Mayor Bloomberg...

For all the talk about crime statistics in New York City, the irony of all ironies is that the taxpayer is charged tens of millions of dollars every year so that cops can arrest people for harmlessly smoking a pot.

According to a recent study, around 12% of all arrests in New York City are on marijuana charges, something that was rarely done until Rudy Giuliani and, even more so, Michael Bloomberg installed policies to make their crime statistics look good by going after pot smokers.

Of course the crime stats improved under Giuliani and Bloomberg, the two mayors saw marijuana ...continue reading]]>

Mayor Bloomberg...

For all the talk about crime statistics in New York City, the irony of all ironies is that the taxpayer is charged tens of millions of dollars every year so that cops can arrest people for harmlessly smoking a pot.

According to a recent study, around 12% of all arrests in New York City are on marijuana charges, something that was rarely done until Rudy Giuliani and, even more so, Michael Bloomberg installed policies to make their crime statistics look good by going after pot smokers.

Of course the crime stats improved under Giuliani and Bloomberg, the two mayors saw marijuana arrests surge from under 1,000 marijuana arrests per year under Mayor David Dinkins to a whopping 40,000+ last year!

Bloomberg, who has himself admitted to enjoying marijuana in his younger years, has boasted about improving the city’s crime statistics on top of what happened under Giuliani but that is because under Mayor Mike, the city has been arresting 12,000 more people every year for pot than under Rudy.

A recent study featured in the New York Times showed some interesting statistics resulting the city’s war on pot.

For one, while Giuliani did not go that overboard with pot arrests, the very lowest-level pot arrests jumped by more than 50% under Bloomberg!

Even more interesting is the racial divide in these cases. Of the 40,000+ arrested for marijuana charges last year, nearly 90% were black or hispanic.

Just to show how ridiculous Mayor Mike’s policy has been on marijuana, in 2008 alone, the city arrested more people for marijuana charges than in in 12 years of Mayor Ed Koch, four years of Dinkins, and the first two years of Giuliani COMBINED!

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

As expected, Harry Reid and Senate Democrats managed to water down the healthcare reform bill enough to get the support of the party’s “moderate” wing while also buying all of the votes that they needed to stop a Republican filibuster.

While the healthcare lobby spent $600 million getting the bill to where the insurance companies want it to be, Harry Reid and the gang used taxpayer money to buy votes for a lousy bill. Here’s a look at just some of the earmarks included in the bill:

-$300 million in extra Medicare ...continue reading]]>

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

As expected, Harry Reid and Senate Democrats managed to water down the healthcare reform bill enough to get the support of the party’s “moderate” wing while also buying all of the votes that they needed to stop a Republican filibuster.

While the healthcare lobby spent $600 million getting the bill to where the insurance companies want it to be, Harry Reid and the gang used taxpayer money to buy votes for a lousy bill. Here’s a look at just some of the earmarks included in the bill:

-$300 million in extra Medicare funding for Senator Mary Landrieu’s home state of Louisiana

-$100 million in extra Medicare spending for Senator Ben Nelson’s home state of Nebraska after Nelson pointed out that his vote wasn’t for sale

-Funding for healthcare for everyone who lives in the vicinity of an asbestos mine in a small town in Senator Max Baucus’ home state of Montana

-Special provisions for three counties in Senator Bill Nelson’s home state of Florida that will allow the seniors living there to keep Medicare Advantage

-$100 million to build a new university hospital in Senator Chris Dodd’s homes state of Connecticut

-An extra $10 billion for community health centers to keep Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders from defecting due to the ineffectiveness of the bill

Those weren’t the only victors in the Senate healthcare reform bill, the real winners were the healthcare companies. While Democrats made the case that this compromise was a necessary action and the healthcare system will greatly improve, healthcare company stocks shot up to their 52-year high.

Wall Street certainly knows who this bill is really helping, who do you think the new and watered down version of healthcare reform helps?

MTA Chief Jay Walder

The MTA has been under the microscope for the last few years as their budget has been spread very thin and commuters have been asked to foot the bill for their complete and utter waste through higher fares. It appears that pressure to cut costs has not pushed the MTA to become more fiscally responsible and the Daily News reports that the agency has been paying workers who work part-time hours full-time wages.

The MTA has been doing a lot of track work since last year but only allows workers to work on outdoor ...continue reading]]>

MTA Chief Jay Walder

The MTA has been under the microscope for the last few years as their budget has been spread very thin and commuters have been asked to foot the bill for their complete and utter waste through higher fares. It appears that pressure to cut costs has not pushed the MTA to become more fiscally responsible and the Daily News reports that the agency has been paying workers who work part-time hours full-time wages.

The MTA has been doing a lot of track work since last year but only allows workers to work on outdoor tracks between 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM to ensure safety and to keep track work from slowing down rush hour trains.

The workers that have been working on the outdoor tracks work only those four-hours but get paid for a full 8 AM to 4 PM shift.

The article continues, pointing out that when the workers aren’t doing track work they are usually just sitting around, “reading, chatting, or doing other leisure time pursuits.”

The MTA is hoping to have workers start working more on the tracks on weekends but the MTA workers union has been strongly opposed to the idea and have threatened to stop any attempt to do this.

If you are wondering why the MTA is allowing this, look no further than the Transport Workers Union Local 100.

At no point in my time in New York City do I remember a time when the Union was not almost entirely in control of the MTA.

Medicare Inspector General James Sheehan

As New York tries to crack down on wasteful spending, a report by the State Medicaid Inspector General shows that there is much fraud going on when it comes to free health insurance for the most needy.

According to the report, $96.7 million in Medicaid funds was misspent with nearly half of it in New York City.

The report claims, however, that the waste comes from bad bookkeeping and billing errors but the sum for some individual hospitals and pharmacies adds up to millions of dollars. For example, St. Barnabas Hospital alone ...continue reading]]>

Medicare Inspector General James Sheehan

As New York tries to crack down on wasteful spending, a report by the State Medicaid Inspector General shows that there is much fraud going on when it comes to free health insurance for the most needy.

According to the report, $96.7 million in Medicaid funds was misspent with nearly half of it in New York City.

The report claims, however, that the waste comes from bad bookkeeping and billing errors but the sum for some individual hospitals and pharmacies adds up to millions of dollars. For example, St. Barnabas Hospital alone charged Medicaid an excess $1.2 million while Trinity Pharmacy in Queens overcharged Medicaid by as much as $5.6 million.

The problem with all of these audits is that the funds aren’t simply taken back. In the two instances above, the Inspector General expects to settle an amount with the organizations regarding how much of the money that they did not earn they will keep meaning that the taxpayer will still foot the bill for the overcharges.

The state only hopes to get back around $10 million in overcharges this year which many believe just sends a message to hospitals, pharmacies, and select charities that it is okay to play it fast and loose with bills and records.

Overbilling, accidental or otherwise, is only the tip of the iceberg. The waste arises in true cases of fraud all around the country. Countless stories have come up of cases of people setting up fake companies to bill Medicaid and Medicare for fraudulent charges.

These cases have cost taxpayers all around the country hundreds of millions of dollars.

UPDATE: Wanda Fischer of the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General has e-mailed us to clarify some of the numbers in this article.

According to Ms. Fischer, New York City, not the state, expects to recover $10 million in wrongful spending.

The Inspector General also expects to identify as much as $1 billion in Medicaid abuse and fraud over the next fiscal year.

NY Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman

A New York Post investigation has found that New York judges have been using taxpayer funds to pay for personal things like iPods, portraits, and trips.

Although judges get $10,000 expense allowances (double what they had gotten until this year), they also receive reimbursements for “work-related expenses.” The total of these reimbursements? More than $12.5 million per year.

The investigation found that judges have a tendency of playing it fast and loose with these reimbursements, asking the state to foot the bill for an iPod Touch, a self portrait, and “meditation retreats.”

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NY Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman

A New York Post investigation has found that New York judges have been using taxpayer funds to pay for personal things like iPods, portraits, and trips.

Although judges get $10,000 expense allowances (double what they had gotten until this year), they also receive reimbursements for “work-related expenses.” The total of these reimbursements? More than $12.5 million per year.

The investigation found that judges have a tendency of playing it fast and loose with these reimbursements, asking the state to foot the bill for an iPod Touch, a self portrait, and “meditation retreats.”

The Post story details how two judges received nearly $1,000 in reimbursements for travel to a meditation retreat, how another judge was reimbursed more than $1,600 for taking her associates out to dinner, and how other judges charged the state for personal iPods, air purifiers, and personal photos.

The report, while slightly exaggerated, comes at a time when New Yorkers are more worried about government waste than ever. As both Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Governor David Paterson prepare massive budget cuts, there is nothing more disappointing to hear than cases of public officials misusing public funds that could have gone towards paying the salary of a teacher or fire fighter who is about to be laid off.

This is especially disappointing because the salaries of judges range from $108,000 for a city judge to more than $136,000 per year for a state judge (with $156,000 for the Chief Judge). In total, the New York Court system costs the state more than $2.6 billion per year.