The Problem With News Articles About Waste, Fraud and Abuse In Washington D.C. Is The Articles Are Too Long

 

This may surprise you, but I contend I do not write Political Blog Postings. I often write about politics, but I take no position about politics. I do not write about Stupid, Ignorant or Apparently Illegal things that Democrat or Republican Politicians do. I write about the Stupid, Ignorant or Apparently Illegal things done by Politicians who are either Democrat or Republican (those are our only choices).

I am not going to Hoist Myself on My Own Petard. (Yes, I looked up “Hoist Myself on My Own Petard” but I will not bother bothering you about what I found). Just when you think you have gotten your mind around what the article you are reading is trying to prove at word 2,752, the article moves on and at word 5,564 it contradicts and disproves what you thought they thought they were proving way back at that 2,752^nd word.

The article I am trying to understand at present tries to make the point that most examples of government fraud ($2 million for sex changes and “LGBT activism” in Guatemala) do not meet the Legal Definition of Fraud.

When I got to this point in the article, I felt like I was in church because I started thinking, “Alleluia! Alleluia! I am about to see the Definition of Fraud! Now we are getting somewhere!”

It was at this point that my Excitement Bubble Burst because I then read, “Fraud requires a showing of bad intent by the perpetrator and financial harm to the government.”

In the midst of all this Exciting Clarification Confusion, the article threw in this muckety-muck, “On Friday the Times reported that a Nevada woman pleaded guilty to filing more than 1,200 tax returns to fraudulently claim Covid-19 tax credits of nearly $100 million.” She allegedly “used the money to gamble at casinos, take vacations and buy luxury cars and purchase designer clothing from Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and Louis Vuitton.”

Several points of Confused Common Sense (Common Sense should not be confusing) raised their very ugly heads...

• Joey, said to Shane in the movie Shane, “But, Shane, there’s too many” ... How on the earth could she have filed so many claims without a person, computer or doorknob not noticing that she was filing so many claims? One would think that by the 6^th Claim Filing Alarms would start going off. OK, she got past the sixth claim but 1,200!? We all know that our world likes to round off to even numbers. The only solace I take from all of this is knowing that the real number was somewhere around a more understandably acceptable 1,194 Claim Filings. 
• Fraud requires a showing of bad intent by the perpetrator ... How many Questionable Intents are allowed before they turn into Bad Intent? Does it not automatically turn into Bad Intent when one takes action to acquire money to which they are not entitled? There is an enormous difference between, “It is my money. Give me my money” and “It is not my money. Give the money that is not my money to me.”
• Financial harm to the government ... If the Government really cared about its money, it would pay more attention to its money. I contend it is not possible to Financially Harm the Government by taking money from the Government because the Government does not seem to care if its money is being taken.

It is like the old Jay Leno Commercial for Doritos where he said, “Crunch all you want. We’ll make more.” Only, in this case, the Government is saying, “Steal all you want. We’ll make more.”

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

 

How Do They Know That?

 

1 billion is not just a 1. It is 1 thousand million.

1 trillion is not just a 1 either. It is 1 thousand billion.

Ergo, 40 trillion is 40 thousand billion.

Below is the headline of an article about Hurricane Helene (and other storms).

Fella has this to say about that... How Do They Know That?

“Helene and Other Storms Dumped a Whopping 40 Trillion Gallons of Rain on The South”

Said another way, Helene and other storms dumped a whopping 40 thousand billion gallons of rain on the south.

I don't believe they can know that.

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

This Plane Crash Could Have Been Prevented!

There is no doubt in my mind but that that plane crash in Toronto yesterday could have been prevented if only the Fire Chief had been allowed to have more stars on his hat.

It is hard to count but it looks like he only had 20 Stars!

More Is Better...Or is it?

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

 

My Encounter with a Millionaire in My Coffee Shop

 

Life has a peculiar way of throwing the most unexpected encounters our way. Thursday of last week was a good example of this. I found myself in a cozy corner of my favorite coffee shop, sipping on a caramel macchiato and lost in the labyrinth of my thoughts, when an elderly gentleman approached my table with a warm smile.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, his voice rich with a hint of mischief. I could not refuse such a polite request, so I nodded in the affirmative. He settled into the chair opposite me, his presence radiating an air of quiet confidence.

We exchanged pleasantries, and it was not long before we were deep in conversation. He introduced himself as Horace, a name that, much like the man himself, seemed to carry an air of old-world charm. As we chatted, I could not help but wonder about his life and what stories lay behind those twinkling eyes?

"Tell me," he said, leaning closer, "are you a fan of the Nightly News?"

I chuckled. "I suppose I watch it often enough. It's become a bit of a habit."

A sly grin spread across his face. "How would you like to make a lot of extra money while watching the Nightly News?"

Intrigued, I leaned his way, "I'm listening."

Horace reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, shiny nickel, which he placed on the table between us. "I'll give you a nickel every time the Nightly News mentions the names either 'Elon or Musk'."

I stared at the nickel, then back at Horace, trying to gauge whether he was serious or simply indulging in a bit of whimsical folly. "Every time?" I echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"Every single time," he confirmed with a nod. "Think about it. The media cannot seem to get enough of him. With all his ventures like Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink (I made a mental note to look this one up) Elon’s name is constantly in the news."

The idea was absurd, yet oddly compelling. "Why would you do this?" I asked, still trying to wrap my head around the proposition.

Horace's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Let's just say I enjoy making life a bit more interesting for those around me. Besides, it's pocket change for me, but it could add up nicely for you."

I laughed, shaking my head at the sheer lunacy of it all. "Alright, Horace. You've got yourself a deal."

We shook hands, sealing the most peculiar agreement into which I have ever entered. As Horace stood to leave, he offered me one last piece of advice. "Keep a big jar handy. You might be surprised at how quickly it fills up."

And just like that, he was gone, leaving me with a story to tell and a new hobby to indulge in. As I watched the news that evening, I could not help but smile every time Elon Musk's name was mentioned, the image of that shiny nickel dancing in my mind.

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

Lagniappe: Another ending to this Silliness...

I said to Horace, “I agree! I accept you generously stupid proposal and I expect I am about to be as rich as you are until you figure out you are running out of money.”

Horace’s response to Fella, “I take it all back! You are right! I have a lot of money but I don’t have this much money. I would have been able to easily afford this bit of silliness if I had chosen the names 'Donald or Trump' but 'Elon or Musk' is a reach too far even for me. It must have been that shot of espresso I told the barista to add to my coffee!”

John Kennedy Is Smart

You are smart also if you just said to yourself that Fella made a Typographical Error when he pecked out “Is” instead of “Was” because John Kennedy is dead. Fella is here to tell you that John Kennedy is not dead. That John F. Kennedy you are thinking about is dead but the John Kennedy I am pecking about is alive and well in Louisiana and serves in our “beloved” U.S. Senate.

The dead one became dead on November 22, 1963, as he riding around Dallas, Texas waving to admirers. At least one of the “admirers” did not like him very much. That’s another story for another day and not the subject of this Foolishness...Or Is It. Actually, it will not ever be the subject of one of my Blog Postings because there is not any Funny or Foolish in that story.

The John Kennedy that is still alive is a very smart fella and his Senate Interrogations of witnesses are becoming legendary. He is brilliant at getting to the Common Sense (remember Common Sense?) of things and, at the same time, being Funny and Entertaining. An example of his humor is he once said, “That bill is as dead as fried chicken”. If you are of mind to, you can spend a lot of time watching him being Funny and Entertaining on You Tube.

************

Senator (the alive one) Kennedy is (like so many others in Washington, D.C.) currently on a tear about Wasteful Government Spending and one of his interrogations is the subject of today’s Blog Posting. Get ready to be Shocked and Entertained and Disbelieving about what I am about to peck out.

As you read through this Blog Posting, you are possibly going to be tempted to think Senator Kennedy or I made this stuff up. I have been known to lie for the sake of Foolishness but you can believe what you are seeing because Senator Kennedy is a Senator and Senators never lie...Or do they?

Ø A Scam Artist stole the Social Security Number of a Deceased Veteran.

Ø Between 1997 and 2024 this Scam Artist received checks intended for the Deceased Veteran that totaled somewhere around $825,000.

Ø At some point the Veterans Administration almost got smart and stopped sending checks to the Deceased Veteran (the Scam Artist).

Ø If I told you that the Scam Artist said to himself, “Oh well, it was good while it lasted”, that would be a logical and believable ending to this Foolishness but that’s not how it ended.

Ø What actually happened was the Scam Artist contacted the VA, imitated the Deceased Veteran and got his (not really his) check flow started up again.

Ø The problem is the VA only suspected the Deceased Veteran was Deceased but they do not know he was Deceased.

Here is how he got his money (not really his money) flowing his way again.

Ø The Social Security Administration maintains a Dead Master File (DMF) of Dead People so they will know who is dead.

Ø So, if the VA suspected that our Scam Artist was a Scam Artist, and looked at the DMF it could make the Scam Artist look elsewhere for the money necessary to keep him living in the matter to which he has become accustomed.

Ø The problem is the SSA does not share their DMF with other government agencies.

Ø So, the VA does not know that the Deceased Veteran is Deceased because it has no access to the DMF.

Ø The SSA contends it is illegal for them to share the DMF with other government agencies.

Ø Fella, has this to say about that...Huh?!

In 2020 Senator Kennedy and a few other clear-thinking Senators tried to stop this Not-Sharing Foolishness. It turned into big battle on the floor of the Senate with other Senators who did not think this Obvious Foolishness was Obvious.

Ø Senator Kennedy and his like-minded few other clear-thinking Senators drafted a bill named something like, Stopping Dead People From Receiving Money Act.

Ø The bill stipulated that the SSA was to share the DMF with other agencies.

Ø But they ran into heated opposition.

Ø But they still did not give up.

Ø They compromised (Better to Get Something Rather Than Nothing) and drafted a second bill called something like, Ending Improper Payments To Deceased People Act.

Ø This bill would allow access to the DMF but only allow access for 3 years.

Ø Unbelievably they again ran into heated opposition.

The end result was Senator Kennedy and his like-minded clear thinkers Got Nothing Rather Than Getting Something.

************

This Blog Posting has been going on beyond my Don’t Make Your Blogs Too Long rule of thumb but I could not help myself. I’m sure you’ll agree it was worth it...Or will you?

I will quickly finish up with some short ones from Senator Kennedy.

The First One Is... Senator Kennedy asked the SSA how many people in the Good Ole USofA were 112 years of age or older. The SSA told him the number was 6,500,000. Senator Kennedy and Fella do not believe that number.

The Second One Is... A deceased Ohio woman’s family members collected her Social Security for 48 years before the SSA figured out what they were up to and put a stop to it.

The Third One Is... Our government sent $1.4 Billion COVID Stimulus Checks to dead people.

The Last One Is... Our government made $2.9 Trillion in improper payments since 2004.

These dead people are dead, but the checks sent to them are still being cashed. I always knew that dead people could vote but, until now, I did not know they retained the ability to cash checks.

Would I kid u?

Smartfella