New Mexico’s audit crisis and the Dirty 59: “A culture of a lack of accountability”

By   /  May 8, 2013  /  Accountability, Featured, Finances, General Interest, Local Government, National, New Mexico, News, State Government, Wasteful spending  /  No Comments

THE DIRTY 59: The New Mexico auditor's office reports that 59 entities in the state that spend or receive taxpayer money are behind on filing their audits.

By Rob Nikolewski │ New Mexico Watchdog
SANTA FE – By law, every organization in New Mexico that receives or spends public funds has to turn in an audit each year.
“If a government is going to spend taxpayer money they should be able to account and submit a full accounting of those activities every year,” State Auditor [...]

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How much will expanded Medicaid cost taxpayers in fraud?

By   /  May 7, 2013  /  Accountability, Featured, Fraud, Medicaid, Minnesota, News, Obamacare, Wasteful spending, Wisconsin  /  1 Comment

While a definitive number is hard to come by, experts estimate Medicaid fraud nationally could be $100 billion or more. So what happens when you expand Medicaid?

Wisconsin is no stranger to Medicaid fraud.

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They paid how much? A closer look at WEDC compensation

By   /  May 2, 2013  /  Accountability, Featured, News, Pensions, Scott Walker, State Government, Wasteful spending, Wisconsin  /  5 Comments

An audit finds the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. handed out merit pay and other perks even as the agency was plagued by mismanagement and accountability problems.

By Ryan Ekvall | Wisconsin Reporter
MADISON – The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. was created, in part, to shed the encumbrances of the public sector in its mission to help Wisconsin businesses develop and create jobs. The public-private partnership, its creators assured, would be nimble and responsive to business needs, while shedding the skin of government [...]

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Stimulus waste trackers now tracking Sandy relief funding

By   /  May 1, 2013  /  Accountability, Featured, Fraud, News, Transparency, Wasteful spending, Wisconsin  /  No Comments

Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, the same group charged with oversight of the $840 billion in stimulus funding, has been given the same mission with Hurricane Sandy relief.

After overseeing transparency and accountability of the massive $840 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, tracking waste, fraud and abuse in a $60 billion superstorm relief package should be a breeze.

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Catfish war costing taxpayers, but is it taxing consumers?

By   /  April 25, 2013  /  Accountability, Featured, News, Wasteful spending, Wisconsin  /  No Comments

This charming fellow is the at the center of an inspection debate - pitting claims of food safety against government waste.

Hard to believe such an ugly fish could garner so much attention.
But the catfish, that barbell-mouthed bottom feeder (or a facsimile thereof), is caught in an intercontinental battle of industry combatants — a war of words over food safety and government waste.

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