Mar 06
The far reaching implications of sequestration are affecting IRS whistleblower awards. The IRS website contains the following announcement: “Pursuant to the requirements of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended, certain automatic reductions will take place as of March 1, 2013. These required reductions include a reduction to awards paid …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/03/irs-cutting-whisteblower-awards/
Mar 04
Over the years, Federal funding for the social sciences has come under fire from critics of all sorts, including the House of Representatives, which passed an amendment in 2012 to completely cut the National Science Foundation (NSF) funding for political science in particular. The argument in favor of these cuts usually sounds something like what …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/03/an-example-of-useless-research-that-isnt/
Feb 19
The global all-time high of unemployed workers was 199 million people in 2009. In 2012, the amount of jobless topped 197 million, with the International Labour Organization (ILO), an agency of the United Nations based in Geneva, declaring a “crisis in labour markets of both advanced economies and developing countries.” In the last year, 4 …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/02/global-unemployment-is-expected-to-break-the-all-time-record-and-then-get-worse/
Feb 06
On February 6, 2013, the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced that as of the week of August 5, 2013 it will suspend Saturday mail delivery (see: USPS Announcement). This reduction in delivery is estimated to save the USPS approximately $2 billion annually. Patrick R. Donahoe, Postmaster General and CEO stated: The Postal Service is …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/02/united-states-postal-service-cancels-saturday-mail-delivery/
Sep 26
There has been a lot of press (some of which is discussed in a prior post) about various government agency employees taking extreme liberties with their government issued credit cards. Back in July 2011, the Senate approved a reform measure for additional controls and stricter penalties that is finally set by signature by President Obama. …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/09/government-crackdown-is-a-reminder-for-businesses-to-examine-credit-card-policies/
Jul 07
In some respects I’m feeling pretty justified by last week’s Supreme Court ruling on the Individual Mandate. That is because eighteen months ago I said that commentators were pushing aside the very real likelihood of it being justified under the taxation clause of the constitution. That prediction got me more than a little ridicule in some online …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/07/bullseye/
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/06/a-new-method-of-financing-university-education-that-isnt-new/
May 19
The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and Sketcher USA Inc. reached a $40 million settlement on charges that Sketchers deceived consumers. The FTC joined with 45 attorneys nationwide in the consumer protection agency’s claims against Sketchers. According to the FTC, The Federal Trade Commission announced that Skechers USA, Inc. has agreed to pay $40 million to …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/05/ftc-and-skechers-agree-to-a-40-million-settlement/
Apr 17
There has been a great deal of discussion regarding the approximately $800,000 spent on a lavish 2010 Las Vegas conference hosted by the General Services Administration (GSA). The GSA handles government real estate and other non-military procurement. Susan Brita, a GSA deputy administrator, was the whistleblower who first raised the issue, which has since …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/04/gsa-whistleblower-testifies-regarding-government-waste/
Mar 15
The “Big Four” accounting and audit firms are spending more than they have since 2002 (the year they lost one of their own in the Enron debacle) on lobbying the US government. According to a Reuters analysis of congressional disclosure reports, the four accounting powerhouses spent a combined $9.4 million last year on in-house and outside …
Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/03/big-four-attempt-to-increase-their-influence/
Jun 07
A “New” Method of Financing University Education that isn’t New
June 7, 2012
FixUC, a student-based organization, claims to have found the solution to rising student debt and education costs. The proposal: instead of paying tuition to attend university, students should pay the university a 5% share of their future income for twenty years after graduation. FixUC’s founder and President, Chris LoCascio, explains the logic underlying the initiative, …
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