in my county as a personal, non-official favor and let me know that 9 people who voted as I did in my district for the office of president had been officially disenfranchised. So, the choices [SIC] are clear: vote for one of the corporate owned candidates or vote your conscience and have it not count.
Post #347,954 by mmoffitt 9/21/11 2:01:08 PM Reply	You must buy insurance. State law. My choice would be public transit - but it doesn't exist. I drive very little (outside of to/from work and to/from airport) and never when there is another option. Regrettably, the weather does not permit flying the 10 minutes to work very often up here. The only reason there is a tax advantage (if such exists) for the exportation of jobs in this country is because that is exactly what multi-nationals want. Countries don't matter anymore. One of the really cool things about globalization is that companies who used to open up factories in the South because of widespread anti-Union sentiment in order to decrease labor costs and increase the already abundant wealth of the CIEFO's and shareholders is that now those corporations can look the entire world over for the cheapest labor, making themselves even more obscenely wealthy than they already are. Perhaps you're in the millionaire club and are just squealing trying to hold on to the tremendous gains you've made since Reagan, I don't know. Our basic difference is this: If you had to choose between corporations handling your money or the government handling your money, you'd choose corporations. I'd choose government. My reasoning you'll no doubt argue with, but the truth of the matter is the government (prior to Ronnie Reagan and his successors) is answerable to the people, regardless of their wealth. The real crime here is that this is no longer true of our government.
Post #347,980 by beepster 9/22/11 7:59:37 AM Reply	Actually at this point corporations are likely more answerable to the people than government (not a 100% blanket statement as some corps have reached gov status)...and this is true EVERYWHERE now (as you've so noted that our gov has gotten there). The real difference is the profit motive...simply put, a corp wants to spend as little money as possible to get a job done...a government is incented to spend much more than needed to get the job done (fundamental to gov budget process...you must spend everything you get in order to get it again). The only way the people get a say any more is evidenced in north africa at the moment. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #347,991 by mmoffitt 9/22/11 12:20:10 PM Reply	How much is too much is a matter of perspective. The middle class was built by the unions (I don't think that's arguable). From one point of view (one expressed by a good friend of mine decades ago), unions made the production of automobiles in this country "too expensive." My friends exact words were, "You can't pay people $25/hour to build something that you are going to sell to people making $6/hour and expect it to last." But, from another point of view, those Michigan unions raised wages and the standard of living across the state - even in non-union shops. And guess what the $25/hour union employees did with their money? They spent it. That generated demand and a hell of a lot of successful businesses in and around Michigan. The collapse of Michigan's economy is directly related to the collapse of union power. In this light, then, it was not "too expensive" to build cars in Michigan; instead, paying $25/hour to some one to build a car raised the economic activity of an entire region of the country - so it was a good thing that we paid those wages. An analogous argument can be made against your government/private sector spending. What is the goal? Efficiency? If so, what price should the masses pay for that efficiency? If the benefits of cost containment are enjoyed exclusively (or nearly exclusively) by the few, is cost containment always what benefits society most? I'd say clearly not. I expect you to differ. ;0)
Post #347,993 by beepster 9/22/11 12:36:56 PM Reply	Understanding of value to consumers 1) is it unions or government that you like more? Your first story about this and their impact on wages actually makes me think you should lean more in my direction..as thats a perfect example of the people exerting control over corporations...unions cannot take action against govt in the same fashion and are in a much weaker position. 2) If in 1990 I paid $10 for a widget (pc, desk, whatever) and in 2010 I still pay $10 (in constant >or< real dollar terms)...don't I perceive I get the same value? Say, in that time, that the company has been able to change its cost from $8 to 5$ and make more profit...end result, I get the same perceived value and their profit motive has made them more efficient. This is NOT the gov model. The government MUST spend all 10 to make that widget. If they do not, they will not get their $10 the following year. They are >penalized< for efficiency. Even I didn't understand this completely until going to work for a contractor. This behavior is baked into the system. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #347,995 by mmoffitt 9/22/11 1:37:55 PM Reply	If the workers Unite, there is no government. ;0) What I'm saying is that if you are spending the "extra" money on production on "employees and/or their benefits" then spending more is not necessarily bad. Take your example, your $3.00 extra profit per widget goes to the capitalist class who does what with it? Hides it. Tax shelters it or even more likely invests it in another country where labor is cheap, environmental and labor laws non-existent. What happens in the extreme cases? I give everyone an equal amount of money - this is arguably not good, I'll admit that. But your way, one person has all the money. That's worse. Sure, there'd still be an economy, but how much can that one person spend? And how many starve as a consequence? All I'm saying is that the "excess" spent on production is good or bad depending on where that "excess" is spent.
Post #347,999 by beepster 9/22/11 2:57:31 PM Reply	Knew you'd get there :-) if they invest in where labor is cheap, and reduce >critical< poverty, is this not a good thing?..even if it results in someone in the US becoming poor by our standards? (we are now talking holistic, yes?) And if the investment in labor in these areas results in them going through the industrialization that we did in the US last century (resulting in unions, rising wages and bolstering of the "proletariat") are we not even better off? In the US, we have invested in social and safety net programs for years..yet use rising "poverty" statistics as gotchas in election politics...thats what we get from investing in government. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #348,009 by crazy 9/22/11 5:33:01 PM Reply	Smooth Nicely played. Hey, I can appreciate the beauty of an argument without supporting the scary logical progression.
Post #348,012 by beepster 9/22/11 5:42:23 PM Reply	Re: Smooth almost as smooth as this backhanded compliment ;-) Thanks Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #348,039 by mmoffitt 9/23/11 9:12:59 AM Reply	That may be the best ... handwaving, glossily produced double-speak I've heard as a defense of the race to the bottom. Why, you make the race to the bottom sound like a good thing. I mean, I get it now. By making themselves ever more obscenely wealthy and pushing down wages and living standards globally, the Capitalist class is actually helping the proletariat. Soon, the working class worldwide will all have the same grovelling level of existence so that they can all equally contribute to the excesses of the Capitalist class. What a wonderful world that will be for everybody.
Post #348,043 by beepster 9/23/11 9:30:39 AM Reply	Now wait just a minute you made a huge deal of the power of the worker being able to better themselves in dealing against corporations, you've made no mention of anything that the government has done to make things better for humanity. Now you recant...by reframing my argument as a "race to the bottom" and saying that the heads of corps are getting even more wealthy, alluding to a position that workers are powerless to stop this (which you spend a great deal of time with exactly the opposite position in the post prior) So it would be better to leave those folks in India jobless and living off of less than $100 per year than to subject someone in this country to poverty defined as living off 90x that number? Which is it? Do you want to bring the >real< bottom up or just ensure that we make things better for the people who already have more than most of the civilized world? Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #348,048 by mmoffitt 9/23/11 10:03:14 AM Reply	"Real bottom up." Nice try. That's not what is going on and you know it. What is going on is exactly what you alluded to in your post -> the American working class is having its standard of living lowered to that of your "poor Indian." If this really were about bringing things like the minimum wage, overtime wages, OSHA protections, 40 hour work weeks, safe, clean working conditions, paid vacation time, week-ends off and all the rest to India that would be one thing. But that isn't the goal. The goal is to have the American worker cooking over a dung pile in his cardboard house (just like the untouchables in India), laboring for the benefit of some one wearing an Armani and driving a BMW in Manhattan. We've had these sorts of people throughout our history (look up "Robber Barons" some time). But the government (prior to its leveraged buyout by Wall Street) and unions used to provide at least some protection from these gluttons.
Post #348,049 by boxley 9/23/11 10:12:12 AM Reply	well other than the fact I buy my dung in bags marketed by Kingston and royal oak but I live in a house built circa 1973 so it isnt cardboard like the new ones, we are not that far off Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 55 years. meep
Post #348,055 by beepster 9/23/11 11:00:13 AM Reply	Can't this is where your government comes in. There is no possibility of a US person dropping to that level unless our government collapses. So, since we can't get that bad, and they can only get better, your latest salvo still doesn't fit with your first start into this discussion. And your position is now extremely xenophobic. Who is to say that we should not aspire to the french model, with 6 wks pd vacation by law minimum, mandatory 34 hr workweek...and maybe the average idian worker is in clean working conditions (relatively speaking) compared to living conditions...and possibly working 12 hours a day 7 days a week to support his family is better than the alternative of no work and starvation...and with no work available, there is no chance that working conditions will ever improve. (naturally) Suddenly, the US way is the aspiration, even though out of the other side of your mouth it is a way that needs to be destroyed in favor of all power to government...or all power to workers. And >actually<, what I know is that the BRIC countries (where all of these low cost labor things are built) are now pricing themselves out of that position, because their wages are indeed increasing (just like happened here)...so the real world seems to favor my argument over yours...the US is in no danger of abject poverty as witnessed in other locations, and those other locations are improving because of the global mobility of manufacturing. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #348,061 by S1mon_Jester 9/23/11 12:16:05 PM Reply	Re: Can't --this is where your government comes in. There is no possibility of a US person dropping to that level unless our government collapses. You have more faith in the Federal Government than I do.
Post #348,099 by crazy 9/24/11 5:50:32 AM Reply	Note: He said "your" He was being sarcastic.
Post #348,098 by crazy 9/24/11 5:48:06 AM Reply	Beep won't be happy until everyone works in a Maquiladora http://www.google.co...+health+violation
Post #348,109 by boxley 9/24/11 9:54:39 AM Reply	only if he runs the Maquilador Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 55 years. meep
Post #347,941 by S1mon_Jester 9/21/11 11:34:14 AM Reply	Still, scale matters --The article points out a simple fact, there are gaps in spend governance inside the government. It >should< stir up outrage. I disagree that its a distraction, its a symptom. Long and short - yes, it's a symptom. Yes, it should stir up outrage. You'll note the timeframe of the article, right? Finally, as he pointed out - do we want to chase millions when billions are lost? But that's okay...you can keep harping on Obama - I'm sure he - like all Presidents - is personally responsible for every dollar spent in his administration.
Post #347,945 by beepster 9/21/11 12:26:36 PM Reply	Sigh Proper governance fixes the large and small Often we talk about poor gov contracting, contract execution...but all is " too trivial" Point is, if they can't spend 10000 well, why do those here assume it magically gets better when you add six more zeroes Instead, the only fix is to continue to give them more and more money to waste. Welcome to this lesson in "what pisses off tea partiers" (and no, I am not affiliated..just detailing that it means taxed enough already) Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #347,946 by S1mon_Jester 9/21/11 1:06:18 PM Reply	Re: Sigh --Proper governance fixes the large and small ideally, yes --Often we talk about poor gov contracting, contract execution...but all is " too trivial" To whom? You're talking about a single contract -- but policy changes occurred back in 2003 and they were rushed in and everyone was "fine" with it because it "had to be done." No offense, but Tea Partiers (which you claim not to be one) supported those changes and now you're whining about them because another party holds the executive office. I'd feel far more comfortable if those complaints were consistent, regardless of whom was in office....or at least the scale of expenditures. --Instead, the only fix is to continue to give them more and more money to waste. Well, to quote the last administration, we're (still) currently in two wars. We've added Libya. We still getting attacked at our embassies. Or are those reasons no longer valid? --Welcome to this lesson in "what pisses off tea partiers" Nope, sorry, don't believe it. History (including the previous administration) shows what "pisses off tea partiers"...and it's not the deficits or the corruption. It's that a Democrat is in the Executive Office.
Post #347,949 by boxley 9/21/11 1:18:41 PM Reply	dunno about tea partiers I dont care who is in the whitehouse spending my dough, I get pissed when it is spent wrongly (unless I personally profit from it, that's different) Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 55 years. meep
Post #347,984 by S1mon_Jester 9/22/11 10:10:33 AM Reply	chuckle. --I dont care who is in the whitehouse spending my dough, I get pissed when it is spent wrongly Sigh. So beat up this administration: nevermind that the article cited events back to 2007. Certainly beat up anyone who tries to point out that minor detail.
Post #347,985 by beepster 9/22/11 12:08:46 PM Reply	You are the only one mentioning a specific administration Box did not. I did not. Only you, the kneejerk defender of Obama. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #347,989 by boxley 9/22/11 12:18:35 PM Reply	naw, I think even he is getting sick of him Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 55 years. meep
Post #347,994 by S1mon_Jester 9/22/11 1:34:58 PM 9/22/11 1:38:40 PM Reply	Allow me to quote you... --I did not. Post #51043 Instead of wondering what other governance may be questionable (like investments in solar companies) Post #51045 Solar thing is different, more likely a result of corruption...a different symptom of the same disease. Post #51067 You don't need to buy insurance either. You haven't been forced to do that until Obamacare. 1) All 3 posts made before I said a word. 2) You're welcome to argue that Bush made questionable investments in solar companies. 3) You're welcome to believe I'm kneejerking/defending Obama...but other posts elsewhere will lay false that claim. Isn't it funny -- someone points out how BAD the Bush administration was, and you claim they're defending Obama? Think about it. Edited by S1mon_Jester Sept. 22, 2011, 01:38:40 PM EDT Expand All History
Post #347,998 by beepster 9/22/11 2:52:26 PM Reply	will grant you obamacare as a mention...however, every criticism in the entire thread was >government<..not >Obama<. The solar was a reference to government waste currently in news, as was "muffingate". If you'd like, I can also talk about "Marine 1" which spans multiple presidents as another shining example of how the system is messed up. We can even talk about the highways bill under Bush that put up half a billion for the 2 bridges in alaska, including the now famous bridge to nowhere. Does this make you feel better? And again, you pull these quotes from a context of posts that all reference "government"...and you were the first to put it as a direct critique of obama...so the kneejerk response stands. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #348,001 by boxley 9/22/11 3:26:00 PM Reply	road to the airport dammit Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 55 years. meep
Post #348,008 by beepster 9/22/11 5:26:49 PM Reply	Re: road to the airport dammit Ok sparky;-) road to the airport Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #348,011 by folkert 9/22/11 5:41:44 PM Reply	You stepped on the "AK" thinger for boxley!
Post #348,013 by beepster 9/22/11 5:46:26 PM Reply	yes I did. though he only provided clarity on the name, not a challenge to the fact that it was not a good use of funds. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #348,019 by folkert 9/22/11 6:13:31 PM Reply	True.
Post #347,950 by beepster 9/21/11 1:25:45 PM Reply	Re: Sigh Been complaining about this through all administrations. This one is askIng for 1.5 trillion more from us Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #347,908 by boxley 9/20/11 7:02:32 PM Reply	the government isnt a profit center using you scenario the costs of the government is whatever portion of GDP they dont already take. Wrong, revenue not owed or collected is not a cost. Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 55 years. meep
Post #348,040 by crazy 9/23/11 9:14:20 AM Reply	Tro you a bone http://www.cnn.com/2...muffin/index.html
Post #348,044 by beepster 9/23/11 9:36:25 AM Reply	I should sue for prior art There is no such thing as war without the brutal, violent death of innocents, including children. Similarly, there is no such thing as government spending without gobs of disgusting waste, graft and corruption. It's all cooked right into the system. compared to my "This behavior is baked into the system." from a few posts ago. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #348,074 by lincoln 9/23/11 8:24:12 PM Reply	Re: Muffin Watch So did DOJ really pay $16 for muffins? Of course not. In fact, it's obvious that someone quite carefully calculated the amount they were allowed to spend and then gave the hotel a budget. The hotel agreed, but for some reason decided to divide up the charges into just a few categories instead of writing a detailed invoice for every single piece of food they provided. This is unremarkable. In fact, I'm here to tell you that this happens All. The. Time. I've been involved in what feels like a thousand conferences of this kind, and I'd be shocked if it happened any other way. Hell, I'm surprised DOJ even got that much of a breakdown. Far more commonly, your event person negotiates what kind of refreshments you'll get, and the invoice ends up looking something like this: Refreshment table (bev/morn/aft) Â 5 days....................$39,500 http://motherjones.c...ollar-muffin-myth And reading through the report (pgs 32-33)http://www.justice.g...ts/plus/a1143.pdf it takes about 5 seconds to realize where the money went. ($39,500 ÷ 5 days) ÷ 534 attendees, and not surmise that a whole more than 300 muffins were eaten that entire week. "Chicago to my mind was the only place to be. ... I above all liked the city because it was filled with people all a-bustle, and the clatter of hooves and carriages, and with delivery wagons and drays and peddlers and the boom and clank of freight trains. And when those black clouds came sailing in from the west, pouring thunderstorms upon us so that you couldn't hear the cries or curses of humankind, I liked that best of all. Chicago could stand up to the worst God had to offer. I understood why it was built--a place for trade, of course, with railroads and ships and so on, but mostly to give all of us a magnitude of defiance that is not provided by one house on the plains. And the plains is where those storms come from." -- E.L. Doctorow
Post #348,086 by beepster 9/24/11 12:58:41 AM Reply	Re: Muffin Watch Bullshit. They are guessing. I'll take the auditors word before his every day, twice on Sunday. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #348,097 by crazy 9/24/11 5:43:30 AM Reply	Bullshit back My BIL arranges conferences for a living. This is the norm. I work for a company that hold hundreds of seminars and dozens of high end multi-day conferences (filled by SEC accountants and lawyers). They might spend days negotiating the prices, but when the final bills arrive, it can have almost any breakdown as long as the items are in their major accounting areas. Muffins and steaks are the same here. We don't care how the vendor allocates the bill, as long as it isn't over the negotiated amount. And we sure don't want to see hundreds of line items for a few dollars apiece.
Post #348,117 by beepster 9/24/11 12:09:19 PM Reply	Re: Bullshit back If you can't audit from service order to invoice, you're doing it wrong. I do this for a living too. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #348,131 by crazy 9/24/11 4:28:07 PM Reply	Wrong? No. Wrong would be paying more than the negotiated amount. Wrong would be starving the attendants. Anything in between is subject to negotiation. The guy who ordered the food is in the room when it shows up. Even if he's not, by definition someone from our company is. If it is "wrong", he'll bitch and it will be made right. Or if they can't, it will be noted an we'll negotiate a discount. But we sure as hell are not going over individual bills and bitching about the cost of the items, we have a conference to run, and the food is just fine. If everything is done for the auditors, than nothing will ever get done. Sure, they are important when dealing at the big ticket items, but there is a reason they are called bean counters. Sometimes it costs more to count the beans than to spend them.
Post #348,133 by beepster 9/24/11 4:43:07 PM Reply	Dude, yes, wrong. 1) this is government. There are rules. They must be followed. 2) If you don't build an audit path and FORCE the management to that trail, you >will< get screwed. Period. (and a very good example seems to have been found by the auditors in this case). You build the conference by putting together the orders. You end the conference by paying the bills that match those orders and/or any change orders made during the conference (all must be signed and ONLY signed by agreed upon parties..anything outside of this WILL NOT BE PAID). Yes it is a fuckload of paperwork. Thats why conference planners exist...and why anyone doing this for a living has contract terms with the hotel/conference center that state specifically how differences will be dealt with. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #348,422 by altmann 9/30/11 1:45:54 PM Reply	aaannd ... retraction. "Except it turns out the story wasnÂt quite right. Hilton Worldwide fired back, claiming that $16 was in fact the price for a continental breakfast, complete with coffee, fruit, and juice. In a letter to Senator Barbara Mikulski (DÂMd.)Âwho had called for an explanationÂJustice Dept. officials wrote that if their accusers had examined all the receipts they would have found the actual price was $14.29 per person per day, and included breakfast and rental fees for the workshop space and conference rooms. ... In a statement to Bloomberg Businessweek on Tuesday, the chastened Inspector GeneralÂs office conceded that it might not have been in possession of all the facts." http://www.businessw...fin-09292011.html
Post #348,423 by Another Scott 9/30/11 1:53:24 PM Reply	Unpossible!
Post #348,424 by drook 9/30/11 2:03:49 PM Reply	So ... Now everyone who said this was an example of how government can't spend money right, so they shouldn't be given any ... all those people will now admit they were wrong? But hey, if we were using it as an example when "we thought it was true" (no we didn't), then what is it an example of now? Maybe it's an example that proves critics of government spending are full of shit who make things up to win arguments. So we don't need to listen to those critics any more. Right? -- Drew
Post #348,425 by Another Scott 9/30/11 2:24:27 PM Reply	Don't hold your breath. Digby's comments on "Smell Test" Scandals 101 is apropos, I think. http://digbysblog.bl...scandals-101.html [...] What to do with this scandal is advance the idea that government spending is inherently corrupt. It's a neat trick after their years of cronyism but they understand the press very well and know this is exactly the kind of "fleecing of America" story they can pull off the shelf and run with without having to think too much. Before long it will just be a shorthand for "Obama scandal" and they'll be off. [...] The more they make the government look like a hopeless, corrupt clown show, the better off they are. I'm not sure how you fight that. I expect it would be a bit easier if the Village media weren't so anxious to jump on every manufactured tid-bit from the right wing noise machine, but I've pretty much given up on them. They are addicted to phony corruption scandals. (The real ones, not so much.) Yup. Cheers, Scott.
Post #348,428 by drook 9/30/11 2:34:00 PM Reply	What he said -- Drew
Post #348,436 by Another Scott 9/30/11 2:52:52 PM Reply	s /he/she/ :-)
Post #348,438 by drook 9/30/11 2:54:23 PM Reply	Yeah, whichever :-P -- Drew
Post #348,435 by mmoffitt 9/30/11 2:47:58 PM Reply	Ibid.
Post #348,431 by beepster 9/30/11 2:36:04 PM Reply	In this example, I was wrong to use it. However, to pretend there aren't hundreds of other examples...well go ahead I suppose, and let this make you feel better that the government is a perfect steward of your money. As long as your comfortable, when they come back to you for more money you'll feel better about it. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #348,427 by beepster 9/30/11 2:33:02 PM Reply	Cool so in retraction the IG office admits it auditors suck. Now we can't trust either side. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #348,429 by drook 9/30/11 2:34:43 PM Reply	Lots of people believe that ... do you? -- Drew
Post #348,432 by beepster 9/30/11 2:37:37 PM Reply	Re: Lots of people believe that ... do you? I suppose I would need you to clarify "that" before I would answer. Or maybe you could ask Barry, since he apparently has no issue with making up positions for me. Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
Post #348,437 by drook 9/30/11 2:54:00 PM 9/30/11 4:02:38 PM Reply	That this example proves anything A report comes out saying that government spending is out of control. Everyone gets their panties in a twist. A followup comes out saying no, the previous report was incomplete. Now you're saying both spending and auditing "can't be trusted". An auditor's role is to find things that seem wrong and ask about them. Sometimes there are good reasons for things to be exactly as they are. This was one of those cases. Both procurement and auditing worked exactly as they're supposed to. Well ... except that someone took a line from an audit and turned it into a manufactured scandal. This incident doesn't prove anything about procurement or auditing practices. PS: The bottom line: A mountain of treats can get pricey. In 2008-2009, the Justice Dept. alone held 1,832 conferences costing a total of $121 million. That's not the bottom line. The bottom line is that we just spent a few days arguing about a manufactured scandal relating to 0.000000000011% of the federal budget. -- Drew Edited by drook Sept. 30, 2011, 04:02:38 PM EDT Expand All History
Post #348,505 by Ashton 10/1/11 3:08:43 PM Reply	Â¡PrecÃsamÃ©nte..! Those who tiresomely parse inane 'media-spawned incidents' seeking YAN red herring to immolate.. perpetually beg The Fundamental Question (IMO): Just what IS IT??? that-- 'Conservatives-'11==includes all the Radical Reactionaries who daily hide behind that more innocuous name of this brain disease --they imagine they are "conserving"? (and.. for Whom?) ==amidst the cacophony of [n+1] warring-sects, all sanctimoniously pissing on the same banner: as if Each represented TheMuricanPeepulÂ ... or any similar meaningless/lying grouping of cha cha chas

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