Most Dangerous People to Effective Government

Give a political operative truth serum (in the guise of an emergency meeting that only ‘insiders’ were supposed to know about called to accept the resignation of his embattled benefactor) and you get their truth:

“I just want to say that it has always been my observation over the years that probably the most dangerous people to effective government are known as commentators. Commentators are those people that sit back and take pot shots and cherry pick and do things to make governmental officials look bad. I didn’t really realize that until I got into government because I in fact was in the private sector before that but Charlotte, on behalf of all government officials that are not just commentators but rather doers, I thank you for being the type of government official we would all like to be, strive to be, and in our wildest dreams will probably never accomplish.  Thank you again Charlotte……L-A C-O-R-T-E”

I’m not not making this up.  That’s what he really said.  See:

Crashing the Cocoon

It was supposed to be a ring-kissing ceremony as Union County political boss Charlotte DeFilippo was going to resign her public sinecure this afternoon at 3 pm in an ‘emergency meeting’ of the Union County Improvement Authority.  Though she had been recently called an overpaid political hack after her terms of employment became public knowledge, this gathering was going to be a celebration as the people she handpicked for either public office or public employment (resulting in million-dollar pensions and lifetime health benefits for some of them) would gather to pay fealty.

However, at 2:20 pm I was tipped off and  was able to crash the party with my camera.

Campaign Finance and Public Corruption: A Case Study

The Mercatus Center released a working paper questioning if campaign finance reforms reduce public corruption.

In my experience it does not and I just happen to have a perfect example which I will present one week from today to the New Jersey’s Local Finance Board in regard to an application before them:

Defining actuary (and journalist)

The reason I can call myself an actuary is that I passed a couple of exams in the 1980s and  had the requisite experience then to become an Enrolled Actuary under ERISA which allows me to certify to the funding of Defined Benefit plans.  But public plans are not covered under ERISA so what defines an actuary there?

Based on practically all the reports I have seen it is membership in the American Academy of Actuaries whose requirements include association with practically any organization with the word ‘actuary’ in its name plus a $75 sign-up fee and $605 annual dues.  Then follow the Code of Professional Conduct which is a combination of common sense and following “applicable standards of practice” and you’re an actuary who can claim in your reports:

We hereby certify that, to the best of our knowledge, this report, including all costs and liabilities based on actuarial assumptions and methods adopted by the Board or mandated by statute, is complete and accurate and determined in conformance with generally recognized and accepted actuarial principles and practices, which are consistent with the Actuarial Standards of Practice promulgated by the Actuarial Standards Board and the applicable Guides to Professional Conduct, amplifying Opinions and supporting Recommendations of the American Academy of Actuaries.

But what are “generally recognized and accepted actuarial principles and practices” for public pension funding?

Anatomy of a Boondoggle

Government trying to downgrade employee benefits through privatization….pay-to-play….private sector vultures duping public officials out of taxpayer money….government competing against the private sector.  It’s all there in the fiasco that is the new Galloping Hill Golf Course Clubhouse/Banquet Center.  The Union County Watchdog Association is preparing a report on this boondoggle and we need your help.

What Good Is ‘Journalism’?

There is a court case that I’m involved enough with that I need to be silent on the details (until this Thursday when it should be settled) but curious enough about to examine its crux. Is it journalism if you don’t cover the story?

Acounting Fraud on OPEBs

Last week I outlined how the Union County audit is fraudulent as regards their Note on OPEB Obligations. Tonight I brought my concerns to the freeholders and it got even worse:

Union County Freeholders’ Most Boneheaded Move

Commenters on today’s Star Ledger story about the overruns building the Galloping Hill Banquet Center seem to think it is. But there’s some stiff competition.

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Use comments here to post reasons for your vote.

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For the record on June 9, 2011 it was resolved to pay Claremont Construction Group, Inc. $14,878,776 to build a clubhouse and learning center at the Galloping Hill Golf Course. On Thursday they upped that cost by $750,000. So far from the check registry:
8/24/11: $117,600
9/14/11: $10,000
9/21/11: $220,634
10/19/11: $15,542
10/19/11: $393,531
11/30/11: $356,469
11/30/11: $447,992
12/21/11: $479,620
1/25/12: $843,291
2/29/12: $686,165
3/21/12: $1,114,899
4/18/12: $937,137
5/24/12: $235,679
5/24/12: $265,895
6/20/12: $8,000
6/27/12: $1,217,016
7/25/12: $839,805
8/29/12: $878,427
10/3/12: $844,069
11/14/12: $927,387
11/20/12: $860,743

TOTAL CLAREMONT: $11,699,901 .
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Plus KemperSports for Construction Management:
3/23/11: $142,788
5/4/11: $40,062
6/22/11: $45,868
6/22/11 $3,214
6/22/11 $6,912
6/22/11: $25,876
6/22/11: $108,166
7/27/11: $27,342
7/27/11: $26,724
7/27/11: $5,209
8/31/11: $37,109
9/21/11: $20,000
10/5/11: $65,548
10/5/11: $19,318
10/12/11: $36,367
11/9/11: $26,827
11/22/11: $79,343
11/30/11: $34,007
2/15/12: $35,639
2/22/12: $28,265
2/22/12: $41,172
4/5/12: $39,235
6/13/12: $27,028
8/29/12: $174,520
10/3/12: $30,572
10/17/12: $25,480
10/17/12: $42,409
10/17/12: $66,874
11/14/12: $50,015

TOTAL KEMPER: $1,278,409

Brownies Governing

Government is best at congratulating itself, regardless of merit.  Six years ago it became too obvious and the nation was aghast as it witnessed this charade play out. A political hack placed in a critical position failed miserably yet was praised effusively by a clueless chief executive:
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In a similar vein, the November 8, 2012 Union County freeholder meeting dedicated 155 minutes to an oval jerk of self-congratulation on the county’s response to Hurricane Sandy.

Who’s the idiot?

In a news conference a politician sought to refute accusations made by a political operative questioning their intelligence by bringing together a group of other politicians to a podium.

I instinctively thought it had to do with Union County but, as it turned out, the politician was Perth Amboy mayor Wilda Diaz, the political operative was James Devine and among the supporters at the podium were Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, Fanwood mayor Colleen Mahr, and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver: