PAPER TIGERS..BAH HUMBUG..

 

PAPER TIGERS…BAH HUMBUG…

In my 84 years on earth, I have had 3 separate government contracts. One with a city, one with a state and one with the federal government. They were not easy to obtain and required a lot of time and energy to maintain. All of them required performance.

In all of these I had numerous inspectors and overseers from the agency we were contracted to do the work for. Were these inspectors always fair about their assignments and inspections? Did they seem silly about some of their rules and requirements? Yes in some cases they did.  But they were through, I’ll give them that.

 You don’t have enough time to listen to my stories about this. One example…I was written up and cited by the Department of Defense because we had punched a hole in the approval certificate for one of our employees holding a secret clearance for a government contract. It made no sense, but we still had to rectify the situation.

They inspected us from one end to the other to see if we were billing correctly, operating as was called for according to the contract and were we as a company fulfilling the terms and objectives of the contract. These inspections came regularly throughout the contact periods.

Today, we are besieged with daily doses of fraud and abuse in every state and in every agency. Voter fraud, dead social security recipients, charities without any offices or benefit to anyone other than its owner. And the list goes on day after day.

I’m tired of it, aren’t you?

A 24-year-old young man named Nick Shirley has started exposing massive amounts of fraud costing the US taxpayers billions of dollars. His life has been threatened, and he has been harassed in many places throughout the country. California has passed a law making it illegal to expose fraud and corruption in certain cases. Total insanity if you ask me. This kid should receive a medal, not fear for his life over exposing massive amounts of corruption in our system.

My question is simple, where were the auditors and agency supervisors who should have been monitoring these contracts and why did it only get exposed by Mr. Shirley? How do they get renewed year after year without producing any verifiable results?

In one case, a hospice provider billed over 57 million dollars before it came out that none of the people enrolled had died. Isn’t that the purpose of a hospice to care for the dying? Was this company some type of miracle worker group who managed to heal all of their patients. I think not. Hospices should not have folks getting healed and walking out, these are facilities where terminally ill patients go to spend their last days. They are not recreation centers.

In another situation, he found a charity that had received 87.9 million tax dollars and was on record as having 7900 members receiving services. His visit to the facility proved otherwise in a short period of time. Even the employees said the number was incorrect, but they were still billing $1600 for each member each year.   

Obviously both children’s and adult day care facilities should have a physical presence other than a restaurant or a bakery address. It also should have children or older adults with supervisors. It should not be closed to anyone asking for information on how to enroll their child or elderly adult. Enrollment applications should be readily available if asked for. The person asking for this information should not be treated in a hostile manner or asked to leave. Nor should they be threatened by police action or bodily injury if they don’t leave the building.

Where are the contract auditors for these billions of tax dollars. Why did it take a civilian young man to bring this to our attention? Where is the Dept. of Justice or regulatory agency? Once these contracts get approved and started, who does the follow-up to determine if they are effective and operating in accordance with the terms spelled out in the contracts?

All of us can tune into the congressional hearing of the day for which we can watch a total clown show in which nothing gets accomplished except camera time for the participants. Any congressperson asking a question is often answered with a vague response or the famous line.... ‘I’ll have to get that information and get back to you on that.’ Which of course never happens. Some of these participants cannot recall their annual salary or any statistic relating to their operational responsibility. Most of the information is readily available on the internet if it is needed for review. None of these people are minimum wage employees, although they should be, in my opinion. If you don’t know the basics about your agency or your department, perhaps the Golden Arches could take you on as a fry cook.

I have written and asked these questions of our members of congress, both in the senate and the house without any explanation. The same as any inquiry to the FBI.

Oh, you get a nice letter back with glowing praises for having contacted their office and how much they appreciate taking the time to write, but these letters are generic in nature and can cover any topic being questioned. Most likely produced by some low-ranking employee or intern. They never answer any direct questions,

and you get sugar coated responses such as these:

“We are looking into those kinds of problems”.

“It was so good of you to bring this to my attention.”

“We are making progress in these issues”.

“If I need more information, I will call on you to help”.

Blab…Blab…Blab

As you might expect nothing gets done and the fraud and abuse marches onward.

Elected politicians should be put on notice that we are tired of this and want to see results, not words from paper tigers.

Show us some backbone and do something to instill confidence in our government.

We are losing our patience with you.

 

See you next week….Peary Perry

 

 

 

TRUISMS

 

When I started writing these blogs many years ago, I often identified little things I called ‘truisms’ or ‘Perry’s law’. These are just little quirks in life that we all seem to encounter from time to time. What’s amazing is how true they are and how often they do actually happen. For example, last night I was on my way to a meeting. If you’re even a few minutes late, you can bet the traffic will get worse and you’ll never be on time. On the other hand, if you’re early, the traffic is almost always very light and you are guaranteed to arrive far too early. If this happens in the mornings, you will always have time for at least four cups of coffee which should make you hyper in time for your people to arrive. Packing for a trip is always a challenge for me. If you take too many shirts or whatever …you can rest assured you won’t need all of them. However, if you take only exactly what you think you’ll need …. you will always need more than you packed due to a spill or rip of some sort. Try scheduling an event, the ones you thought won’t attend always will and those you thought would attend...won’t. The movie you wanted to see (even though it got bad reviews) is always full and the one you swore not to see (it got great reviews) is the only one available. When you go to a new restaurant to try out something special you can bet they will be sold out of this item. Last but not least….the pictures you didn’t care about saving always turn out great and the ones you wanted either get deleted or ruined. Here’s another list of these I’ve managed to obtain over the years: Law of Mechanical Repair - After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to use the bathroom. Law of Gravity - Any tool, nut, bolt, screw, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner. Law of Probability -The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act. Law of Random Numbers - If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal and someone always answers. Law of the Alibi - If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire. Variation Law - If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now (works every time). Law of the Bath - When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings. Law of Close Encounters -The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with. Law of the Result - When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will. Law of Biomechanics - The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach. Law of the Theater and Hockey Arena - At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle, always arrive last.  They are the ones who will leave their seats several times to go for food, beer, or the toilet and who leave early before the end of the performance or the game is over. The folks in the aisle seats come early, never move once, have long gangly legs or big bellies, and stay to the bitter end of the performance.  The aisle people also are very surly folk. The Coffee Law - As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, someone will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold. Murphy's Law of Lockers - If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers. Law of Physical Surfaces - The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet or rug. Law of Logical Argument - Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about. Law of Physical Appearance - If the clothes fit, they're ugly. Law of Public Speaking - A closed mouth gathers no feet. Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy - As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it. Doctors' Law - If you don't feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you'll feel better. But don't make an appointment, and you'll stay sick. And finally, the funny noise your car makes always stops about a block before you get it to the repair shop. Or begins again on your way back home. See you next week…..Peary Perry

250 AND STILL GOING !!!!

 

250 AND STILL GOING!!!

In this country, we pause each year to celebrate the Fourth of July—and rightly so. We have much to be thankful for, and a national holiday is a fitting tribute to the founders who risked their lives and fortunes to secure our freedom from King George III’s tyranny.

Nearly 250 years later, what have we accomplished?

First, we remain a free nation. We have not been conquered by a foreign power, and we still enjoy fundamental liberties that many people around the world long for. We can criticize our government without fear of imprisonment. We can worship as we choose, according to our own beliefs. We possess rights that are rare and precious.

So what is the point? Each day, when I turn on my computer or watch television, I am confronted by a steady stream of serious issues: immigration, conflict abroad, crime, education, pollution, energy independence, criminal rehabilitation, drug use, and health care.

The list seems endless, and at times it can feel overwhelming. It may make you want to pull the covers over your head and wait for better days. It is easy to believe that one person cannot influence problems this large.

If that is what you think, then it is time to think again. You do count, and your voice matters. One thing is clear: leaders in Washington notice when citizens across the country speak up, especially when they oppose something that was expected to pass easily. They may not always like hearing from us, but they do hear us. You need to stay on top of current events and make your voice be heard. Remember, all politicians are constantly looking to be re-elected. They do not like to hear from someone with an opinion other than their own.

That is my point. Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, or something else entirely, where else in the world do people have opportunities like we do in this nation? I, for one, am tired of hearing that this country is beyond repair. Yes, we have problems. Yes, we face issues that require attention and fair solutions. But every nation striving to improve must confront difficult challenges. We should see the glass as half full, not half empty.

We should not be afraid to express our opinions, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. Write to your representatives. Call or email them. Send letters to your local newspaper editors. Attend school board meetings. Get involved. Speak from the heart. Ask questions, learn from others, and listen to people whose experiences differ from your own. You may learn something valuable.

One of the biggest issues of our day seems to be opposition to individual opinions. You are labeled as a ‘racist’, ‘sexist’, or a variety of other names if you do not agree with someone and agree to their points of view. I suggest you go back and read up on the issues that faced the men who drew up the declaration of independence. Did they agree on every item? No!...they did not, but they knew they had to have something basic to start with in order to make the break from England. Our nation is evolving in a good way. We have solved many wrongs and evils that existed over many years, but we have a long way to go before we are finished. The point is …..we are not finished yet. But the fact that we are aware that we are not finished works well in our favor. It shows that we are receptive to changes that are necessary and helpful to our society. Many of the people that a know do not always agree with my philosophy of world events or my suggestions and solutions to solving the miseries of society. That’s fine with me, I have my opinions and you can have yours. Am I right and you are wrong or vice versa? Of course not, but if we can agree to disagree and still be friends, then that’s how civilized societies work best. Always remember this quote …"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."…George Washington.

Do we get it right the first time? Of course not. You never learned how to cook, drive, sail or fish or sew a pattern exactly correct the first time. No one I’ve ever met did anything correctly the first time. It takes years of practice and determination to get the process correct. Our government is the same, it needs fine tuning.

This remains one of the richest and most blessed countries in the world. There are those who would like to weaken us, change our direction, or limit our freedoms. We cannot ignore that reality. We must stay vigilant and alert. At the same time, we should remember that, despite its imperfections, this country offers freedoms and opportunities unmatched by most others. The men who signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, were people of great vision.

We must continue to uphold their ideals so that we can build an even greater nation in the years ahead.

See you next week….Peary Perry