Terrorist Database Screens All Americans (Wash. Post, 3-27-07) . . .
Prior to 9/11, financial institutions used the Office of Foreign Asset Control's list of "specially designated
nationals" to deny transactions primarily to drug dealers and criminals.  A report by the Lawyers Committee
For Civil Rights finds President Bush greatly expanded its reach after 9/11 via executive order to screen all
citizens who apply for loans, apartment leases, and other purchases.  Credit reporting bureaus include the
results of their check against the terrorist database, causing lenders to deny loans to citizens with names
similar to terrorists. Citizen rights are unclear.

"The way in which the list is being used goes far beyond contexts in which it has a link to national
security. The government is effectively conscripting private businesses into the war on terrorism but
doing so without making sure that businesses don't trample on individual rights." S. Sinnar, author

The screening has become "industry standard" in the apartment rental business. It began about
three years ago, he said, spurred by banks that wanted companies they worked with to comply with
the law.   James Maclin, a vice president at Mid-America Apartment Communities in Memphis

"The law is ridiculous.  It prohibits anyone from doing business with anyone who's on the list. It
does not have a minimum dollar amount. . . . The local deli, if it sells a sandwich to someone
whose name appears on the list, has violated the law."   Tom Hudson, attorney in Hanover, Md.

Official Reply . . .  There are "challenges" in complying with the rules but . . . most businesses can
root out "false positives" on their own . . .  "So the company is not only sure that they are
complying with the law, but they're also being good corporate citizens to make sure they're doing
their part to protect the U.S. financial system from abuse by terrorists or [weapons] proliferators or
drug traffickers."   Molly Millerwise, Treasury Department spokeswomen

Conflicts-of-Interest In Defense Contracts (Wash. Post, 3-25-07) . . .
The Coast Guard’s $24 billion Deepwater boondoggle underscores the extent to which revolving door
relationships between major contractors and the government agencies they work for undermine major
defense procurements.  Since 1998, four of seven top Coast Guard officials that retired now work for the
private firms they managed.  Four classes of ships thus far have serious design problems, cost overruns,
performance limitations, or production delays.  Issues cited:

• “the government has balked at investing the years, money and legislative effort it would
  take to strengthen contract management, or to expand the one-year "cooling-off" period
  that generally limits activities by officials moving between the private and public sectors”
  

• “dwindling competition in the private sector, mushrooming federal defense spending and
  the government's diminished contract management skills combine to raise the stakes for
  potential conflicts of interest”
  

• “federal ethics rules carve out loopholes for senior policymakers to oversee decisions that
  may benefit former or prospective employers, including outsourcing strategies under which
  taxpayers bear most of the risks for failure”
  

"The most significant pathology we face today is the lack of a robust competitive marketplace" for
large weapons systems.  If I know there's really only one contractor that might want my experience
when I retire from the government, the remainder of my career might be reduced to positioning
myself to step in to that company in a certain way." Steven Schooner, procurement expert, GWU

Increased reliance on contractors threatens to "undermine the integrity of the government's
decision making processes."  Handing off traditional governmental duties -- such as designing
major systems and managing huge contracts -- coupled with defense industry consolidation,
"increased the potential for organizational conflicts of interest."  (recent finding from an expert
panel appointed by the White House and Congress)

Costly Vaccinations Denied To Children  (NY Times, 3-24-07) . . .
As the cost of children’s vaccines soar, pediatricians and insurance companies are declining to subsidize
many of the costs, leaving a big gap in the coverage modern medicine can provide versus the coverage
children actually receive.  Free shots have been discontinued by many states.  Doctors must now stock
expensive inventories and ask for up front payments. Comprehensive vaccines cost $59 per child in 1980,
over $1,600 today, including new vaccines for meningitis, hepatitis A, flu strains, and boosters. Experts
warn of a potential meltdown in our traditional immunization programs and spread of preventable diseases.

There is very little data available on the extent of the problem.  “Do we want to wait until we have
epidemics before we want to do something about the financing questions?”  Dr. Gary L. Freed,
director of child health and evaluation, Univ. of Michigan, chair National Vaccine Advisory Committee

“We cannot pay for the vaccination of the American public any longer.  We’re not giving them with
as much vigor as we should, and the main reason is financial.”   Dr. Dorothy A. Levine, pediatrician

Risky Mortgages Unregulated By Fed (Washington Post, 3-23-07) . . .
Senators on Capital Hill could not understand how the Federal Reserve under former chairman Alan
Greenspan could have been so complacent in the subprime mortgage industry, choosing not to regulate
exotic loans which contributed to the inflationary price spiral - a “pattern of neglect”, and are looking to
regulate the business.  More than two million families now risk losing their homes.

How could such questionable lending practices could have spread "under Greenspan's watch."   Sen.
Jim Bunning (R-Ky.)

"Given what we know now, yes, we could have done more sooner." Roger Cole,  Federal Reserve
director of banking supervision and regulation

Federal banking regulators were not "protecting hardworking Americans from unscrupulous financial
actors."   "In my view, these actions set the conditions for the perfect storm that is sweeping over
millions of American homeowners today."   committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.)

Federal regulators were "asleep at the switch."   Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.)

Confusion, Disarray In Iraqi Reconstruction (AP, 3-22-07) . . .
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), chairman, Homeland Security Committee, and Sen. Susan Collins (R-
Maine) are investigating the lack of cooperation between the State and Defense departments in Iraq,
wasting billions of taxpayer dollars.

"Where we've seen failure is when the U.S. government failed to plan projects carefully and then
failed to keep a close watch over contractors and now we've seen billions of dollars wasted — a cost
measured not just in dollars but in the undermining of the overall U.S. mission in these war-torn
countries."   Sen. Lieberman

"Anyone who has spent appreciative time in the Iraq reconstructive effort understands the tension
that exists between the two (departments)."   Stuart Bowen Jr., special inspector general for Iraq
reconstruction

A Defense Department agency charged with running the reconstruction effort never developed a
fully coordinated plan upon members' arrival in 2003, leading to confusion and duplication of
effort. "We were bumping into one another as we tried to solve the same problem."  former agency
official (finding from 157 page report)

Lax Industrial Safety Oversight (Washington Post, 3-21-07) . . .
According to a 335 page GAO report, there were no comprehensive inspections by the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration at any U.S. oil refinery between 1995 and 2005 when an explosion at a BP
refinery in Texas City, Texas killed 15 workers and injured many others.  OSHA only employs 12 inspectors
to enforce safety standards at over 2,800 critical facilities.

"Decisions to cut budgets were made at the highest levels of BP Group despite serious safety
deficiencies at Texas City."  "Cost-cutting . . . left the Texas City refinery vulnerable to
catastrophe."   "OSHA's capability to inspect highly hazardous facilities and to enforce process
safety regulations is insufficient."   "Warning signs of a possible disaster were present for several
years, but company officials did not intervene effectively to prevent it."   Report Findings

"I truly believe that we are on the verge of something bigger happening."   Texas City Health-
Safety manager, February 2005 email

"Today's report confirms OSHA's investigative findings that BP did not make safety and health a
priority at its Texas City, Texas, facility. OSHA levied the largest fine in the agency's history against
BP and this year will conduct more than 100 refinery inspections. OSHA is also implementing a
National Emphasis Program to ensure that every refinery under its jurisdiction is inspected and all
employees are protected."  (U.S. Asst. Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke Jr., 3-20-07)

Uncollected Taxes From Medicare Doctors (Washington Post, 3-20-07) . . .
The GAO reports that 21,000 Medicare doctors owe over $1 billion in federal taxes, in many cases payroll
collections spent on luxury cars and personal expenses.  This report follows 2001 GAO recommendations
that HHS and Treasury actively coordinate their databases to stop these abuses and collect back taxes,
recommendations that have never been implemented.  The tax debt for many violators is growing, but only
part of the national $350 billion uncollected tax gap.

The situation is especially distressing because there could easily have been a system in place to
fix it. Contractors who do pay their taxes, as well as rank-and-file taxpayers, "should be pretty
angry."   Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), ranking subcommittee Republican

"We are very concerned about this issue and are working hard with the Department of Treasury and
the IRS to ensure that we do not overpay providers or other entities who owe the IRS money.”  
(Unfortunately) HHS has no authority to "deny physicians the right to participate in Medicare if they
have tax debt."   Leslie V. Norwalk, acting director, HHS - Medicare

The GAO will investigate other Medicare suppliers, including hospitals and nursing facilities, to
identify who "abused the federal tax system while doing business with the federal government."  
Report Statement

Depleted Military Unprepared For Conflicts (Washington Post, 3-19-07) . . .
In recent congressional testimony the nation’s top military leaders warn of dire and worsening conditions,
with serious consequences should the U.S. need to respond to another global conflict.  The “death spiral” of
rapid war zone rotations has stretched ground forces training, personnel, and equipment to the limit.  Army
and Marine weapons and equipment stockpiles are depleted.  And even if a major rebuilding program were
launched right now, it will take years to recover.

"We have a strategy right now that is outstripping the means to execute it." Gen. Peter J.
Schoomaker, Army chief of staff

The level of readiness of Army units in the United States, which would be called on if another war
breaks out is “stark”.  "The readiness continues to decline of our next-to-deploy forces.  And those
forces, by the way, are . . . also your strategic reserve." Army's vice chief of staff, Gen. Richard Cody

The nation faces increased risk because of shortfalls in troops, equipment and training  "You take
a lap around the globe -- you could start any place: Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon,
Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Venezuela, Colombia, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, North Korea, back
around to Pakistan, and I probably missed a few. There's no dearth of challenges out there for our
armed forces."  Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Leaked Identity Exposes CIA Agent (CNN, 3-16-07) . . .
Valerie Plame Wilson, the undercover CIA operative whose cover was intentionally leaked in 2003 publicly
testified before a House committee for the first time yesterday.

I believe Bush administration officials "carelessly and recklessly" released my status as a CIA
employee.  "I felt like I had been hit in the gut."

"Karl Rove clearly was involved in leaking my name, and he still carries a security clearance to this
day, despite the president's words ... that he would immediately dismiss anyone who had anything
to do with this."

"Testimony in the criminal trial of Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, who has now been
convicted of serious crimes, indicates that my exposure arose from purely political motives."

"If our government cannot even protect my identity, future foreign agents who might consider
working with the Central Intelligence Agency in providing needed intelligence would think twice."

Low Priority For Children’s Welfare (Reuters, 3-15-07) . . .
Despite widespread proclamations that children are the nation’s greatest asset, federal spending for their
critical programs has shrunk dramatically since 1960 and will continue shrinking over the next decade as a
percentage of the total budget, according to a report by the Urban Institute, ‘Kid’s Share 2007’.  The nation
is significantly shifting far more of its resources to programs for senior citizens than for children.

“Thirteen major programs enacted between 1960 and 2006, which include Medicaid, the earned
income tax credit, and Food Stamps, comprised 65 percent of federal spending on children in
2006. Overall, federal children's spending increased in real terms from $53 billion in 1960 to $333
billion in 2006, or from 1.9 to 2.6 percent of GDP. Yet as a share of federal domestic spending,
children's spending declined from 20.1 to 15.4 percent. Meanwhile, spending on the automatically
growing, non-child portions of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, nearly quadrupled from 2.0
to 7.6 percent of GDP ($58 billion to $993 billion) over the same time period. Over the next ten
years, children's programs are scheduled to decline both as a share of GDP and domestic
spending, because they do not compete on a level playing field with these rapidly growing
entitlement programs.”  Report Abstract

"If you keep the budget on its current path, children are going to get squeezed. To the extent you
think investment in children is an important policy agenda, you're squeezing and putting enormous
pressure on that part of the agenda."   Eugene Steuerle, senior fellow, Urban Institute

"I think the key findings are that investment in children has never been a high federal priority, but
it would be one that's going to clearly decline as we move toward the future unless we really get our
budget house in order."    Eugene Steuerle

Deadly Weekend Heart Attacks  (USA Today, 3-14-07) . . .
Arterial blockages kill 10,000 Americans each year.  A Yale University report issued last November
concluded several thousand lives could be saved by a simple balloon procedure - but only if administered
within 90 min. of the patient’s admission.  A new report in the N.E. Journal of Medicine reveals that only
one third of all hospitals administer angioplasty procedures within the 90 min. window after day-shift hours
during the week, and even fewer on the weekends.  The reasons: inadequate staff, training, and equipment
- a tragic irony in the world's most expensive healthcare system.

"One of every hundred heart patients over a weekend will die unnecessarily," which amounts to
several thousand people each year.  Once you lose those people, you don't get them back."   
William Kostis, lead author, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

"What's different about the weekends?  Cardiac catheterization labs (where angioplasty is done)
may be staffed by people who are on call rather than in-house; attending physician coverage may
be different … or there may be a smaller pharmacy staff."  Nevertheless, "we don't want people to
think that if they have a heart attack on Sunday they should wait until Monday. Absolutely not."  
Tom Balcezak, Yale-New Haven Hospital.

“Although most service industries operate on a daily basis, many hospitals provide routine care on
weekdays and only emergency or urgent care on weekends. Hospital staffing is reduced on
weekends, both numerically and in terms of available expertise on site.  This difference in staffing
may result in different outcomes for patients with acute conditions such as myocardial infarction,
depending on whether they are admitted on weekends or weekdays.”    (Abstract, Weekend versus
Weekday Admission and Mortality from Myocardial Infarction, 3-15-07)

Unreliable New Orleans Drainage Pumps (AP, 3-14,15-07) . . .
The Army Corps of Engineers hastily installed 34 large water pumps without many standard quality control
procedures.  Problems began surfacing last year that federal officials claim they were not aware of,
including engine overheating, vibration, broken hoses and gaskets.  To help drain New Orleans canals during
emergency flooding, pumps must be 100% reliable - a big uncertainty now because they weren't put to the
test during the mild 2006 season.  The manufacturer’s owner was once a business partner of Jeb Bush,
marketing water pumps, and a big campaign contributor.  Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Sen. Mary Landrieu are
calling for a congressional investigation.  Donald Powell, President Bush’s appointed Federal Coordinator of
Gulf Coast Rebuilding, formerly chaired the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

"This could put a lot of our people in jeopardy.  It begs the question: Are we really safe?"   
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco

"If they can't design, build and install a pump that works, then maybe they shouldn't be doing any
of the work."   U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu

(I was never shown the memo.  My assurances were based on information from the Army Corps.)  
"We were asking the Corps to do the job as fast as possible to get the condition of the levee back
to make it as safe as possible."   Donald Powell, Federal Coordinator of Gulf Coast Rebuilding

“The President is, first and foremost, committed to the safety and security of the people in the Gulf
Coast.  We will continue to work to bring the best solutions to the table while ensuring a wise
investment of taxpayers’ money.  The Army Corp of Engineers is on track to repair the breaches
and correct design flaws by the start of the next hurricane season and further enhancements will
continue to be made.”  (Donald Powell on ‘Meet the White House’, online forum, Feb. 6, 2006)

Political Dismissal of U.S. Attorneys (LA Times, 3-14-07) . . .
Congress is investigating the unprecedented firings of eight U.S. attorneys at the behest of White House
operatives to allegedly punish them for not adhering to Bush admin. political priorities, striking at the long
held precedent of prosecutorial independence.  Attorneys allege intimidation and threats of retaliation.  
Recent emails counter claims by officials that poor job performance was the motive.  Members on both
sides are demanding an investigation, including testimony from Carl Rove and Harriet Miers, former White
House counsel, who allegedly floated the idea in 2005 to remove all 93 U.S. attorneys.  In a related matter,
White House deputy political director J. Scott Jennings used an e-mail account registered to the Republican
National Committee for communications with Justice officials, in possible violation of U.S. law.

"Prepare to withstand political upheaval. U.S. attorneys desiring to save their jobs likely will make
efforts to preserve themselves in office. We should expect these efforts to be strenuous."  D. Kyle
Sampson, chief of staff to Atty. Gen. Gonzales

Regarding the high priority Little Rock termination to free up a slot for Karl Rove’s advisor . . .  "We
should gum this to death. Officials should talk up Griffin's appointment and try to "forestall" any
criticism from Capitol Hill. Just "run out the clock" on any objections.  Sampson e-mail

Once notified, Justice "could work quietly with the targeted U.S. attorneys to encourage them to
leave government service voluntarily."  "This would allow targeted U.S. attorneys to make
arrangements for work in the private sector and 'save face' regarding the reason for leaving
office."  Sampson, confidential memo to Miers and Kelley, January 2006

"We have two U.S. attorneys who are unwilling to take good cases we have presented to them.  
This is urgent." - "in light of the AG's [Gonzales'] comment … to 'kick butt and take names' " in
prosecuting obscenity cases.   Brent Ward, Justice Department task force, September 2006

Official Reply . . .   "I was not involved in seeing any memos, was not involved in any discussions
about what was going on.  That's basically what I knew as the attorney general." Atty Gen. Gonzales

Secretive, Uninformative Government Websites (3-12-07) . . .
A study by the National Security Archive concludes that government agencies and Congress have
systematically failed to follow the 1997 Electronic Freedom of Information Act amendments.  It's also
common practice to exclude commentary from critics and watchdog groups.  And controversial news,
investigation findings and exposes that reveal damaging information are not mentioned.  Thus official
websites the public must rely on deliver only incomplete, sanitized versions of critical information.

"Federal agencies are flunking the online test and keeping us in the dark.  Some government sites
just link to each other in an endless empty loop."  Thomas Blanton, Archive director

"Public access on the Web to government information is the only long-term solution to the
backlogs and delays that undermine the FOIA today.  This audit plus Congressional oversight
should provide a wake-up call to the agencies."  Meredith Fuchs, Archive general counsel

“Ten years after the provisions of the Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments (E-FOIA)
came into force, the Executive Branch still has not obeyed Congress's mandate for change. The
National Security Archive's Knight Open Government Survey of 149 federal agency and component
Web sites found massive non-compliance with E-FOIA. The poor state of agencies' FOIA Web sites
forces the conclusion that not only did the agencies ignore Congress, but lack of interest in FOIA
programs is so high that many agencies have failed even to keep their FOIA Web sites on par with
their general agency Web sites.”   (exec. summary)

For ten years, the E-FOIA amendments have languished largely unfulfilled and unenforced, while
backlogs of pending FOIA requests at federal agencies grow dramatically. FOIA has been
marginalized, underfunded, and at times ignored in many federal agencies. As a result, the
promise of a revolution in access to government information through the use of the Internet has
never materialized. Not only have agencies not had the money or the will to comply, but they have
rarely been exhorted, much less ordered, to do so.”  (report conclusion)

“Congress, as well, has failed to demand compliance with the E-FOIA amendments, which it passed
with great fanfare more than ten years ago.”  (report conclusion)

Crisis In Mortgage Markets (NY Times, 3-11-07) . . .
Much like the 2000 technology stock bubble fueled by overly optimistic securities firms that cost investors
trillions of dollars, analysts are now seriously concerned about a downward spiral involving the $6.5 trillion
mortgage securities market which would cut off credit for home purchases. Lax lending standards, rapidly
escalating prices, undocumented loans, and other factors are cited.

“The regulators are trying to figure out how to work around it, but the Hill is going to be in for one
big surprise.  This is far more dramatic than what led to Sarbanes-Oxley, both in conflicts and in
terms of absolute economic impact.”   Josh Rosner, managing director at Graham-Fisher & Co.

Regarding recent declines in the mortgage industry . . .  “I guess we are a bit surprised at how fast this
has unraveled.”  Tom Zimmerman, head of asset-backed securities research at UBS

“There are delayed triggers in many of these investment vehicles and that is delaying the
recognition of losses.  I do think the unwind is just starting. The moment of truth is not yet here.”   
Charles Peabody, founder of Portales Partners

“Decreased funding for residential mortgage-backed securities could set off a downward spiral in
credit availability that can deprive individuals of home ownership and substantially hurt the U.S.
economy.”  Josh Rosner and Joseph R. Mason, assoc. professor, Drexel University

Illegal FBI Collection of Citizens' Personal Records (AP, 3-9-07) . . .
An audit by the Justice Department Attorney General concludes the FBI illegally uses the USA Patriot Act to
obtain personal information on thousands of U.S. citizens, including telephone logs, Internet activities,
banking transactions, and other personal records without reporting the full extent to Congress during a three
year period.  The explanation: errors and shoddy record keeping.  Ranking Senators had terse comments.

“The report indicates abuse of the authority” Congress gave the FBI.  "You cannot have people act
as free agents on something where they're going to be delving into your privacy.”   Senate
Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)

The FBI appears to have “badly misused national security letters.  This is, regrettably, part of an
ongoing process where the federal authorities are not really sensitive to privacy and go far beyond
what we have authorized.”  (Sen. Arlen Specter, R-PA)

The audit proves Congress must amend the Patriot Act to require judicial approval anytime the FBI
wants access to sensitive personal information. “The Attorney General and the FBI are part of the
problem and they cannot be trusted to be part of the solution.”  Anthony Romero, exec. dir. ACLU  

“To say that I am concerned about what has been revealed in this report would be an enormous
understatement.  Failure to adequately protect information privacy is a failure to do our jobs.  
There is no excuse for the mistakes that have been made, and we are going to make things right
as quickly as possible.”  Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (oversees FBI operations)

Official Reply . . .   “I am to be held accountable.  The inspector general went and did the audit that
I should have put in place many years ago.”   (I will correct the problems but do not intend to
resign.)   F.B.I. Director Robert S. Mueller III

Untreated Troop Brain Injuries (USA Today, 2-8-07) . . .
According to a memo just obtained by USA Today, fours years into the Iraq war the Pentagon still lacks
policies and procedures for systematically diagnosing, treating, and tracking thousands of cases of brain
injuries troops suffer from bomb blasts in Iraq, a well documented condition. Drafted following March 2006
non-public panel hearings on troops with mild to moderate brain injuries, it was released only in response
to a Freedom of Information Act request, and coincidentally just as the Walter Reed scandal unfolds.  It
was signed by Wayne Lednar, epidemiologist, and Gregory Poland, chief of the Defense Health Board.

Memo Conclusions . . .  (1) The Pentagon should take the lead in "tackling the issue of TBI
(traumatic brain injury) given our current wartime challenges."  (2) "There remains a need to better
understand the unique characteristics of blast-associated TBI and to reduce the health risk and
complications from mild or moderate forms of brain injury."

The panel's finding is "outrageous."  "Four years into the war and we still don't have a systemwide
plan."  Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.)

Excessive Payments By Ed Department (NY Tines, 3-8-07) . . .
The Education Department’s Inspector General determined last August that Nelnet, a company that loans
students money for college expenses, had been paid $278 million in excess fees that auditors found
improper.  To date, Education Department officials have permitted the firm to keep the money.  Concerned
about the rising costs of higher education, lawmakers from both parties are demanding to know why the
money is not being returned.

“I am interested in the rationale underlying your decision to reject the recommendation by the
department’s inspector general that the chief operating officer for Federal Student Aid ‘require the
return of the overpayments’ made to Nelnet.  The Nelnet example represents a serious misuse of
federal funds, and it is likely that this is not an isolated case.  It is critical for you to conduct full
oversight.”  Letter from Sen. Kennedy (D-Mass. to Ed Dept.)

“The fact that you have requests from Democrats, but then also people like Jeff Flake, who is one
of the most fiscally conservative members of the Republican Party — that breadth is significant.”  
Luke Swarthout, higher-education associate, U.S. Public Interest Research Group

“Today’s results from the Inspector General confirms that those responsible for providing
assistance to states and schools districts were not appropriately screened for conflicts of interest.
Students and teachers depend on the Department of Education for meaningful assistance and
support in helping children learn to read. Instead they were pressured into programs that reflected
the Administration’s political agenda instead of sound science.  Our students and teachers deserve
better.”   (Press Release, Sen. Kennedy’s website, 3-7-07)

Felony Convictions for V.P. Cheney’s Chief of Staff . . .
Vice President Cheney’s former chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby Jr., was convicted of four felony counts in the
federal investigation into who leaked the identity of C.I.A. agent Valerie Wilson. The convictions weren't for
the leak itself, but for obstruction of justice and lying to a grand jury and to FBI agents.

"The results are actually sad.  It's sad that we had a situation where a high-level official person
who worked in the office of the vice president obstructed justice and lied under oath. We wish that it
had not happened, but it did.  We cannot tolerate perjury. Truth is what drives our judicial system.
If people don't tell the truth, the system cannot work.  Having a high-level official lie under oath is
just something that can never be accepted."   Patrick Fitzgerald   (AP, 3-7-07)

"This has been a huge cloud over the White House.  It caused a lot of intellectual, emotional and
political energy to be expended when it should have been expended on the agenda. They're never
going to fully recover from this. If you're looking at legacy, this episode gets prominently
mentioned in every recap of the Bush administration, much like Iran-contra and Monica Lewinsky."  
Ed Rogers, Republican lobbyist close to the Bush team   (Washington Post, 3-7-07)

"There was a tremendous amount of sympathy for Mr. Libby on the jury. It was said a number of
times, 'What are we doing with this guy here?  Where's Rove?  Where are these other guys?'  I'm
not saying we didn't think Mr. Libby was guilty of the things we found him guilty of.  It seemed like
he was, as Mr. Wells put it, he was the fall guy."  Denis Collins, juror   (AP, 3-7-07)

“The trial has been death by 1,000 cuts for Cheney.  It’s hurt him inside the administration. It’s
hurt him with the Congress, and it’s hurt his stature around the world because it has shown a lot of
the inner workings of the White House. It peeled the bark right off the way they operate.”   Scott
Reed, Republican strategist  (NY Times, 3-7-07)

Declining U.S. Competitiveness (Reuters, 3-7-07) . . .
Bill Gates, appearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, chaired by
Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy, recommended that Congress adopt a host of new
measures to restore American competitiveness, including:  higher math standards, more education and
training in high school math and science, increases in teacher pay, continue testing and accountability
measures related to the NCLB Act, adopt national goals to radically increase graduates in science,
technology, and math, fund incentives to recruit 10,000 new science and math teachers every year, increase
funding for basic science research, and permanently extend the R&D tax credit.  America's ability to remain
a technological powerhouse will depend in large part on federal government investment in basic research.

"When I reflect on the state of American competitiveness today, my immediate feeling is not only
one of pride, but also of deep anxiety. Too often we as a society are sacrificing the long-term good
of our country in the interest of short-term gain."

"The U.S. cannot maintain its economic leadership unless our workforce consists of people who
have the knowledge and skills needed to drive innovation." "We simply cannot sustain an economy
based on innovation unless our citizens are educated in math, science and engineering."  (AP)

"Our high schools are no longer a path to opportunity and success, but a barrier to both.  While
most students enter high school wanting to succeed, too many end up bored, unchallenged and
disengaged from the high school curriculum — 'digital natives' caught up in an industrial-age
learning model."

"As a nation our goal should be to ensure that by 2010, every job seeker in the United States
workforce can access the education training they need to succeed in the knowledge economy."   
(CBS/AP, 3-7-07)

Aggressive Foreign Intelligence (Washington Times, 3-6-07) . . .
Well organized foreign spy agencies are aggressively acquiring advanced U.S. technology.  It’s a
tremendous challenge for U.S. counterintelligence.  The following comments from Joel F. Brenner, National
Counterintelligence Executive.

China, Cuba, Russia, Iran and others "are running significant operations against us. These services
are eating our lunch.  The technology bleed to China, among others, is a very serious problem.”  
“We've got to get better at that aspect of supporting counterterrorism, and that is one of our core
missions here in this office.”

"Americans are going to wake up one day and realize that the place in the world we have come to
take for granted isn't ours by some God-given right. We have to defend it."

In the past counter intelligence agencies regarded the problem "as an intramural sport."  "We're
trying to turn the [counterintelligence] community into a community in reality as well as in name."

“You can now, from the comfort of your own home or office, exfiltrate information electronically
from somebody else's computer around the world without the expense and risk of trying to grow a
spy.  We've got to start addressing that in a big way.  Network vulnerability is a huge issue, and it's
an issue in the private as well as a public sector.”

Untreated Tooth Decay In Children (ABC News, 3-5-07) . . .
The death of a 12-year-old Maryland boy who died from a brain infection caused by untreated tooth decay
focused national attention on the widespread lack of dental care in children across the U.S.  For lack of an
$80 extraction procedure, the boy’s family and community incurred $250,000 in surgery and hospital fees.  
Untreated dental decay is a common problem, and far worse in low income families.  And 100 mil.
Americans face unnecessary risk from inadequate fluoride in their drinking water.

"Unfortunately, this is more common than we'd like it to be.  A lot of children don't get dental
care."   Sally Cram, periodontist, Washington, DC area

"Among children, dental services are the most needed service that they do not receive.  I think it is
probably the least covered of our health benefits across the nation."  Judith Lave, chair of the
Department of Health Policy and Management at the University of Pittsburg, PA

“Tooth decay is one of the most common chronic infectious diseases among U.S. children. This
preventable health problem begins early: 28 percent of children aged 2–5 years have already had
decay in their primary (baby) teeth. By the age of 11, approximately half of children have
experienced decay, and by the age of 19, tooth decay in the permanent teeth affects two-thirds
(68 percent) of adolescents. Low-income children have twice as much untreated decay as children
in families with higher incomes.  This may result in pain, dysfunction, underweight, and poor
appearance—problems that can greatly reduce a child's capacity to succeed in the educational
environment.”  (Centers For Disease Control website, 3-5-07)

Inadequate Pandemic Vaccine Supply (Reuters, 3-5-07) . . .   
Viral experts attending Hong Kong medical conferences warn of the need to get vaccine manufacturing
capacity in place and prepare for an inevitable flue pandemic.  Otherwise, all contingency planning will fail.

"If you solve the problem of vaccines, our pandemic preparedness planning will be much more
realistic.  If we are not prepared in terms of antivirals and vaccines, millions of people are going to
die.  We have to find a strategy where we can rapidly have a vaccine in two, three months (of a
pandemic).  In principle, we have the technology, but we don't have the capacity. To date, the
world production of flu vaccine is 400 million doses, but we are over 6 billion people, and probably
we have to shoot (inject) twice." Albert Osterhaus, virology prof., Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam

Regarding new DNA technology being tested on mice infected with the H5N1 strain . . .  "These results are
still some time away from getting into human testing.  This is a very slow process."   Dr. David Ho,
leading HIV/AIDS drug scientist

Impending Medicare Bankruptcy (CBS News, 3-4-07) . . .
Without significant changes to the U.S. Medicare program economists are forecasting its certain bankruptcy
as the baby boom generation, about 78 million citizens born between WWII and Vietnam, begins to retire
next year. The following comments are from David Walker, Comptroller General, Government Accountability
Office (appearing on CBS' "60 Minutes")

"They'll be eligible for Medicare just three years later and when those boomers start retiring en
masse, then that will be a tsunami of spending that could swamp our ship of state if we don't get
serious."  "The prescription drug bill is probably the most fiscally irresponsible piece of legislation
since the 1960s ... because we promise way more than we can afford to keep."

"I would argue that the most serious threat to the United States is not someone hiding in a cave in
Afghanistan or Pakistan but our own fiscal irresponsibility.  What’s going on right now is we’re
spending more money than we make . . . we’re charging it to a credit card . . . and expecting our
grandchildren to pay for it.  And that’s absolutely outrageous."

"You know the American people, I tell you, we've been to 13 cities outside of Washington with the
fiscal wake up tour. They are absolutely starved for two things:  the truth, and leadership."

Regarding Healthcare . . .  "It's the number one fiscal challenge for the federal government, it's the
number one fiscal challenge for state governments and it's the number one competitive challenge
for American business. We're gonna have to dramatically and fundamentally reform our health care
system in installments over the next 20 years.  And if we don't, it could bankrupt America."

(Question:  do you agree with Walker’s projections?)  "I do. You know, I mean we could always
question the precise nature of this projection or that projection. But, that misses the point. The
larger story that he is telling is exactly correct."  Senator Kent Conrad (R-ND) Chairman, Senate
Budget Committee

"NOT READY" Reserve Forces (Washington Post, 3-2-07) . . .
The bipartisan independent commission appointed by Congress to monitor the readiness of the nation’s
reserve forces reports that 90 percent of Army National Guard units in the United States are "not ready", a
failing grade resulting from: (1) severe shortages of equipment – trucks, Humvees, radios, generators, and
other essentials needed to respond to terrorist attacks and other national emergencies requiring major
evacuations; and (2) significant lack of communication between reserve officials and other military leaders,
the Homeland Security Department, and United States Northern Command;  (3) inadequate inter-agency
planning and budgeting.  All states are affected, but the Gulf coast is in the worst shape.  

“We can't sustain the [National Guard and reserves] on the course we're on.  This is unacceptable.
The American people would find it unacceptable.  These are not problems that have just cropped
up in the last two years or five years. These are issues that have been pretty much ignored and
glossed over for decades.  This is not a sustainable course, and their capability to do their mission
will deteriorate over time if it’s not changed.”  Arnold Punaro, panel Chair, ret. Marine Corps general

"We are really concerned about vehicles.  We would have enough for a small-scale issue . . .
maybe a Category 1 tropical storm we could handle -- an event that doesn't involve massive
flooding or massive search and rescue."  But for bigger disasters, Louisiana would need help from
other states.  Lt. Col. Pete Schneider, spokesman, Louisiana Guard

In the event of "a very large . . . chemical, biological or nuclear incident in the national capital
region (D.C.), I would need every truck I was authorized, and we don't have that. We are definitely
short trucks, all wheeled vehicles," as well as radios, bulldozers and other gear.   Col. Robert
Simpson, director, joint staff for the Virginia National Guard.

While the commission recognized the challenges that face the guard, “admiring the problem isn’t
enough. The Commission’s recommendations for the most part won’t address the issues they
acknowledge.”  Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), House Oversight Gov't Reform Committee  (AP, 3-2-07)

Higher Death Rates For Uninsured Children (USA Today, 3-2-07) . . .
A report submitted to Congress by the non-profit Families USA reveals nine million uninsured children were
more likely to die in 26 of 29 states studied, 44% less likely to go into rehabilitation, traumatic brain injury
patients were 32% less likely to receive aggressive treatment and were discharged after five days (ave.),
rather than eight days for insured patients.  And uninsured kids have worse outcomes across a variety of
conditions, are less likely to have family doctors and get preventative care and fast treatment for acute
conditions.  The findings are similar in other studies focusing on children by the Institute of Medicine, the
American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine and the Commonwealth Fund.

"Children's health and well-being are compromised needlessly. About three-quarters of the nation’s
uninsured children are eligible for SCHIP or Medicaid, and that uninsured children are much more
likely to go without care and end up in the emergency department with conditions that could have
been avoided.”  (American Hospital Assoc. report to Congress  ‘Coverage Counts: Supporting
Health and Opportunity For Children’, 2-27-07)

"The clear implication … is that when kids get sick or hurt, insurance matters.  As is true throughout
our health care system, children without health insurance receive less and inferior care."   Ron
Pollack, executive director, Families USA

"It's a pattern. You look at stuff by insurance status — boy, you find differences."  In this study of
25,000 uninsured children with general injuries and 6,500 with traumatic brain injuries there were
327 “excess deaths” over two years.  Researcher J. Mick Tilford, assoc. prof., Univ. of Arkansas

Failing K-12 Educational System (Washington Times, 3-1-07) . . .
A joint study involving the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Center for American Progress, and the American
Enterprise Institute graded states in terms of academic performance and teacher quality.  Without question,
states are failing to prepare students for the challenges they will face in the 21st Century global society.

Massachusetts, the top state for academic achievement, showed only 44 percent of fourth-graders
proficient in reading and 49 percent proficient in math -- numbers that are "unconscionable."   John
Podesta, president and chief executive officer of CAP

“Only about two-thirds of all 9th graders graduate from high school within four years.  And those
students who do receive diplomas are too often unprepared for college or the modern workplace.”  
(Report Overview)

While a number of states are engaged in promising efforts to build more innovative and
accountable K-12 systems, there would have been far more Cs, Ds, and Fs had we not graded on a
curve.  The academic performance of every state needs to improve.  This is true for all
demographic groups, but especially for poor and minority students, who have too often been ill-
served by today's schools.   (Report - Major Findings)

“The United States in the 21st century faces unprecedented economic and social challenges,
ranging from the forces of global competition to the impending retirement of 77 million baby
boomers.  Succeeding in this new era will require our children to be prepared for the intellectual
demands of the modern workplace and a far more complex society.  Yet the evidence indicates
that our country is not ready.  Despite decades of reform efforts and many trillions of dollars in
public investment, U.S. schools are not equipping our children with the skills and knowledge they-
and the nation-so badly need.”   (Report - Overview)

For starters, state education systems suffer from a severe information gap.  The lack of reliable
and available data on state performance is alarming and created serious challenges in evaluating
results on a state-by-state basis.  The data must be compiled and monitored if we are to succeed
in improving student performance nationwide.  No responsible publicly or privately held firm could
operate successfully with such a lack of data.  (Report - Major Findings)

Erosion of Personal Privacy (USA Today, 2-28-07) . . .
Big Brother and thousands of little brother technologies are racing ahead of outdated social norms and legal
protections, infringing on the personal freedoms of Americans.  It’s no longer just the government recording
our phone calls and emails. Ordinary citizens with a variety of motives have become empowered paparazzi -
posting videos on YouTube and camera phone photos on the Internet. The trends are ominous.

"Pandora's out of the box.  If the government is tracking calls, most people aren't going to feel
the repercussions. They're more affected if a compromising photo gets on the Internet — that's a
personal invasion they can see."  Susannah Stern, Professor - Communications, Univ of San Diego

"Your privacy is basically over.  It's an invasion of privacy.  There's no camera-free zone
anywhere."  Ty Tindell, 29, Howard County, Md., who found himself on YouTube after he was
recorded on a camera phone at a Mariah Carey concert

"If I take a picture on my cellphone here on the ski slope, I can e-mail it to my office and it will be
in the hands of, say, Chinese publishers in maybe 10 to 15 minutes.  Technology has far outpaced
the legislative and ethical and moral behavior of society."   Gary Morgan, co-owner of Splash News

"The days when something happens in front of a crowd and it's not captured on camera are over.
We have to assume anything we do in public is potentially going into the public record."  Josh
Calder, trend tracker at Social Technologies

Poor Quality Child Care (Assoc. Press, 2-28-07) . . .
A non-profit association released the first survey every done ranking states in terms of their oversight and
quality of child care. Although society often proclaims the importance of our nation's children, the study
reveals how pervasively lax many state regulations really are.  Many problems and recommendations are
cited:  criminal background checks, hiring standards, minimum training and education levels for caregivers,
inspections, safety requirements.  The Dept. of  Defense, Illinois, and New York ranked at the top of the
list of outstanding providers.

“We know there is much that can be done to improve the quality of child care. As we reviewed the
possible criteria for the ranking and put the scores together, we were shocked to see in real detail
how low the bar is set for the quality of care that 12 million children under age 5 are in each
week.”   Report Summary,  http://www.naccrra.org/  

"State child care standards and oversight in this nation are not protecting our children and are not
preparing them for success in school.  Standards are meaningless without oversight.  The Defense
Department has good enforcement, and that has brought their program to a much higher level."  
Linda Smith, executive director, National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies

The military has 740 facilities worldwide, with capacity for 184,000 children.  "We've worked hard for
a lot of years so service members can do their jobs and not have to worry about their children."  
Barbara Thompson, director, Pentagon's children and youth office

Deadly Iraq Munitions Caches Never Secured (USA Today, 2-28-07) . . .
Four years after securing Iraq, the well known problem of munitions stockpiles, including bullets, artillery
shells and missiles continues to kill and cripple coalition / U.S. troops.  Large caches documented after the
invasion were never secured, and now provide parts for insurgents to make homemade IEDs that cause
70% of all casualties.  Critics charge Rumsfield and the Pentagon never put enough troops into the country
to adequately deal with the number one problem facing occupation forces.

The problem of unsecured munitions was obvious soon after the fall of Saddam Hussein in spring
2003, said there weren't enough U.S. troops in Iraq to destroy the weapons.  "It should have been
taken care of immediately,"  Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), member of the Senate Armed Services
Committee and former Army officer,.

It might be impossible to stem the supply of materials for IEDs because Iraq has so many
weapons.  Saddam "never wanted to run out of bullets.  And he never did."  John Pike, director,
Globalsecurity.org.

Declining Military Capability (Assoc. Press, 2-27-07) . . .
According to Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s military capability has
eroded significantly over the past year to the point the military can no longer respond effectively to other
potential crises in North Korea, Iran, Lebanon, Cuba or China.  The report delivered to Congress by Defense
Secretary Robert Gates, cites many serious problems and the need to improve:  strained reserve forces,
inadequate repair/ replacement of worn out equipment, declining retention rates, weapons modernization
and technologies to counter WMDs, increased special operation forces, and missile defense.

"World events and regional trends add up to increased challenges to our nation's security."  Other
federal agencies have also contributed to the decline. (The State Department, for example, has
fumbled the reconstruction/ rebuilding of facilities and government entities in Iraq.) Report Finding

Improvements "may take several years to reduce risk to acceptable levels."  (Separate Report)

Lavish Spending By Smithsonian Director (Washington Post, 2-25-07) . . .
An unpublished report by the ‘independent’ Smithsonian Institution inspector general charges that the
Director, Lawrence M. Small authorized expenditures of nearly $90,000 in non-allowable expenses from 2000
to 2005, including chartered jets, a trip to Cambodia for his wife, lavish hotel rooms, luxury car service,
catered staff meals and expensive gifts.  Small, former president and CEO of Fannie Mae, will earn over
$900,000 this year in compensation on top of the $1.15 mil. he received over the past seven years ‘for
making his house available for official functions.’

“Lawrence M. Small was at the center of the storm from the get-go. He became Secretary of the
Smithsonian Institution in January 2000, after a high-profile banking career at Citicorp/ Citibank
and Fannie Mae. Unlike previous secretaries, Small had zero credentials as a scholar and no
experience with nonprofit research or educational institutions.”  (‘Crisis At The Smithsonian’,
Archaeology, 9-19-2002)

"Many transactions were not properly documented or were not in accordance with Smithsonian
policies.  Some transactions might be considered lavish or extravagant."  Acting Insp. Gen. Ryan

"I am shocked at what the Smithsonian is spending its money on when it comes to food, flowers,
alcohol and other items, in what appears to be an 'anything goes' culture by the Smithsonian
secretary and his staff, which views that his champagne lifestyle should be subsidized by the
taxpayer.  Are you troubled by the secretary's office playing an important role in drafting a
document that reviews the propriety of the secretary's own actions?  Does this raise questions in
your mind about the board's independence?"  Letter from Sen. Charles Grassley, (R-Iowa) to Chief
Justice John Roberts, Jr., chair of the Board of Regents

Official Reply . . .   "The guy took over a place that was really sort of falling apart. There was hardly
any fundraising capability. He's raised almost a billion dollars personally. What more could we have
asked for as a regent?"  Roger Sant, chairman of the audit and the executive committees

Mismanaged Mass Transit (Chicago Tribune, 2-23-07) . . .
Illinois Auditor General William Holland reports that the Chicago Regional Transportation Authority system,
third largest in the country, has serious structural management problems, lack of cooperation between
transit agencies, duplication of services, and skewed priorities.

Audit Findings:  (1) "The RTA needs to take more of a leadership role in all aspects of transit.  The
oversight agency may need more authority from the legislature to get the CTA, Metra and Pace to
fall into line.  (2) "The RTA lacks clear performance measures for itself and for the service
boards."  (3) "Given the dire financial situation facing the RTA and the service boards, the current
planning process and structure is flawed."

"I myself have been critical for eight years of the role and authority of the RTA and have always
believed we need to provide some new responsibility and authority with respect to regional planning
and coordination." Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston), committee chairwoman

"People who live in all parts of the region want the RTA to work for them.  The point is having
someone accountable for producing results. Right now, no one is."  Jim LaBelle, deputy director of
Metropolis 2020

Deepening Gulf Between Rich and Poor (McClatchy Newspapers, 2-22-07) . . .
The gap between extremely rich and extremely poor in the U.S. is rapidly growing and at a record level.  An
analysis of 2005 U.S. census data by the McClatchy Newspapers reveals at least 16 million Americans live
in deep poverty, inflation adjusted median household income for working-age families has fallen for five
straight years, and over 45 million citizens have no health insurance – all at the same time economists tout
our highly productive, rapidly growing economy.

"These and other factors have helped push 43% of the nation's 37 million poor people into deep
poverty — the highest rate since at least 1975. The share of poor Americans in deep poverty has
climbed slowly but steadily over the last three decades."   Report Finding

"That was the exact opposite of what we anticipated when we began.  We're not seeing as much
moderate poverty as a proportion of the population. What we're seeing is a dramatic growth of
severe poverty.  Just as a sinkhole causes everything above it to collapse downward, families and
individuals in the middle and upper classes appear to be migrating to lower-income tiers that bring
them closer to the poverty threshold."  Dr. Steven Woolf, MD, MPH, Virginia Commonwealth
University, study co-author.

"What appears to be taking place is that, over the long term, you have a significant permanent
underclass that is not being impacted by anti-poverty policies."  Michael Tanner, director of Health
and Welfare Studies, Cato Institute

Declining Student Reading Skills (NY Times, 2-22-07) . . .  
A national assessment of 26,000 high school student transcripts from 2005 (The National Assessment of
Educational Progress, commonly called the nation’s report card) reveals that reading skills declined
somewhat from 2002 despite the fact many students take more rigorous courses and earn higher grades.  
Probable causes: grade inflation, different grading standards, and increased student performance.

The findings “provide little comfort,” and “suggest that we need to know much more about the
level of rigor associated with the courses that high school students are taking.”   Darvin M. Winick,
chairman, National Assessment Governing Board

“The consensus for strengthening our high schools has never been stronger.  Students must be
challenged to succeed, and schools must prepare them with the tools necessary to thrive in college
and a competitive 21st century workforce."  Education Secretary Margaret Spellings

Dumping Skid Row Patients (LA Times, 2-22-07) . . .
California is pushing new legislation to stop hospitals from dumping patients on the streets.  The initiative
stems from cases involving newly discharged patients wandering around skid row in hospital gowns, and
crawling in the gutter with colostomy bags still attached.  Offenders will face jail time, fines.

"Enough is enough. We are going to book these guys."  LAPD Capt. Andy Smith

Regarding a proposed state law . . .   The new legislation would make prosecuting hospitals much
easier.  "We believe we are providing clarity in the law, and clarity in law is power to a prosecutor.
Dumping a paraplegic man in the gutter of skid row without any ambulatory device in no more than
a hospital gown demonstrates no shade of gray."  City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo

Hospitals are concerned about any legislation that requires them to go beyond providing acute
medical care.  "The problem goes back to the lack of social services for homeless and indigent
patients who end up in hospitals.  We are already spending $2 billion in uncompensated care
providing medical treatment for indigent patients. Imposing fines or arresting people is not
productive."   Jennifer Bayer, public affairs director for the Hospital Assn. of Southern California

Deteriorating Nuclear Weapons Safety (LA Times, 2-21-07 ) . . .
Pantex was the country’s primary manufacturing site for nuclear weapons, but now post-cold war only
maintains existing weapons.  In recent years it has experienced electrical failures, roof leaks, and
operational problems.  Experts, union officials, and watchdog groups all charge safety receives such low
priority they are concerned about weapons stockpile reliability.   And the Energy Department just confirmed
it intends to scale back the annual surveillance testing program.

"You can't run a plant on glittering platitudes and generalities and call that a safety program."       
A nuclear detonation accident is a low probability, but it is not incredible."  Bob Alvarez, former
deputy assistant secretary of Energy, senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies

"I knew we were in trouble when I started attending meetings in Washington and was told to work
better, faster, cheaper.  They started sending people to the plant with little weapons experience."  
John Duncan, former director of surveillance testing for Sandia National Laboratory

"The delays in testing and lack of resources are so significant.  The real question is when the
laboratories can no longer certify the reliability of the stockpile." senior official, Energy Department

"They treat people badly."  (After raising questions about beryllium dust in 2003, I was demoted
from technician to janitor.)  "It sent a message. It was a public humiliation. Safety seriously took a
back seat."  Henry Bagwell, former President, Metals Trade Council

Official Reply . . .  "Pantex is safe, no doubt."  Marty Schoenbauer, Asst. Deputy Administrator,
Military Application and Stockpile Operations

Commercialized Sexualization of Girls (APA Press Release, 2-19-07) . . .
The American Psychological Association (APA) reports compelling evidence that society is saturated with
advertising, merchandising, and every form of media (television, music videos, lyrics, magazines, movies,
video games, Internet) that routinely sexualize images of girls and young women, leading to three of their
most common mental health problems: eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression. The report
recommends replacing this type of imagery with positive messages.

“The consequences of the sexualization of girls in media today are very real and are likely to be a
negative influence on girls’ healthy development.  We have ample evidence to conclude that
sexualization has negative effects in a variety of domains, including cognitive functioning, physical
and mental health, and healthy sexual development.”  Eileen Zurbriggen, PhD, Task Force Chair

“Parents can teach girls to value themselves for who they are, rather than how they look. Parents
can teach boys to value girls as friends, sisters, and girlfriends, rather than as sexual objects."  
"With the help of the adults in their lives, girls and boys can gain media literacy skills, can learn to
resist the message that how girls look is what matters, and can learn how to advocate for
themselves.”  (Executive Summary)

Secret Reports To Congress (Washington Post, 2-19-07) . . .  
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) uses 500+ researchers to supply Congress with 6,000+ research
and analysis reports about a wide array of policy issues (military, farming, prescriptions, healthcare, etc.)
at a cost to taxpayers over $100 mil. Although the reports are not classified or copyrighted, members of
Congress ‘own’ and publish them to the public ‘as needed’.  Because there is no public database, nor even a
catalog listing the titles, private groups clandestinely collect and resell them to researchers, lobbyists, and
others for thousands of dollars.

"The Library of Congress is a national treasure. The public deserves ready access to the reports it
prepares for Congress, and easy online retrieval is the obvious answer.  We need to keep moving
toward that goal."  Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.)

"How I get them is my trade secret . . . but I get them all.  I'm just an old Washington journalist
who knows how to find things.  I upload an average of about 100 a week to Gallery Watch.”  If the
reports were ever made available to all, "I would comfortably retire to my mountain retreat in West
Virginia and be very happy, because that's the way it should be -- taxpayers pay for them,"   Walt
Seager, private collector for Gallery Watch (owned by the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call)

Official Reply . . .   "Once a report is produced for the Congress, it becomes the property of the
Congress.  CRS itself has no public role and is prohibited by law from publishing its work.  It's up to
members and committees to release the reports directly, by inclusion in congressional publications
or through their own Web sites."  Daniel P. Mulhollan, Director, Congressional Research Service

Dilapidated Walter Reed Medical Center . . .
Regarding the Washington Post’s 2-18-07 expose on the poor living conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical
Center for wounded soldiers and their families . . .

"We failed here, we failed in having a facility like this. Unfortunately, it's a leadership problem.  If
we would have known about this, we would have fixed it.  Unfortunately, we didn't know about it.  
To have it in this condition is disappointing to me, unacceptable to me as the secretary of the
Army, and we have a plan in place."   Army Secretary Francis Harvey   (CNN, 2-20-07)

Although no one has been relieved of command or disciplined . . .  “Clearly, we’ve had a breakdown in
leadership and bureaucratic, medical and contractual processes dogged down a speedy solution to
these problems.  We will do the right thing across the board as we continue to assess where the
leadership failure and breakdowns were.”  General Richard Cody, vice chief of staff  (AFP, 2-22-07)

The Army has known for years about shortcomings at Walter Reed.  "You could put all of the
wounded soldiers in the Ritz-Carlton and it wouldn't fix the personnel, management and
recordkeeping problems that keep them languishing in outpatient limbo out there for months while
paperwork from 11 disjointed systems gets shuffled and lost."   Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (Va.),
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform  (Washington Post, 2-22-07)

"The problem is much more serious than one building.  It's going to be easy for everyone to duck
this problem after the building is fixed if we don't fix the completely dilapidated administrative
system."  Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.)  (Washington Post, 2-22-07)

Regarding allegations military commanders knew of these conditions . . .  I ran into Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley,
commander of Walter Reed, in the foyer of the command headquarters shortly after the Iraq war
began and said "there are people in the barracks who are drinking themselves to death and
people who are sharing drugs and people not getting the care they need."  "I met guys who weren't
going to appointments because the hospital didn't even know they were there."  Steve Robinson,
director of veterans affairs at Veterans for America  (Washington Post, 3-1-07)

Regarding General Kiley’s departure 3-12-07 . . .  This is “a welcome development given that his
tenure overseeing the care of our troops was riddled with serious blunders.  However, individual
resignations, firings, and finger-pointing by this administration are a poor substitute for what is
truly needed — a systemwide plan for caring for our veterans.”  Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.),
member Veterans Affairs Committee  

Unprotected Medical Records (NY Times, 2-17-07) . . .
President Bush asserts privacy protections are important to Americans, yet the GAO reports there are no
clear standards and only primitive steps and vague policies protecting patients’ electronic medical records.  
This is very concerning at a time when vast national networks are contemplated to link doctors, hospitals,
labs, insurers, and other medical players, although it shouldn’t be too surprising considering even simple
social security numbers are still subject to widespread abuse despite 70 years of use.

Every American should have a “personal electronic medical record” within 10 years — by 2014. With
computerized records, he said, “we can avoid dangerous medical mistakes, reduce costs and
improve care.  One of the things I’ve insisted upon is that it’s got to be secure and private. There’s
nothing more private than your own health records.”   President Bush

“Health privacy has not received adequate attention at the Department of Health and Human
Services.  Time is of the essence – the private sector is racing ahead” (e.g. Wal-Mart) to establish
medical record banks and health information exchanges.  “A sense of urgency is lacking.”  Mark A.
Rothstein, professor of law and medical ethics, University of Louisville

“Privacy concerns currently lag behind technical development of the Nationwide Health Information
Network (NHIN). Furthermore, I believe the gap is widening as research and development progress
while fundamental privacy issues remain largely unexamined and unresolved. HHS has made very
little meaningful progress in developing and implementing measures to protect the privacy of
health information in electronic health networks.” Mark Rothstein (Congressional Testimony 2-1-07)

Official Reply . . .  HHS is “very committed to privacy and security as it works toward the president’s
goal” of switching medical records from paper to electronic files.  Dr. Robert M. Kolodner, Director,
information technology,  Department of Health and Human Services

Squandered Spending In Iraq (Assoc. Press, 2-16-07) . . .
More than $10 bil. in taxpayer funds have been squandered in Iraq by the U.S. Government, according to
the latest report from the General Accounting Office.  Three auditors cited payments for shoddy work and
work not done, inflated expenses, and other questionable charges.

“There is no accountability. Organizations charged with overseeing contracts are not held
accountable. Contractors are not held accountable. The individuals responsible are not held
accountable.”  “It’s absolutely essential if Congress wants to make an informed decision on
authorizations and appropriations that we get this information.  We’re talking about billions of
dollars and thousands of American lives at stake.  People should be rewarded when they do a good
job. But when things don’t go right, there have to be consequences”  David M. Walker,  Comptroller
General, GAO

An additional $300 billion of spending must yet be investigated, the total amount of waste, fraud
and abuse “could be astronomical.  It’s no wonder that taxpayers all across our country are fed up
and demanding that we bring real oversight to the ‘anything goes’ world of Iraq reconstruction.”  
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), Committee Chair

There are ongoing, “systemic” problems in Iraq contracting. “This much is clear: Poor security, an
arcane, ill-suited management structure, and frequent management changes have produced a
succession of troubled acquisitions.”  Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) Committee Member

Official Reply . . .  “The U.S. Army, along with the Departments of Defense and State, continue to
help thousands of Iraqis daily with reconstruction projects to provide them with better lives.  We
look forward to examining its findings and applying some of its recommendations in the future.”  
Spokeswoman Mary Ann Hodges

Stolen FBI Laptop Computers, Firearms (Washington Times, 2-13-07) . . .
According to the FBI Inspector General’s report, the FBI can not locate 160 firearms and 160 laptop
computers, many containing sensitive national security / counterintelligence information, the personal
information (phone numbers, addresses) of agents, and software used to make ID badges for employees.  
To date, only one employee has been given a three day suspension.  

"Most troubling," the FBI could not confirm if 51 of the missing computers contained sensitive or
classified information.  “Without knowing the content of these lost and stolen laptops, it is
impossible for the FBI to determine the extent of the damage these losses might have had on its
operations or on national security."  (Report Findings)

"This is a significant deficiency because some of these laptops may have contained classified or
sensitive information such as personally identifiable information or investigative case files."   
Inspector General Glenn A. Fine

"Simply 'making progress' is unacceptable.  Tracking these deadly weapons and computers may
seem like it's not worth the time to some in law enforcement, but it's critical to public safety,
national security and the credibility of the FBI and the other agencies that are losing personal
information on Americans."  Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)

Official Reply . . .  The report shows the bureau has made "significant progress" in reducing the loss
of weapons and laptops.  FBI Assistant Director John Miller

Dysfunctional SBA Disaster Planning (Assoc. Press, 2-13-07) . . .
The General Accounting Office issued its report on the Small Business Administration's inept handling of
post-Katrina disaster relief to gulf coast victims.  Several months prior to Katrina, the agency decided to
forego disaster planning at central offices saying it wasn't necessary.  Among the deficiencies cited by the
GAO:  inadequate funding, no system of cross-training staff, inadequate planning, inadequate office space
for expanded staff, and inadequate telephone hot-line capacity.

"With better planning, available evidence suggests the agency could have been better positioned
to provide initial disaster assistance to hurricane victims."  Report Finding

"The bottom line here is that there are still problems with SBAs disaster loan program — from
existing backlogs and unprocessed applications to a lack of a plan.  The agency has given us no
reason to believe it is ready to respond to another large scale disaster such as Katrina.  At this
point, there are simply no excuses for these shortfalls, and the committee plans to make changes
that will ensure this agency is able to meet the demand in the future."  Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez
(D-N.Y.), chairwoman, House Committee on Small Business

"The agency is currently at a capacity with respect to systems, facilities and trained personnel which
will allow SBA to respond to a very large disaster in the short term."  Herbert L. Mitchell, associate
SBA administrator for disaster assistance

Non-Public Supreme Court Proceedings (Washington Post, 2-12-07) . . .
For years Supreme Court members have resisted television coverage of deliberations citing the need to
keep them private, and avoid confusing the public.  Yet increasingly, Justices are appearing in television
interviews and public debates, prompting Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and other senators from both parties
to reintroduce a bill that will mandate TV coverage to inform the public.

The court makes monumental decisions -- who lives and dies, in some cases, and in 2000, who
should occupy the Oval Office -- but is a mystery to most Americans.  "It is, I think, fundamental
that the court's work, the court's operation, ought to be more broadly understood.  That can be
achieved by television.  Chief Justice Roberts and Justice [John Paul] Stevens were on . . . on ABC
TV.  Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was on CBS with Mike Wallace. Justice [Stephen G.] Breyer was on
'Fox News Sunday.' Justice [Antonin] Scalia and Justice Breyer had an extensive debate last
December, which is available for viewing on the Web -- and in television archives.  So there has
been very extensive participation by court members, which totally undercuts one of the arguments
that the notoriety would imperil the security of Supreme Court justices."  Sen. Arlen Specter

"We're judged ultimately by what we write," -- not on the oral arguments or the private conferences
at which justices vote on decisions.  We feel strongly that we have intimate knowledge of the
dynamics and the needs of the court, and we think that proposals mandating and directing
television in our court are inconsistent with the deference and etiquette that should apply between
the branches."  Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, 2006 congressional committee testimony

Manufactured Pre-War Intelligence (NY Times, 2-9-07) . . .
The Pentagon intelligence analyses that enabled the Bush Administration to go to war in Iraq are being
severely criticized in a report by the Pentagon’s acting inspector general, Thomas Gimble, for their accuracy
and the way senior officials manipulated information in early 2003.

Working for under secretary of defense for policy, the Pentagon group “developed, produced and
then disseminated alternative intelligence assessments on the Iraq and Al Qaeda relationship,
which included some conclusions that were inconsistent with the consensus of the Intelligence
Community, to senior decision-makers.”   Report Findings

The report is a “very strong condemnation” of the Pentagon’s activities.  “I think they sought this
kind of intelligence. They made it clear they wanted any kind of possible connections, no matter
how skimpy, and they got it.”  Senator Levin (D-MI), Chairman, Senate Armed Services Committee

"The bottom line is that intelligence relating to the Iraq-al-Qaeda relationship was manipulated by
high-ranking officials in the Department of Defense to support the administration's decision to
invade Iraq."  The inspector general's report is a devastating condemnation of inappropriate
activities in the DOD policy office that helped take this nation to war." Sen. Levin (Wash. Post, 2-9)

The inspector general concludes that "while such actions were not illegal or unauthorized," they
were "inappropriate, given that the intelligence assessments were intelligence products and did not
clearly show the variance with the consensus of the intelligence community."  (U.S. News & World
Report, 2-9-07)

Censored Medical Information (Washington Post, 2-8-07) . . .
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that (1) 40 mil. Americans have doctors
who don’t fully disclose to patients legal medical information (e.g. contraceptives) the doctors object to for
moral or religious reasons; and (2) 100 mil. Americans see doctors who do not believe it is necessary to
refer patients to other providers in such cases.

These results are disturbing.  "How are patients supposed to make choices when they don't even
know the range of choices that they have?  Failure to inform completely disables a patient. It
makes it impossible for them to even know what to ask or whom to ask or where to go to ask."   R.
Alta Charo, bioethicist, Univ. of Wisconsin at Madison

"They are a minority of doctors, but it's fairly substantial minority.  It's a difficult issue.  Patients
understandably expect to have access to legally permissible care and expect their doctors to
provide legally permissible and medically accepted medical interventions. At the same time, at the
foundation of medical ethics is to not do what you believe to be unethical. I think that leaves a
difficult dilemma."  Farr A. Curlin, bioethicist, Univ. of Chicago, study coordinator

Abstract Conclusions . . . “Many physicians do not consider themselves obligated to disclose
information about or refer patients for legal but morally controversial medical procedures. Patients
who want information about and access to such procedures may need to inquire proactively to
determine whether their physicians would accommodate such requests.”   (New England Journal of
Medicine, 2-8-07)

Massive Spending Fraud, Waste, Abuse (Washington Times, 2-7-07) . . .
A report issued by the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction finds that the Coalition Provisional
Authority (CPA) distributed $8.8 billion to the ministries "without assurances the monies were properly used
or accounted for."

"My concern is that without strong standards, we have no way of knowing whether the cash shipped
into the Green Zone ended up in enemy hands.  The numbers are so large that it doesn't seem
possible that they're true.  Who in their right mind would send 363 tons of cash into a war zone?  
But that is exactly what our government did."  Mr. Waxman (D-Ca.), Chairman, Oversight and
Government Reform Committee

"It was an extremely chaotic situation.  The government was nonexistent. To me, that screams out
for more controls.  How it was spent by the Iraqi ministries is something I can't account.  We have
anecdotal evidence that it was used to pay payroll, and we know it was used for overhead."  Stuart
W. Bowen Jr., Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction

Official Reply . . .   "The majority continues to equate a lack of exquisite accounting in Iraq with
massive waste.  Limited visibility over payments to Iraqi ministries, by itself, simply does not
establish the majority's alleged $8 billion flood of fraud."  Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.)

Official Reply . . .   "We had to find a way to get the Iraqi people money quickly so they could start
rebuilding their country.  It was not a perfect solution, Mr. Chairman, but there are no perfect
solutions in Iraq."   L. Paul Bremer III, the former administrator of the CPA

Unwanted Porn – Children Routinely Exposed (Assoc. Press, 2-5-07) . . .
Survey results published in Pediatrics magazine report that not only teenagers but children as young as 10
are routinely exposed to unwanted pornography while surfing the Internet.  Two-thirds responded they do
not seek the images and do not want to view them.

"It's beyond the wild West out there. You've really taken away the age of innocence."
Dr. Michael Wasserman, pediatrician, Ochsner Clinic in Metairie, La.

Porn images pop up all the time.  "It's so common now, who hasn't seen something like that?  It
doesn't have to be a negative thing, but that shouldn't be how you learn about sex education."    
Emily Duhovny, 17, Marlboro, N.J., high school senior, editor of Sexetc.org

Online porn has negative consequences, such as causing children to become sexually active too
soon and exposing them to sexual predators.  "They're seeing things that they're really not
emotionally prepared to see yet, which can cause trauma to them."   Sharon Hirsch, psychiatrist,
University of Chicago

Non-Compliant Credit Card Standards (Boston Globe, 2-3-07) . . .
Even with consumer data theft widespread and on the rise, most retailers refuse to inform shoppers
whether they comply with Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards for handling and storing credit and debit
card transactions.  Visa confirmed that only slightly more than 30% of large merchants follow rules
regarding what information should be collected and how long it can be stored.  Major card issuers refuse to
disclose which retailers don’t meet standards.

"Consumers have a right to know if stores are adhering to the best practices of the industry. If you
have a choice between shopping somewhere that is protecting the information and somewhere that
is not, you might make the obvious choice."   Daniel Crane, director, Massachusetts Office of
Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation

"I think retailers should be increasingly obligated to show what they're doing by way of information
security."  Frank Liddy, manager, enterprise security division, Unisys Corp.

MasterCard has "tracked, progressed, and driven compliance with merchants" and issued fines
where needed. "We do not, however, publicly disclose information related to fines, compliance
rates, or other disciplinary measures with respect to specific merchants. Our primary goal is to
encourage industry wide compliance."  MasterCard statement

Dangerous Retention Levees (USA Today, 2-1-07) . . .
Long after collapsed levees completely devastated New Orleans, media organizations had to file a Freedom
of Information request to obtain the Army Corps of Engineers list of levees across the country that are
poorly maintained and subject to sudden failure in a major storm.  Many are in heavily populated areas.  
Gen. Don Riley, director of civil works, doesn’t know how many people live near the levees or what the
projected costs are.  Yet local communities have been given one year to find the funding and complete
mandated repairs.

"A year may be too short for folks to respond and to have the resources to respond."  In cases
where the the levees were designed and constructed by the corps, "there should be a commitment
at the federal level to share costs."   Susan Gilson, National Association of Flood & Stormwater
Management Agencies

Official Reply . . .  "What we're doing at this point is making sure the maintenance requirements are
met and having meetings with the levee owners … to make sure they understand what they need to
do."  The corps "will likely find more (levees) that are deficient" when additional inspections and
reviews are done in the coming months.   Gen. Riley

Unknown War Strategy (NPR All Things Considered, 1-30-07) . . .
The Navy Admiral appointed by Pres. Bush to assume leadership of the Central Command will preside over
a new effort to turn the wars around in Afghanistan and Iraq. His expertise is naval strategy in the Pacific.
At this critical juncture with so much at stake, the admiral's lack of knowledge at his confirmation hearing
startled questioning senators.

Sen. Levan – What do you understand the policy to be?  Could this flow change? Couldn’t it be
slowed down or stopped if the Iraqis do not carry out the commitment?  Adm. Fallon: Senator, I
have not gotten into the details of these plans.

Sen. Clinton – Would you just briefly respond to those questions please.  Adm. Fallon: Senator,
very interesting area.  Wouldn’t presume to dive to deeply into this pool yet. I don’t know enough
of the details yet.

Sen. McCain – What’s your degree of confidence the Iraqi government and military are up to the
task we are now embarking on in this new strategy?  Adm. Fallon: Critical question. Particularly in
the political arena. And I don’t have an assessment of that.

Sen. Reed – How many real extra bodies are going out to accompany these 20,000 extra troops
and civilian agencies? Adm. Fallon: Senator, I don’t know.  Sen. Reed – Isn’t that important for you
to know sir ?  Adm. Fallon:  I intend to find out.

Adm. Fallon . . .  "I believe the situation in Iraq can be turned around, but time is short.  It seems
pretty obvious to me that what we have been doing has not been working."  I intend to leave the
Iraq battle decisions to Army Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus.  (Wash. Times, 1-31-07)

Lapses At Nuclear Weapons Lab (Assoc. Press, 1-30-07) . . .
Despite tens of millions of dollars spent on improving security measures, the nuclear weapons lab in Los
Alamos has suffered a decade of serious breaches in security.  Congress is now threatening to strip the
National Nuclear Security Administration of its responsibilities and possibly close operations if significant
improvements aren’t quickly implemented.

"There is an absolute inability and unwillingness to address the most routine security issues at this
laboratory.  NNSA was a management experiment gone wrong "

"A substantial amount of money was being spent on preventing the lab employees from being able
to take information away.  How much of that has been spent? Why wasn't this expenditure of
money able to prevent this from happening if they have this new system in place?"  Rep. Tom
Udall (D-NM)

"For decades, Los Alamos has operated as a sacred cow with no serious oversight.  I hope this is
the beginning of a new era."   Danielle Brian, Exec. Dir., POGO

Official Reply . . .  Los Alamos officials are "eager to explain all the lab has done in response to this
latest incident and to outline for the panel his plan for the future.  We realize that the questions
are serious and that the solutions are difficult."  Kevin Roark, Lab spokesman

Forgotten Gulf Coast  Reconstruction (Chicago Tribune, 1-29-07) . . .
A field hearing on Gulf Coast reconstruction was convened yesterday by the Senate Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs Committee.  Ever since Katrina struck, critics have cited administrative incompetence
and indifference to the poor and racial minorities.  Neighborhoods of damaged homes still remain empty.

"There is not a sense of urgency in this administration to get this done.  You get a sense that will
has been lacking in the last several months.  But "17 months later, we heard not a single word, not
one word in President Bush's State of the Union address.  Those of us who are concerned all across
the country wonder if we're in danger of forgetting about New Orleans, and that's shameful."     
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL.)

I don't see "the will to really fix" this city.  “I think it's more class than anything, but there's racial
issues associated with it also.  And then I look at what we're doing in Iraq and how we spend
money at an unprecedented level there, how we can set up temporary hospitals and designate
money to rebuild their economy, and we have this dance going on in New Orleans."  New Orleans
Mayor C. Ray Nagin

Official Reply . . .  History will show this will "also be a story of modern renaissance."  "President
Bush is committed to rebuilding the Gulf Coast and rebuilding it better and stronger."  Donald
Powell, Homeland Security, coordinator for Gulf Coast reconstruction

Garbled Security Communications (NY Times, 1-25-07) . . .
To date, NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority has spent $140 million to install a new radio network so
that officers in the subway can communicate with officers on the streets above.  Although completed in
October 2006, the system is not being used because transmissions are garbled. An estimated $20 million
more is needed to upgrade equipment, as well as millions more for new cabling.  Projected cost:$210 mil.  
Best case, the system may finally be ready in 2008, four years after the original completion date.  
Meanwhile, officers must rely on old equipment.

“We have no communication with the outside.  Something can be happening to the street cops
right upstairs and we don’t even know. This is no secret.  The criminals know how it works.”  
Anonymous Police Officer

“What you get is distorted audio.  You can hear it, but it sounds as if you’re talking through a glass
of water.”  Joseph Yurman, Communications Engineer, NYC Transit

“I don’t think anybody anticipated the extent of the interference.  As soon as we started testing, it
became apparent there was a serious problem.”  Inspector Charles F. Dowd, Commander, NYPD
Communications Division

Tracking City Workers (NY Times, 1-23-07) . . .
NY City is spending more than $180 million to install biometric scanners to individually track each employee
of the Department of Design and Construction every time they enter and leave assigned work areas.  Only
hourly employees are tracked.  Unions strenuously protested at yesterday’s City Council meeting.

Scanners are “a backdoor form of fingerprinting.”  Ed Ott, executive director, New York City Central
Labor Council, A.F.L.-C.I.O.

“The body of my person, which includes my palm, belongs to me, and me alone. It is private.”  
Kerry E. Carnahan, city employee

“The combination of a factory-floor mentality and installation of the degrading hand-scanner ‘time
clocks’ has devastated morale and discouraged city employees from putting in any more than the
minimal hours and effort required.  Not only has there been phenomenal waste and inefficiency
resulting from poorly designed software, but the new system has actually cheated city employees
out of pay and accrued time.”   Claude Fort, president of the Civil Service Technical Guild, Local 375
of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees

Official Reply . . .   The technology is more efficient.  ”Virtually every employee, including salaried
employees in the mayor’s office, has to file a timesheet, even those paid a flat salary.  Use of
scanners, which are not uncommon in the private sector, makes it easier for employees to file
timesheets and saves the city personnel costs.”  Stu Loeser, spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg

Unprotected Military / Communication Satellites . . .
Regarding the satellite-killing weapon tested by the Chinese military . . .

The Chinese test "was an overtly military, very provocative event that cannot be spun any other
way. So a bald assessment of that is that it's a big fat challenge.  You could argue that China is
getting ready to do a lot of things that the U.S. is now losing the ability to do.  So that in itself is a
challenge to the U.S."  Rob Hewson, Editor of Jane's Air-Launched Weapons  (Assoc. Press, 1-23-07)

"We are falling behind, if not losing, on many measures of space superiority." Defense Department
contractor Stephen Hill  (Assoc. Press, 1-23-07)

Cut Backs in Drug Smuggling Interdictions (LA Times, 1-22-07) . . .  
During the past four years the Pentagon has reduced its surveillance flight-hours over Caribbean and Pacific
Ocean 60%, the Navy reduced patrol boats by 35%, many surveillance radar balloons used to guard the
entire southern border have been eliminated, and soon ten Black Hawk helicopters will be removed.  Experts
say these reductions significantly hamper the ability to stop shipments of hundreds of tons of high purity
cocaine and heroin now entering the country.  GAO investigators in Oct 2006 warned they were troubled by
these downward trends, especially the lack of strategic planning by the Pentagon and Homeland Security,
and that not much has improved since.

"We have not stopped trying to fix that gap. We're very much concerned about it, and working very
hard to try and fix these problems.  DOD is in no way lessening our support" for the war on drugs.   
"But in the post-9/11 world, some of these assets are needed elsewhere." Edward Frothingham III,
acting deputy assistant Defense secretary for counter-narcotics

"The DOD position is that detecting drug trafficking is a lower priority than supporting our service
members on ongoing combat missions."   DOD Report to Congress, Oct. 2006

"I can't stand here and tell you drugs aren't coming into the U.S. by sea. It happens."  There are
huge challenges, but we are making a dent."  Cmdr. Jeff Carter, Coast Guard spokesman

Untracked Child Abductions (Assoc. Press, 1-19-07) . . .
The FBI in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies routinely collects and maintains extensive
criminal data on murder, rape, and car theft cases.  But there is no effort to similarly track and report on
child abductions / kidnappings, despite the public’s widespread concerns. The last major federal study,
published in 2002, was based largely on data collected in 1999.  Police departments are supposed to
promptly file reports on missing children with the FBI, but many times critical details are not included.  
Thus in summary, law enforcement analysts can only guess at current trends about kidnappings and sexual
predators.  One bright spot: the non-profit National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is working
with the Justice Department to facilitate a model for collecting and maintaining national data.

"You only have to think about a comparable situation in public health.  If there were some disease
killing even a few hundred kids a year, and parents were anxious, you know the Centers for
Disease Control would have good statistics."  David Finkelhor, Sociologist, Univ. of NH, co-author of
the 2002 report

"Why we're pushing the Justice Department to provide annualized estimates is so we have the kind
of data to track progress and variations from year to year."  Hopefully a new model for data
gathering will be available later this year.  Ernie Allen, President and CEO, National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children

Unaccountable Mortgage Portfolios (Assoc. Press, 1-18-07) . . .
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are two semi-governmental corporations formed by Congress to finance the   
$8 trillion U.S. home mortgage market.  Critics contend their combined $1 trillion mortgage portfolios are
improperly managed and pose a serious risk to the nation’s financial system.  Billions in revenues were
unreported between 2000 and 2002.  Fannie Mae, the second largest financial institution in the U.S., has not
reported or forecast its financial results since 2004, and may not do so until sometime in 2008.

"They unfortunately have very, very large problems. They have a long way to go; there are still
significant worries.  The problems are massive and they're ongoing.  We have to prevent these
companies from growing out of control again."  James B. Lockhart, director, Office of Federal
Housing Enterprise Oversight

Lost Oil Drilling Revenue (NY Times, 1-17-07) . . .
More than 1,000 offshore drilling leases signed by the Clinton Interior Department in 1998 and 1999 failed
to include the standard 12 percent royalty fee triggered by oil prices above $34 a barrel.  Bush political
appointees have not corrected the oversight in six years resulting in a projected tax loss of $10 billion.  The
Minerals Management Service, under fire from Congress for this and other similar issues, is charged with
loss of revenues, mismanagement, lack of accountability, and excessively cozy ties to the industry.

A report by the Interior Department’s chief independent investigator states Johnnie M. Burton,
director of the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service claimed to have been informed
of the problem in January 2006, but when shown e-mail messages from early 2004 then admitted
she had been told earlier but “did not remember putting a great deal of thought into the matter.”

“If she didn’t know about it, she should have known about it.” Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)

“Since Bush was elected, there has been a clear agenda to promote oil and gas development
wherever and however they can.  Time and again, you have seen the administration and its
political appointees side with the oil and gas companies.”  Erich Pica, policy analyst at Friends of
the Earth  (NY Times, 1-16-07)

Forbidden Military Equipment Sales (Assoc. Press, 1-16-07) . . .
On at least six different occasions, sting operatives were able to breach security flaws in the Defense
Department’s auction system to buy military equipment.  Using fake identities and bogus documents, GAO
undercover buyers easily accessed websites and drove onto a military base posing as defense contractors
to purchase over $1 mil. of fighter jet parts, missile components, helicopter parts, rocket launchers, body
armor and surveillance antennas — equipment that can be used against American troops. And there are
many other cases of surplus equipment sales reaching the wrong people over the past several years.

"They helped us load our van."  Greg Kutz, Director, Financial Management and Assurance, GAO

Regarding the purchase of F14 Tomcat parts by both Iran and a suspected Iranian broker . . .  "That would
be evidence of a significant breakdown, in my view, in controls and processes.  It shouldn't happen
the first time, let alone the second time."  Greg Kutz, GAO

"I was walking through a pile of supposedly de-milled electrical items and found a heat-seeking
missile warhead intact.  I carried it over and showed them. I said, 'This shouldn't be in here.'"  
Surplus items are numbered, and an error of a single digit can make sensitive technology
improperly available.   Randall Sweeney, President, Defense and Aerospace International

These cases are "a huge breakdown, an absolute, huge breakdown.  The military should not sell or
give away any sensitive military equipment. If we no longer need it, it needs to be destroyed -
totally destroyed.  The Department of Defense should not be supplying sensitive military
equipment to our adversaries, our enemies, terrorists."  Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), former
chairman of a House panel on national security

Official spin . . .   "The fact that those individuals chose to violate the law and the fact that the
customs people caught them really indicates that the process is working.  Customs is supposed to
check all exports to make sure that all the appropriate certifications and licenses had been
granted."  Fred Baillie, Exec. Director of Distribution, Defense Logistics Agency

Secret LAPD Disciplinary Hearings (LA Times, 1-15-07) . . .
In a non-public meeting, the LAPD Board of Rights exonerated Officer Steven Garcia of all charges related
to the shooting of a 13-year-old boy.

"This is an intolerable result."   Merrick Bobb, a longtime police accountability expert

"We have another whitewash."  Earl Ofari Hutchinson, South Los Angeles activist, comment made
on Patt Morrison's radio show, KPCC-FM (89.3)

"It really undermines the accountability of the Police Department.  There is no way for the public to
have confidence in this decision."  Erwin Chemerinsky, Law Professor, Duke University, co-author of
the LA City Charter

Responding to critics’ outcries . . .   "I am in support of change. The public has no access to it. The
media has no access to it.  That's crazy, absolutely crazy.  We have nothing to hide in the Los
Angeles Police Department."  Police Chief William Bratton

Hidden War Costs (LA Times, 11-14-07) . . .
Political leaders have been publicly silent about the staggering cost of the war in Iraq, and its impact on the
economy and national debt.  Although little has been accomplished, total expenditures will soon surpass the
cost of both the Vietnam war and WWII, as President Bush pushes to send an additional 21,500 U.S. troops
and simultaneously initiate a make-work jobs program.  With the 110th Congress underway, Republicans
and Democrats alike are beginning to raise the issue.

"Neither the White House nor the Congress is making the tough decisions about how we are going
to pay for the ongoing wars. Adding hundreds of billions of dollars that are more conveniently
designated as emergency expenditures — so they do not have to be budgeted for along with other
national priorities — is only making our fiscal problems that much greater."  Sen. J. McCain (R-Az)

Regarding Congress’ silence on the huge cumulative cost . . .   "But certainly we're cognizant of it.  
When you say for what we're spending in a month in Iraq, you could fully fund and double the
science budgets of the United States and come up with a viable alternative to oil, it puts it in
perspective."  Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose)

Regarding the Bush administration's approach of using emergency spending bills in lieu of requesting funds
via the regular budget . . .  It’s "without any discipline as to how much is going to be spent.  They're
gaming the system.  Muting and undermining the legitimacy of the congressional role in funding is,
I think, undermining to some degree the commitment to the war effort itself." Sen. J. Gregg (R-NH)

Surveillance of Americans’ Financial Records . . .
The New York Times reported 1-13-07 that the DOD and Central Intelligence Agency have been secretly
using "national security letters" to obtain the banking and credit records of Americans and foreigners.  
Spokesmen claim this information is only requested about suspected terrorists. Civil liberty advocates point
to files recently collected on war protesters and other flagrant violations of official guidelines. The records
will likely be kept for years, and incorporated into the ‘Portico’ counterintelligence database.

The practice is “disturbing.” The military doesn't have the same checks and balances when it
comes to Americans’ civil rights as the F.B.I. “Where is the accountability?  That’s the evil of it — it
doesn’t leave fingerprints.”   Eugene Fidell, defense lawyer, military law expert  (NY Times, 1-14-07)

“This country has a long tradition of rejecting the use of the C.I.A. and the Pentagon to spy on
Americans, and rightfully so.  Today’s published report that the Pentagon and C.I.A. have been
relying on ‘national security letters’ to collect the financial records of Americans without judicial
supervision or Congressional oversight raises a host of questions that need to be answered.”  
Caroline Fredrickson, Director, A.C.L.U., Washington D.C.   (NY Times, 1-13-07)

“We want our intelligence professionals to have strong tools that will enable them to interrupt the
planning process of our enemies and to stop attacks against our country.  But in doing so, we also
want those tools to comply fully with the law and the Constitution.”  Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Tx),
Chairman, House Intelligence Committee  (NY Times, 1-15-07)

Official reply . . .  “There’s nothing wrong with it or illegal.  It doesn’t violate people’s civil rights.
And if an institution that receives one of these national security letters disagrees with it, they’re
free to go to court to try to stop its execution.”  Vice President Cheney,  (NY Times, 1-15-07)

Superficial I.R.S. Corporate Audits (NY Times, 1-12-07) . . .
I.R.S. policy rewards supervisors with bonuses and career advancement when cases are closed within
prescribed schedules.  Quality factors and the amount of money collected are not considered.  Auditors say
they are told to limit questioning to specific issues that the I.R.S. and the audited firms agree to in
advance.  Other problems discovered during an audit are ignored, despite the billions of additional taxes
that could be collected.  Auditors are discouraged from employing outside consultants and experts because
their investigations would lengthen the audit period.

I.R.S. policy calls upon auditors to “do the right thing” and pursue an audit beyond the deadline if
the issues warrant it. But in practice, that does not happen.  When a person is rewarded monetarily
for keeping to the cycle time, they are going to close audits to get their reward.   Kay Rogers,
union president, Orange County, Calif.

One unidentified auditor does not file official complaints when senior managers order her to
prematurely / improperly close audits, echoing the concern of many colleagues – “Why would I do
that?  So my manager will give me a bad performance review ?”

“We have been hearing complaints since they started the policies of short cycle time and limited-
scope audits.  These are policy decisions the I.R.S. has the right to make, whether they are right or
wrong.  The agents are told that this is the scope of the audit and this is the time you have to
deliver.  Their professional judgment is being ignored.”  Coleen M. Kelley, President, National
Treasury Employees Union

Official Reply . . .   “On the whole, we are moving in the right direction.  All of our indicators tell me
that we are doing the right thing.”  Debbie Nolan, I.R.S. executive in charge of auditing large and
medium-size businesses

Violent Primetime TV Programming (PTC Website Press Release, 1-10-07) . . .
“This new study shows that violence on television is alarmingly more frequent and more disturbing
than anything we’ve seen before.  Children and families who watched primetime network television
last season were treated to a frightening amount and degree of violence.  Not only was there more
on-screen violence than ever before, but the discussions of violent crimes were more explicit and
the violence depicted was far more graphic.”  Tim Winter, President, Parents Television Council

“Television violence has become a paradox of sorts.  Medical and social science have proven
conclusively that children are adversely affected by exposure to it – yet millions of parents think
nothing of letting their children watch C.S.I. or other, equally violent programs.  Prominent leaders
in the entertainment industry publicly decry violent entertainment – but then continue to produce
and distribute it.”  Tim Winter

Regarding the effects of violence on children . . .  “Given that on average American youth witness more
than 1,000 murders, rapes, and assaults per year on television, understanding the consequences
of such exposure is an important public health issue.  After decades of research and more than a
thousand studies, the answer is yes, watching violent content on television affects youth.  Although
not all those exposed will commit violent acts, the evidence is overwhelming that viewing high
levels of violent programming increases the likelihood of aggression.”   Dr. Deborah Fisher, Pacific
Institute for Research and Evaluation

Abuse of Student Information (N.Y. Civil Liberties Website, 1-9-07) . . .
The aggressive Department of Defense campaign to recruit students for the military created massive
databases of personal information on tens of thousands of high school juniors and seniors.  The data is
routinely shared with law enforcement authorities across the U.S., and used to harass and target students
of color and from poor districts.  A ruling by the Southern District of New York on the NYCLU’s lawsuit halts
and limits many parts of the program.  Even so, the DOD continues to collects race and ethnicity data.  
Among the changes, the DOD must:  stop disseminating data to law enforcement and other agencies; stop
collecting SS numbers, destroy all information collected after three years; provide students with procedures
for opting-out, removing and correcting information.

"The students who brought this lawsuit stood up for the privacy rights of all American high school
students.  Our job now is to spread the word that young people who don't want to be harassed by
the military must do a 'double opt-out' – by both telling the Defense Department that they want
out of the JAMRS database and telling their high schools not to provide the military with their
contact information."  Donna Lieberman, Executive Director, NYCLU

"Today's changes to the JAMRS database represent an acknowledgement by the military that they
do not have carte blanche to recruit without respect for the privacy of students and their families.  
It's refreshing to see the Defense Department recognize that it is not above the law."  Corey
Stoughton, NYCLU Staff Attorney / lead counsel

With regard to DOD’s refusal to remove her name from lists and databases . . .  "I got involved in this
lawsuit because I just wanted the military to leave me and other students alone."   Hope
Reichbach, plaintiff / student at Hunter College High School

Biased Beverage Studies (Assoc. Press, 1-8-07) . . .
Does milk lower blood pressure? Does juice prevent heart disease? Beverage studies were four to
eight times more likely to reach sweet conclusions about health effects when industry was footing
the bill, a new report contends.  Its authors claim to have done the first systematic analysis of such
studies published from 1999 through 2003 in hundreds of journals.

Biased science can affect consumer behavior, doctor recommendations and even federal regulation
of marketing claims for such products.  “We found evidence that's strongly suggestive of bias.”  “I
don't blame researchers for this problem. I think most are highly ethical and dedicated to science.
The problem is that when government under-funds nutrition research, industry money becomes
hard to resist."  Dr. David Ludwig, Children's Hospital Boston   

Much of the money available for doing medical research comes from companies, as opposed to
government agencies or charities. There is some evidence that when a research study is sponsored
by an organization that has a financial interest in the outcome, the study is more likely to produce
results that favor the funder (this is called “sponsorship bias”). This phenomenon is worrying,
because if our knowledge about effectiveness and safety of medicines is based on biased findings,
patients could suffer.   (Public Library of Science website, 1-8-07)

"This is yet another attack on industry by activists who demonstrate their own biases in their review
by looking only at the funding source and not judging the research on its merits.  The science is
what matters — nothing else."  Susan Neely, President, American Beverage Assoc.

Underfunded Scientific Research (NY Times, 1-7-07) . . .
The do-nothing 109th Congress, sinking hundreds of billions into Iraq and Afghanistan, would not
appropriate a much needed $400 mil. budget increase for the National Science Foundation, triggering a crisis
in science research that will shut down / delay strategic projects and lay off key scientists.

“The consequences for American science will be disastrous.  The message to young scientists and
industry leaders, alike, will be, ‘Look outside the U.S. if you want to succeed.’ ”  Michael S. Lubell,
Director of Public Affairs, American Physical Society

“For us, it’s quite serious.  Things are pretty miserable for a year in which people talked a lot about
regaining our competitive edge.  I think all that’s stalled.”  For the nation, the timing is especially
bad because the collider has given the United States a head start on European rivals, who hope to
build a more powerful machine.   Dr. Sam Aronson, Director, Brookhaven

“It’s pretty bad.  There’s going to be another year of stagnation. That hurts a lot.”   Burton Richter,
Nobel laureate

"It’s rather devastating.  While $400 million in the grand scheme of things might seem like
decimal dust, it’s hugely important for universities that rely on N.S.F. funding.”  Jeff Nesbit,
Director, Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, National Science Foundation

“A yearlong continuing resolution takes away many of the opportunities for advancing science.  We
urge Congress to continue critical investments in America’s scientific leadership.”   Dr. Raymond L.
Orbach, under secretary for science, N.S.F.

Embezzlement Throughout Catholic Dioceses (NY Times, 1-5-07) . . .
A survey of Catholic dioceses by the Center for the Study of Church Management at Villanova University
concludes that embezzlement is widespread throughout the church. Among the findings:  85% of the
dioceses responding had discovered embezzlement in the last five years; 11% responded that more than
$500,000 had been stolen; church accounting guidelines are often ignored; some cash collections are not
deposited; only 3% conduct an internal audit of parishes every year; and 21% seldom or never conduct
audits.

“Churches have a tendency to be in denial about the potential for this conduct in their midst. When
ethics seminars or ethics codes are proposed in churches, they are often met with resistance from
people who say, ‘Why in the world would we need this?  After all, this is the church.’ Whereas in
business, people readily recognize that this sort of thing can happen.”   John C. Knapp, Director,
Southern Institute for Business and Professional Ethics

“The Villanova study does not come as a surprise.  This is something that the bishops in this
country have been looking at for some time.  They are aware of a need to look for mechanisms
that can assist parishes in accountability and transparency.”   Bishop Dennis M. Schnurr, treasurer
of the bishops’ conference

“As a faith-based organization, we place a lot of trust in our folks.  We think if you work for a
church — you’re a volunteer or a priest — the last thing on your mind is to do something
dishonest.  But people are people, and there’s a lot of temptation there, and with the cash-based
aspect of how churches operate, it’s pretty easy.”   Chuck Zech, study co-author, and director of the
Center for the Study of Church Management at Villanova

Obsolete Immigration Processing System . . .
Although immigration reform is a top priority among voters, an internal report by the U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services concludes USCIS is unable to effectively manage existing work, and certainly does
not have the capacity to process a high volume of new applications.  The agency's computers are
undergoing their third major modernization, now $72 mil. over budget.  An independent consulting firm
estimates IT upgrades will cost between $400 mil. and $1.4 bil. depending on what the agency specifies.

"Because of repeated changes in focus and direction, [the agency] has tended to duplicate
previous modernization initiatives and has not demonstrated the ability to execute its planned
strategy," the report said.  (UPI, 1-4-07)

I am "concerned that foreign agencies might be able to hack into our computer systems.  Because
the system wasn't modernized, it was vulnerable.  We know that the Departments of Defense and
Commerce were penetrated last year [by suspected Chinese military hackers]. Who's to say that
[CIS] isn't on that list?"   Michael Maxwell, former director of USCIS’ office of security and
investigations    (UPI, 1-4-07)

USCIS "lacks the processing capacity, systems integration and project management resources
needed to manage a potential increase in workloads."  Homeland Security Inspector General
Richard L. Skinner, report published 12-20-07  (Washington Post, 1-4-07)

"Congress needs to step up and provide the funding to ensure that USCIS is able to build a
functioning infrastructure, regardless of the fate of immigration reform."  Crystal Williams, deputy
director of programs, American Immigration Lawyers Association  (Wash. Post, 1-4-07)

Mismanaged Police and Safety Grants (USA Today, 1-4-07) . . .
An audit revealed over 12,000 grants worth $726 million intended to assist police and local public-safety
programs had been mismanaged between 1997 and 2005, including $106 mil. awarded to ineligible
recipients.  In many cases standard accounting procedures were not followed.  The result: other active
programs suffered funding delays.

"If the grants had been closed out more timely, hundreds of millions of dollars in questioned costs
could have been used to provide the Department of Justice with additional resources to fund other
programs or returned to the federal government's general fund."  Inspector General, Justice Dept.

Official reply . . .  The COPS program is conducting an agency-wide review of "all current close-out
policies and practices."   Carl Peed, COPS Director

Official reply . . .  "The inspector general's report states the grant-making components of the
Department of Justice are doing a better job of working with grantees to make sure that grants are
spent in a timely effective manner."   Brian Roehrkasse, Justice Dept. spokesman

Non-Interoperable Emergency Communications (AP, 1-3-07) . . .
Five years after NYC’s fire chief said his emergency responders were in a “state of confusion” inside the
World Trade Centers because their radios could not communicate with each other and with police, only 6 of
75 cities reviewed get passing marks for their ability to effectively communicate during emergencies,
despite more than $2.9 bil. already spent.

"Five years after 9/11, we continue to turn a deaf ear to gaps in interoperable communications," --
the term used for emergency agencies' abilities to talk to each other.  If it didn't have such
potentially devastating consequences, it would be laughable."  Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

"In some communities, not all, there are some longstanding cultural differences between different
kinds of responders," including police, firefighters and medical personnel, Chertoff said. "I think
that is a challenge and that culture has been a challenge."  

Report finding: "Formalized governance (leadership and planning) across regions has lagged."  

Only about 10 percent of all areas have systems so fully developed that different agencies can
communicate with each other routinely.   Dr. David G. Boyd Deputy Director, Research and
Development Director, SAFECOM Program

Untracked AIDS Cases (Washington Post, 12-30-06) . . .
Washington D.C. health officials can not provide reliable information regarding the number of HIV/AIDS
infections in the nation's capital because the cases reported over the past several years were stored in
cardboard boxes and have not been logged into a central database.  A new manager is now inputting the
data, with about 1,000 more cases to sort through.

"The fact is, we don't have a data-driven process and we can't really say that the funding is
following the epidemic.  When you don't have data that people can trust, when you don't have data
that is accurate, you're making people invisible."   Catalina Sol, HIV/AIDS Dir., La Clínica

Regarding more recently located boxes . . .  “This is very, very, very serious.  Getting through
these boxes is of the highest priority.  Our department's mission statement reads, 'to provide a
comprehensive picture of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.'  We're not doing that. Not yet.  We can't release
any reports -- of HIV cases, AIDS cases or AIDS deaths -- until we get through these backlog
cases."  Marie Sansone, surveillance chief, D.C. HIV Policy and Programs (AHPP)

“We were flabbergasted, just flabbergasted." Marsha Martin, AHPP Director

Mission Statement, Bureau of Surveillance and Epidemiology . . .  (DOH Website)  “To provide a
comprehensive picture of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the District of Columbia for purposes of
ensuring that the needs of people infected with HIV, or at risk of infection, are met.  Core
Function:  The bureau, working together with local health care providers and laboratories, collects
and maintains HIV-related data in a confidential and secure manner; analyzing, interpreting, and
distributing epidemiologic information for use in developing public policy, planning and evaluating
prevention and health care services, and supporting funding requests.”

Inaccessible Healthcare Information . . .
The D.C. council passed legislation requiring healthcare professionals (psychologists, pharmacists, nursing
homes, hospitals, etc.) to report medical errors and problems to a publicly accessible database. Critics
contend the measure is a step in the right direction, but that definitions are too vague.

"It's absolutely meaningless . . . so poorly defined.  Physicians are going to have no idea what to
report."  K. Edward Shanbacker, Exec. V.P., D.C. Medical Society  (Washington Post, 12-28-06)

“Most states are not living up to their obligations to protect patients from doctors who are not
practicing medicine in the best manner and are thus endangering the lives and health of residents.
Serious attention must be given to finding out which of the above bulleted variables are deficient in
each state. Action must then be taken, legislatively and through pressure on the medical boards,
to increase the amount of discipline and, thus, the amount of patient protec-tion. Without
adequate legislative oversight, inadequate constructive criticism of medical boards will continue to
allow inadequate boards to perform poorly.”  (Public Citizen website, 12-28-06)

“The three-year state disciplinary rates ranged from 1.62 serious actions per 1,000 physicians
(Mississippi) to 9.08 actions per 1,000 physicians (Kentucky), a 5.6-fold difference between the
best and worst states.” (Public Citizen)   "D.C. is still ranked way toward the bottom. There is no
reason why D.C. shouldn't start disciplining more doctors."  Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public
Citizen’s Health Research Group  (Washington Post, 12-28-06)

Stalled Review of Crime Lab Cases (Washington Post, 12-27-06) . . .
In December 2005 former Virginia governor Mark R. Warner (D) launched a comprehensive audit of DNA
cases used to convict suspects. Sloppy practices were cited. Yet one year into the two year project, re-
testing is mired in controversy and moving slowly despite predictions that scores of wrongly convicted
people will eventually be set free. Investigators have reviewed 329,000 cases, and another 234,000 files
are scheduled for evaluation.  Yet to date, no DNA tests have been performed.  Critics point fingers at the
outside DNA testing contractor.

"To allow that to drag as long as it has is unfortunate. It undermines the efficacy of what Governor
Warner had intended. It slows down the exoneration of innocent Virginians who are languishing in
prison.”  Other states should follow Virginia’s lead.  Peter J. Neufeld, co-director, Innocence Project

"I wouldn't trust anything that they (Bode – testing firm) did -- not after seeing their work on
several cases and the problems in Illinois. With Bode especially since they have a long-term
contract with the state of Virginia, they are totally motivated not to see a problem."  Edward Blake,
Forensic Science Associates

Official reply . . . "It's going to be slow.  But I think anyone would rather see us proceed cautiously
rather than haphazardly.  We got nowhere for a while. It has suffered some delays because of staff
turnover.  But we're as interested and as anxious to see this thing through as everyone else. We
could see as many as 30 possible exonerations when this is all over with."  Paul Ferrara, Virginia
crime lab director

Unaccountable AIDS Program (Associated Press, 12-26-06) . . .
Multiple investigations by the Assoc. Press into the $15 bil. U.S. AIDS program reveal poor record keeping,
unaccountable performance, under/over counts of thousands of patients . . .

"It's not good enough for the auditors to hear from the mission that we did A, B and C but we can't
prove it to you, or there's no documentation to prove that we did it."   Many recipients failed to
keep records that would provide "reasonable assurance that what they say was done was in fact
carried out."  Joe Farinella, asst. inspector general, U.S. Agency Internat'l Develop.

Regarding the Bush administration’s initiative to provide services through religious and community
organizations . . .    "This whole push for new partners is a double edged sword. You have to build
their capacity to manage U.S. government money and particularly meet the reporting guidelines."  
Patty Mechael, former program director for CARE for that money. How that translates to the field is
challenging for some local organizations." Susan Krenn,  Africa director, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs

Official reply . . .   "Our approach was get the services out, start moving the programs. In many of
the cases where they say we can't find documentation, that doesn't mean people aren't getting
services; that just means the reporting systems are not in place."  I have  "extraordinary"
confidence in the overall numbers.  Ambassador Mark Dybul, Global AIDS Coordinator, Bush
Administration

Missing Felon DNA Samples (Washington Post, 12-21-06) . . .
Virginia authorities have launched a major investigation of the state’s felony DNA system following
revelations that 24% of all samples can not be accounted for. Critics charge Virginia’s problem reflects
similar inaccuracies and omissions in DNA databases throughout the nation.  A prior audit in 2005 revealed
that 3,100 DNA profiles out of 13,000+ registered offenders could not be located. Inadequate collection
training and lack of a central computer system compounds the problem.

"It's been a challenge in Virginia with various agencies working with different computer systems
that don't talk to each other.  The good news is it appears that we have well over 80 percent of
convicted felons in the database, but obviously we need to have 100 percent of them in the
database."   Clyde Cristman, dep. Secretary, Virginia Dept. of Public Safety.

"I'm not surprised that there are missing felons.  What would be surprising is the magnitude.
That's the thing we're not sure on."  Virginia crime lab director Paul Ferrara

"In order to maximize effectiveness of the national DNA database, it is important to collect DNA
samples from all persons authorized by state and federal legislation."  Ann Todd, spokes-woman,
FBI crime lab

Inequitable Education Funding (Education Trust Website, 12-20-06) . . .
The Education Department gives states nearly $13 billion a year to help students in low-income districts.  
But distribution rules do not correlate with performance.  Instead they provide more money per student to
both (a) less populated states and (b) wealthier states that spend more on education.

The report, 'Funding Gaps 2006', includes data and analysis on:  (A) How federal Title I funds
widen rather than narrow the education funding gaps that separate wealthy states from poor
states; and, (B) How funding choices at the school district level provide enhanced funding to
schools serving higher concentrations of affluent students and white students at the expense of
schools that serve low-income students and students of color.

“The least needy states get the most, and the most needy states get the least. That's perverse.  
Poor children are concentrated in relatively poorer states.  Instead of providing relatively more help
to these kids, Title I provides less.  If we are serious about ensuring that every child in America
meets high standards, then we must develop a federal school finance policy equal to the task.”  
Goodwin Liu, Assistant Professor of Law at Boalt Hall School of Law and co-director of the Chief
Justice Earl Warren Institute on Race, Ethnicity and Diversity

“Ignoring or condoning funding gaps only makes it harder to tackle the substantive problems and
inequities in public schools.  There are many complicated issues in reforming the current system,
but fairly funding schools is not one of them.”  Ross Wiener, V.P., Education Trust

"The spending patterns and funding gaps within districts exacerbate educational inequalities for low-
income and minority students.  Sadly, these funding inequities are buried in widely accepted and
outmoded district-level accounting practices.”   Marguerite Roza, study co-author

"We cannot close the education achievement gap in this country without addressing the funding
gap which keeps our low-income and minority children at a disadvantage. States must take
responsibility for ensuring access to resources for all our children, but the federal government has
to do its part as well." Sen. Edward Kennedy, Chair - Education Committee (AP, 12-21-06)

Shrinking U.S. Air Force (Christian Science Monitor, 12-19-06) . . .  
At a time when China is aggressively expanding military spending and 'axis-of-evil' nations are developing
WMDs, the average age of critical Air Force planes is 25 years old, some flying under operational
restrictions, and critical aerial refueling tankers are approaching 50 years old. Furthermore, the Air Force
intends to cut 40,000 personnel by fiscal year 2009.

"At the beginning of the Bush administration, not only did it look like air power could win wars, but
there was a new crop of policymakers ready to embrace that message.  Now, I'm hard-pressed to
think of a time when the Air Force has faced more problems."  Dr. Loren Thompson, COO,
Lexington Institute

Official spin . . .   "The Air Force is sitting on the oldest aircraft we've ever had. There's no way out
of that but to seek efficiencies in the personnel account."  Yet, "the Air Force is better because of
these wars.  The Air Force is a war-fighting institution. What we do for this country is fly and fight.
You have the most combat-experienced Air Force you've had since World War II."  Gen. T. Michael
Moseley, Air Force Chief of Staff

Fraudulent, Ill-Advised Retirement Investments (LA Times, 12-16-06) . . .
With nearly $3 trillion in 401(k) accounts and other self-directed retirement plans, Americans are being
poorly advised and routinely scammed at a time when more and more employees are forced into early
retirement.  Industry standards are virtually non-existent.  

"It's almost the perfect storm in terms of the opportunities it presents for folks to be taken
advantage of."  James S. Shorris, NASD (securities industry regulator)

”The increasing responsibility on individuals to manage their long-term financial security has
reached an urgent stage in American society.  Too many people are getting scammed, and too
many people are becoming targets."  Don M. Blandin, president, Investor Protection Trust, a
nonprofit promoting financial education

"The retirement security of American workers is at risk from unscrupulous salesmen pitching 'pie in
the sky' investment programs to those about to retire from a lifetime's work.  Securities regulators
around the country are hearing from increasing numbers of investors."  Joseph P. Borg, president,
North American Securities Administrators Assn.

Regarding employees that regret early retirement advice . . .  "Now they're 60. They can't get a job at
the plant where they were working.  They're out mowing lawns. Who's going to hire them when
they're 60 years old?  The advice ruins them for the rest of their life."  Peter J. Mougey, Attorney,
Pensacola, Fla.

Uncompleted Visitor Tracking System (NY Times, 12-15-06) . . .
A GAO report confirms the foreign visitor tracking system deemed critical to homeland security is at least a
decade away from reality, despite years of work and $1.7 Bil. already spent.  The intent to use a biometric
facial and fingerprint recognition system by December 2007 to register visitors entering and leaving the
country at the busiest 50 crossing points is mired in technological-cost overruns.

“It is a pretty daunting set of costs, both for the U.S. government and the economy.  Congress has
said, ‘We want you to do it.’ We are not going to ignore what Congress has said. But the costs here
are daunting.  There are a lot of good ideas and things that would make the country safer. But
when you have to sit down and compare all the good ideas people have developed against each
other, with a limited budget, you have to make choices that are much harder.”  Stewart A. Baker,
Asst. Sec., homeland security policy

“There will not be border security in this country until we have a knowledge of both entry and exit.  
We have to make a choice. Do we want to act and control our borders or do we want to have tens of
millions of illegals continuing to pour into our country?” Rep. Rohrabacher (R-CA)

A "very serious failure" on top of multiple delays since the system was proposed in 1996.  "This
program is central to protecting our national security. Billions of dollars and countless hours have
been invested, and if DHS is going to throw this all away, the American people deserve to know
why."  Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)  Incoming Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee,
Homeland Security Panel  (Washington Post, 12-16-06)

“I worry that the issue of cost is an excuse for not doing anything.”  Jessica Vaughn, Senior Policy
Analyst, Center for Immigration Studies

Secret Suspension of Import Tariffs (Washington Post, 12-14-06) . . .
Although the 109th Congress didn't enact much legislation related to the nation’s pressing problems, it did
manage to suspend tariffs for special interest groups, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.  To
disguise the names of the specific products benefiting, code names are substituted. Multiple suspensions
linked to the same product enable the sponsor to get around the $500,000 max. limit.  Critics charge this
back door procedure is payback for millions of dollars in campaign contributions.

"This is just good old-fashioned pork.  A lot of members of Congress are just clueless as to what is
going on.  You can spend money away or you can tax-credit it away. Either way, somebody else is
going to pick up the difference.  Members don't read these bills because they become so
voluminous at the last minute. They are always attached to something we all want."  Rep. Jack
Kingston (R-Ga.)

"The old days of lack of transparency, I think those days have to end.  These are supposed to be
small items. . . . I am in favor of keeping it small and making it totally open."  Rep. Sander M.
Levin (D-Mich.)

"Further reforms are necessary to make the process even more transparent and streamlined.  If
the new leadership decides to undertake a miscellaneous tariff bill, I'll push for further reforms."  
Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa)

"If you are the right person, you can get something done.  It's one of those really insidious types
of problems that will take a lot of work, and a lot of embarrassment for Congress, to try to change.
And trust me, members of Congress don't embarrass easily."   Steve Ellis, V.P. of Programs,
Taxpayers for Common Sense

Undisclosed Coast Guard Cutter Flaws (NY Times, 12-14-06) . . .
A March 2004 letter from the Coast Guard’s chief engineer, posted on the NY Times website just last week,
warned of serious structural problems in the $564 million 'National Security Cutter'.  This critical information
was never disclosed to Congressional oversight committee members.  Extensive modifications are now
required to repair the first ship already built.

The design for the National Security Cutter has “significant flaws” and construction should not begin
until they are addressed.  “Importantly, several of these problems compromise the safety and
viability of the hull, possibly resulting in structural failure.”  Rear Adm. Erroll Brown, Chief Engineer,
2004 letter to Rear Adm Patrick Stillman, Deepwater Program administrator

“This has now threatened our national security.   After four years and billions of dollars, we have
nothing to show for it.”   Mr. Filner, House oversight panel member

“The Coast Guard clearly does not understand that transparency and accountability are essential to
a program of this magnitude.”  Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine)

“Withholding information leads to poor decisions for the nation, as we are witnessing now with this
cutter modernization initiative.”  Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY)

Official reply . . .   “The Coast Guard takes very seriously its obligation to keep its authorizers and
appropriators informed.”   Cmdr. Jeffrey Carter, spokesman

Misleading Hospital Performance Measures . . .
(Journal of the American Medical Assoc., ‘Relationship Between Medicare’s Hospital Compare
Performance Measures and Mortality Rates’, 12-13-06; R. Werner, MD, PhD; E. Bradlow, PhD)

A study of nearly 3,700 hospitals published in JAMA concludes that death rates at hospitals receiving high
marks by Medicare regulators really aren’t much different than at hospitals receiving poor grades.  In fact,
about 7% of patients treated for heart attacks died in both cases.

“Hospital performance measures predict small differences in hospital risk-adjusted mortality rates.
Efforts should be made to develop performance measures that are tightly linked to patient
outcomes.”  Report Conclusion

(More reliable hospital quality measures would enable patients to make fully informed choices,
potentially saving thousands of lives.)  "Only then will performance measurement live up to
expectations for improving health care quality."  Drs. Rachel Werner and Eric Bradlow

Inadequate Emergency Response Capabilities . . .
Five years after the 9/11 attacks, one year after Hurricane Katrina, and despite major preparations and tens
of billions spent, the U.S. health system remains largely unprepared for pandemics, flu outbreaks, and
bioterror attacks according to the annual report by the nonprofit group Trust for America’s Health.  Among
the inadequacies . . .  inability to distribute medications, nursing shortages, lack of hospital capacity,
inadequate vaccines, and insufficient testing to detect flu and biological agents.

"We continue to make progress each year, but it is limited.  As a whole, Americans face
unnecessary and unacceptable levels of risk.  Most states . . . are still not able to deliver
medications or medical supplies in a rapid enough way to respond to an emergency.  The
vaccination rate is a reflection of underlying problems in the health-care system.  Why are we not
reaching people in the way we ought to be?"  Jeff Levi, Director, Trust for America's Health  
(Washington Post, 12-13-06)

"The public believes that more is being done and that we are better prepared than we are."  
Allowing public health system weaknesses "to persist can lead to serious consequences.  Our
systems need to be strengthened."  Margaret Hamburg, Board Member, Trust for America's Health  
(USA Today, 12-13-06)

Unprotected 401(k) Accounts (LA Times, 12-10-06) . . .
As traditional pensions disappear, Americans' 401k savings programs remain largely unprotected . . .

"For many people, this is their only retirement asset.  The fact that it's almost completely unpro-
tected reflects a major shortcoming in the law." Karen Ferguson, Director, Pension Rights Center

Workers often have no idea their savings are being stolen until it is too late.  "Our experience is
that when there is a problem like this, the company was going down the tubes and the employer
was siphoning off cash, desperately trying to keep it going."  Mary Browning, Director, Upper
Midwest Pension Rights Project

Opposition to new legislation . . .  "Fraud and theft are illegal in all 50 states.  You can pass all the
laws you want, but it doesn't prevent somebody from getting mugged in the street. We need to
enforce the laws that we have."  Jim Klein, President, American Benefits Council

Manipulated Corporate Earnings (Washington Post, 12-07-06) . . .
It took 4,000 accounting personnel, $1.4 billion, and two years of effort to reassess Fannie Mae’s true
performance over the past several years. Results filed today:  past profits were overstated by $6.3 Bil.  
The SEC alleges management manipulated earnings and disregarded generally accepted accounting rules.  
The company does not know when it will begin filing regular reports.  Most unfortunately, Fannie Mae is not
an exception.  In 2005, 10% of all publicly traded companies filed earnings adjustments.

The adjusted numbers show that the company "was grossly mismanaged by previous
management.  They under-spent dramatically on systems, internal controls, risk management —
all the basic building blocks of a good corporation, beyond mismanagement to manipulating
earnings."  James B. Lockhart III, director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight

"Ofheo may be facing a more difficult task than Fannie Mae as it prepares to try to recoup the
many millions of dollars Mr. Raines and Mr. Howard received as a result of the improper
accounting. Regulators have said that of the $90 million paid to Mr. Raines from 1998 to 2003 at
least $52 million — more than half — was tied to bonus targets that were reached by manipulating
accounting."  (NY Times, 12-07-06)

Company News Release . . . This was "a critical milestone in Fannie Mae's progress toward building a
stronger, better company."  Daniel H. Mudd, CEO, Fannie Mae

Sloppy Oil Lease Oversight (Washington Post, 12-07-06) . . .
The Interior Department manages the oversight of the nation’s oil drilling companies.  Annual revenue is
about $14 bil. each year.  According to the inspector general’s report: the number of auditors and audited
contracts is declining. Instead, the department  relies on information self-reported by the companies, not
independent sources.  And accounting records are incomplete / inaccurate. Companies drilling in the Gulf of
Mexico under certain leases avoid paying billions in royalties.

"The biggest problem is that there's a culture at MMS that is careless, undocumented and fails to
consider its fiduciary duty to the American people." Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chair,  
subcommittee - energy and resources

"The Interior inspector general's report underscores how poorly the Bush administration's Minerals
Management Service has been overseeing oil and gas drilling activities on public land."  Rep.
Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.).

Predatory Ads Targeting Children . . .
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a new policy statement in the December 6th journal
'Pediatrics' warning of massive unregulated commercial advertising aimed at U.S. children that  significantly
increases poor lifestyle consequences: obesity, poor nutrition, cigarette and alcohol consumption.  
Commercials with confusing messages promote empty calorie snacks, sugary cereals, fast foods and other
non-nutritional products, enticing children with toys, attractive models, and movie characters.  Ads
counseling against unwanted pregnancies are rare, yet ads promoting erectile dysfunction medications are
common.  In summary, profit driven firms are teaching children that consumption of alcohol, tobacco, non-
nutritious foods, and recreational sex are desirable behaviors.

"Several European countries forbid or severely curtail advertising to children; in the United States,
on the other hand, selling to children is simply 'business as usual.'  The average young person
views more than 3000 ads per day on television (TV), on the Internet, on billboards, and in
magazines.  Increasingly, advertisers are targeting younger and younger children in an effort to
establish 'brand-name preference' at as early an age as possible.  This targeting occurs because
advertising is a $250 billion/year industry with 900,000 brands to sell, and children and adolescents
are attractive consumers: teenagers spend $155 billion/year, children younger than 12 years spend
another $25 billion, and both groups influence perhaps another $200 billion of their parents'
spending per year.  Increasingly, advertisers are seeking to find new and creative ways of targeting
young consumers via the Internet, in schools, and even in bathroom stalls."  (AAP Children,
Adolescents, and Advertising - Introduction, 12-6-06)

Rapid Depletion of Military Equipment (Washington Post, 12-5-06) . . .
Despite the accelerated destruction of army and marine heavy ground combat equipment in Iraq and
Afghanistan, U.S. repair depots are working well below their capacity due to funding shortfalls. The result:
significant backlogs and massive accumulations of much needed tanks, fighting vehicles, helicopters,
armored personnel carriers, trucks, and Humvees litter thousands of acres in Iraq and at many locations in
the U.S.

"There's stuff, stuff everywhere.  There's another field of M1s. We're just waiting for someone to
tell us what to do with them."   Joan Gustafson, depot official

"Last year we spent as much time trying to find available money as managing our program.  We
don't want to go into the next rotation . . . with equipment that's at the far end of its expected
life."  Brig. Gen. Robert Radin, deputy chief of staff for operations at the Army Materiel Command
at Fort Belvoir

"The supply system can't keep up with us."  Rodney Brodeur, division chief for turbine engines,
Anniston Alabama Army Depot

Ineffective Afghanistan Police Training (NY Times, 12-03-06) . . .
A report just released by the inspectors general at the Pentagon and the State Department concludes that
despite $1.1 Bil. spent on private contractor training Afghani forces, police units are largely incapable of
routine law enforcement duties. The number of active duty police, their locations, and the disposition of
thousands of vehicles and equipment is unknown.  Most importantly, the level of vital field training is well
below what is considered effective.

“In both places (Iraq, Afghanistan) we were extraordinarily late getting started. “In both places you
have a dysfunctional Interior Ministry in control, and in both places the United States has tried to
stand up a ministry advisory group to bring order out of chaos.”  Robert M. Perito, policing expert
at the United States Institute of Peace

“It is not that they (Taliban) are strong.  It is that we are not strong enough to defend
ourselves.”    Afghan president, Hamid Karzai

“They (American advisors) were good on patrols in Oklahoma City, Houston or Miami.  But not in a
country where you faced rebuilding the police force.”   Mr. Jalali, professor, National Defense
University in Washington, interior minister from 2002 to 2005

Secret Databases Track Citizens Entering/ Leaving The Country . . .
(Capital Hill Blue, 12-2-06)   The Associated Press reports a secret computerized Automated Targeting
System (ATS) alresdy in use for four years by Homeland Security that records data on millions of
Americans and assigns a terrorist ranking. Designed to identify potential terrorists or criminals, ATS data
will be maintained for 40 years.  Citizens have no right to see or challenge any information, although
everything will be routinely shared with foreign governments and private contractors . . .

"Data banks like this are overdue for oversight.  That is going to change in the new Congress.  It is
simply incredible that the Bush administration is willing to share this sensitive information with
foreign governments and even private employers, while refusing to allow U.S. citizens to see or
challenge their own terror scores."  This system "highlights the danger of government use of
technology to conduct widespread surveillance of our daily lives without proper safeguards for
privacy."  Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Incoming Judiciary chair

"I have never seen anything as egregious as this. It's evidence of what can happen when there
isn't proper oversight and accountability." Kevin Mitchell, president, Business Travel Coalition

"Never before in American history has our government gotten into the business of creating mass
`risk assessment' ratings of its own citizens.  “We are stunned" the program has been undertaken
"with virtually no opportunity for the public to evaluate or comment on it."  Barry Steinhardt, legal
council, American Civil Liberties Union

Closure of EPA Libraries (Christian Science Monitor, 12-01-06) . . .
As the EPA closes regional libraries around the country containing irreplaceable public documents, critics say
it is part of an effort to limit public access, and claim thousands of scientific journals have been thrown into
dumpsters.  The EPA states it will ultimately digitize unique hardcopy documents.  But meanwhile they may
being removed from circulation for years.

"We think this is one of several actions the Bush administration is taking to lobotomize the EPA, to
reduce its capability, so it's much less able to independently review industry submissions."  Jeff
Ruch, Exec. Director, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility

"I was appalled when I heard about what was happening and I'm still upset about it."  Dorothy
Biggs, retired librarian, EPA National Enforcement Investigations Center Library

According to EPA officials . . . the library closures will help "to modernize and improve" services while
simultaneously eliminating $2 mil. in expenditures.  The EPA "is not recycling or disposing of any
unique agency documents or externally developed materials, e.g., journals, scientific publications,
etc., that cannot be accessed elsewhere."  EPA spokesperson Suzanne Ackerman

Circumventing EPA Bureaucracy (Christian Science Monitor, 12-01-06) . . .
Twenty two union locals representing 10,000 scientists and engineers delivered petitions to two
congressional committees warning of EPA CO2 greenhouse gas policies, and asking lawmakers to "support a
vigorous program of enforcement and reduction in GHG [greenhouse-gas] emissions" . . .

"The science is too clear and the consequences are too grave" to continue down the path the
administration is following.  William Hirzy, senior EPA scientist, V.P. National Treasury Employees
Union at EPA headquarters

Due to a prior Supreme Court ruling that public service whistleblowers are not protected under the
1st Amendment, a request was included in the petition that lawmakers guarantee members the
freedom to speak openly "without fear of reprisal."

According to EPA’s Deputy Solicitor General Gregory Garre arguing in a suit now before the Supreme Court .
. .  Congress never gave the EPA authority to regulate CO2, but even so "now is not the time to
exercise such authority, in light of the substantial scientific uncertainty surrounding global climate
change and the ongoing studies to address those uncertainties."

Denial of Katrina Victims’ Rights (Washington Post, 11-30-06) . . .
D.C. District Judge Richard J. Leon rules FEMA must assist Gulf coast victims who face a bewildering array
of bureaucratic, confusing, contradictory barriers intended to effectively cut off federal aid . . .

"It is unfortunate, if not incredible, that FEMA and its counsel could not devise a sufficient notice
system to spare these beleaguered evacuees the added burden of federal litigation to vindicate
their constitutional rights.”  “Free these evacuees from the 'Kafkaesque' application process they
have had to endure.”  "Guessing by an applicant from among several explanations for ineligibility
does not serve the fundamental purposes of due process."  Plaintiffs "are unable to address, let
alone intelligently appeal, decisions they cannot understand."  Judge Leon

Advocates for storm victims say FEMA has resisted providing details about its programs to them or
to applicants and has whittled down rolls by imposing obstacles to obtaining aid that is mandated
under federal disaster laws.   Yesterday, FEMA spokesman Aaron T. Walker would not say how
many people are affected by Leon's decision, how much has been paid to them or how much is
owed.  He cited "ongoing litigation" and a possible appeal. (Spencer Hsu, Wash. Post)

Conflicts of Interest - Hospital Review Boards . . .
36% of review board doctors surveyed accept payments from manufacturers of medical devices being
evaluated, according to a study of 100 university medical centers, published in the Nov. 30 issue of the New
England Journal of Medicine.  And most do not disclose their financial ties.  It is the first investigation into
financial conflicts of interest involving hospitals' institutional review boards . . .

Financial conflicts are "a fundamental part" of medicine.  “They have benefits and they have
risks.”  "Clearly disclosure of relationships is required, because institutions can't handle what they
don't know about. We need to move this debate off what we disclose, because disclosures
[themselves] are not a very good safeguard.  Instead "we have to be sure that our oversight
mechanisms that our conflict of interest boards use are effective."  Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel,
chairman of clinical bioethics at the U.S. National Institutes of Health   (Forbes, 11-29-06)

If the review board "is riddled with financial conflicts of interest, it's not going to be as protective as
it should be.  This (the study's results) reflect a significant lack of law enforcement."  Dr. Sidney
Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group  (AP, 11-29-06)

They are expected to be more sensitive to ethical concerns than the researchers they monitor.
Researchers are "finally getting around to looking at all the ways that pharmaceutical companies
can have an adverse influence on health."  Dr. Jerome Kassirer, former New England Journal of
Medicine editor, author of book on medical conflicts of interest   (AP, 11-29-06)

National Crisis In Higher Education (Nat'l Conf. State Legislatures, website, 11-27-06) . . .
A blue ribbon non-partisian report on the state of the nation’s higher educational system, 'Transforming
Higher Education: National Imperative—State Responsibility' condemns many negative trends including: lack
of focus, declining graduation rates, rising tuition costs . . .

There is a higher education crisis in this country. The American system is no longer the best in the
world. Other countries are outperforming us. At the same time, tuition and fees are skyrocketing
and financial aid and loan programs aren't keeping up. As a result, a post-secondary education is
not accessible to many Americans. Student are falling through the cracks.  Nationally, for every 100
ninth graders who enter high school, only 18 finish college within six years.

"It is a national imperative that states re-frame the message that higher education is vital to the
success of our citizens, to the economic vitality of our states, and to the competitiveness of the
country.  States must take the initiative to reform higher education now, to avoid unnecessary
federal intrusion.  Each states system's, traditions, strengths and weaknesses are unique. States
need the flexibility to set their own goals. Higher ed has always been a state responsibility and it
must remain that way." Conn. Rep. Denise Merrill, Commission co-chair

"We call state legislators to action.  They have the power to demand that we do better, to demand
that we think of higher education not as the balance wheel of budgets, but as an investment in our
future."  Wisconsin Rep. Rob Kreibich, NCSL Commission co-chair

Unresolved Voting Problems (NY Times, 11-26-06) . . .
Six years after the 2000 election fiasco, the most serious, persistent voting problems do not involve
technology: no paper trail, too few repair technicians, too few machines, poorly trained workers . . .

“These types of low-tech problems threaten to disenfranchise just as many people, if not more, but
they tend to get less attention.  We still have a long way to go toward fixing the biggest problems
with our election system.”  Tova Wang, elections expert, Century Foundation

“If the success of an election is to be measured according to whether each voter’s voice is heard,
then we would have to conclude that this past election was not entirely a success.  In places where
the margin of victory was bigger than the margin of error, we looked away from the problems, but
in 2008 we might not have that luxury.” Doug Chapin, Dir., Electionline.org

“It used to be that you would come in, set up the machines, make a cup of coffee and say hello to
your neighbors.  “I know a lot of people who said, ‘Never again.’ ”  Now the job is complicated and
stressful.  Sigrid Freese, Denver poll worker

Uninteroperable Homeland Security (Capital Hill Blue, 11-23-06) . . .
Years after 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina, the Homeland Security Department is finally undertaking its first
study on the critical issue of ‘interoperability’, i.e. getting emergency communication systems, law
enforcement and intelligence agencies to more effectively work together . . .

With regard to committee meetings with senior DHS leadership . . . "Twice a year is not enough.”  "The
public thinks that first responders can already talk to each other, but the majority can't.  We have
to force coordination and cooperation."   With regard to the miserly amount spent on train transportation
. . .  "A real rail security plan" doesn't exist.   Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), incoming
chairman, House Homeland Security Committee

"Years of dawdling have worsened our border security and made it harder to fix this broken
system.  We should not let partisan politics and intolerance continue to delay and derail effective
reform.  Getting a reasonable and realistic comprehensive immigration reform and border security
bill enacted will not be easy."  Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)

Unaccountable Procurement Contracts (Washington Post, 11-22-06) . . .
Regarding Department of Homeland Security audit of billions of dollars of contracts in Iraq . . .
"The inability to locate files and inconsistent file organization puts the government at risk in
ensuring the contractor is fulfilling its contractual obligations and the government is meeting its
contract administration responsibilities."

"This strongly suggests that we're buying the wrong stuff, the wrong way, possibly from the wrong
contractors, and failing to check before, during or after."  Charles Tiefer, government contracting
expert, University of Baltimore School of Law

"Expediency, poorly defined requirements and inadequate oversight" are creating "a high risk of
cost overruns, mismanagement or failure."   Richard L. Skinner, Insp. Gen., Homeland Security

Untracked DNA Matches (USA Today, 11-21-06) . . .
Many DNA matches do not lead to arrests or solve crimes.  Unlike police in the U.K. and Canada, U.S.
agencies do not track actual results and maintain accountability data . . .

CODIS "is a black box.  You can talk about DNA matches all you want, but the reality is no one
really knows what's out there."  Frederick Bieber, geneticist, Brigham and Women's Hospital

"At some point, the federal government is going to want some measure other than raw hits of what
the real societal impact is."  Michael Bourke, CODIS administrator, Connecticut state police

"All the money (to build CODIS) has gone to the lab side.  Nobody ever asked the cops what they
wanted or how (CODIS matches) would affect what they do."  Unpursued matches are a "shame"
but not a "surprise."   Rockne Harmon, assistant prosecutor, Oakland CA

FBI Website . . .  “Ultimately, the success of the CODIS program will be measured by the crimes it
helps to solve.  CODIS's primary metric, the "Investigation Aided," tracks the number of criminal
investigations where CODIS has added value to the investigative process.

Mismanaged Iraqi Training (Washington Post, 11-21-06) . . .
Getting Iraqi forces trained to take over security is a vital component of U.S. withdrawal plans, yet
Pentagon reports cite poor preparation, poor supply logistics, low quality Iraqi officers, inexperienced
American advisors, unqualified interpreters . . .

"You're supposed to be able to shoot, move and communicate.  Well, when we got to Iraq we could
hardly shoot, we could hardly move and we could hardly communicate, because we hadn't been
trained on how to do these things. They packed 30 days' training into 84 days."  Lt. Col. Paul
Ciesinski, 2005-6 adviser in northern Iraq

"The thing the Army institutionally is still struggling to learn is that the most important thing we do
in counterinsurgency is building host-nation institutions, yet all our organizations are designed
around the least important line of operations:  combat operations.  (His advice:) Train on finding
your friends, and they will help you find your enemy. . . . Once you find your friends, finding the
enemy is easy."  Lt. Col. Paul Yingling, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment

"If I had to do it again, I know I'd do it completely different.  I went there with the wrong attitude
and I thought I understood Iraq and the history because I had seen PowerPoint slides, but I really
didn't."  Maj. Mike Sullivan, advisor in 2004

CDC Chaos During Katrina, Secret Report (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11-19-06) . . .
Since Aug. 2006 the Centers For Disease Control has denied Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporters a copy of
its secret report "Hurricane Katrina After Action Report – Data Review Team," claiming it is only a ”draft”
and that making the report public would "interfere with the agency's deliberative process."  The CDC’s
capacity to effectively respond to a major health crisis is of critical national concern . . .

Among the report findings: four years after 9/11 and the Washington DC anthrax scare, "CDC does not
currently conduct any regular Emergency Response exercises."  Emergency response staff training
is "inadequate".

In response to questions by AJC reporters, the agency posted a page on its website 11-04-06 'CDC
Learns From Katrina, Plans for Pandemic.'  Among the CDC's problems cited . . .

No mission statement or clear objectives, confused lines of authority, inadequate staff to
support experts, overtaxed procurement and financial offices, spotty communications,
cumbersome HQ briefing documents, general lack of understanding of the nature and
demands of emergency deployments, poor collaboration with federal partners, unclear
agency roles.  "At the time, (standard operating procedures) either did not exist, were in
draft form, or were in conflict with those of other response organizations."

One CDC Official’s View . . .  "While there might have been a few glitches, (the CDC’s Katrina
response was) one of the most successful responses in CDC's repertoire."  Linda Neff, science
officer, e-mail dated 9-19-05 (AJC, 11-7-06)

Asians Outperform In Science, Technology (Washington Times, 11-17-06) . . .
According to the National Science Foundation, the U.S. preeminence in science and technology is falling
rapidly as Asian countries graduated four times as many engineers and twice as many science majors in
2002.  Yet, U.S. society continues to heavily reward careers in non-technical fields: law, medicine, sports,
business, banking, finance . . .

"We are behind the eight ball right now because other nations are competitive and pushing hard.  
What I find challenging is that we do not have a national policy. We have many programs and
projects going on to meet this challenge of engineering, but it is such a huge challenge that no
one or two or three organizations or one or two agencies can do it alone."  JoAnn DiGennaro,
president, Center for Excellence in Education

"This is a sign of where they [Asia] think their competitive advantage is in the new global economy.
The U.S. is at the technological frontier and maintaining that requires even more investment than
is true for other countries."  Jason Bordoff, policy director, Hamilton Project

Based on a study of eighth-grade students about job preferences . . .  "There's a strong connection
between children's visions of what they see themselves doing as adults and what they actually end
up pursuing when they become adults.  Everyone knows what a wide receiver does for the
Redskins.  The kids know this, they see this on TV.  Who's explaining to them what chemists do?"  
Robert H. Tai, assistant professor, Univ. of Virginia Curry School of Education

Unchecked Global Warming (UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, NY Times, 11-15-06) . . .
(The global warming problem suffers from) “a frightening lack of leadership.  The impact of climate
change will fall disproportionately on the world’s poorest countries, many of them in Africa.  Poor
people already live on the front lines of pollution, disaster and the degradation of resources and
land.  For them adaptation is a matter of sheer survival.”

“My speech was not directed at a particular individual or leader  I just want leaders around the world
to show courage, because this is one of the greatest challenges of our time.”

The U.S. position . . . “We think the United States has been leading in its groundbreaking
initiatives.”  Paula J. Dobriansky, under secretary of state for democracy and global affairs

Shortage of Flu Vaccines (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/14/06) . . .
Widespread shortages – AGAIN !  36,000 Americans die each year, another 200,000 are hospitalized.   Yet
as of late November, CDC reports 115 million doses of flu vaccine have been promised by manufacturers,
but only 77 million have been distributed . . .

The vaccine distribution system is "haphazard."  “I'm at the American Medical Association meeting
in Nevada.  A doctor just said he didn't have all his vaccine yet.  We're wondering, when are we
going to get it right ?  There's plenty around, everybody says, but a lot of doctors don't have it, or
don't have enough."   Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, former president, American College of Physicians

"We have a lot of physicians who have had problems this year.  We think physicians, hospitals and
long-term care facilities should get some kind of priority because we see high-risk patients."  Dr.
Rick Kellerman, President, American Academy of Family Physicians

Official Reply . . .  "They [vaccine manufacturers] are in a business and they have to do the proper
thing in terms of their business plan”  The CDC will work to try to overcome distribution problems.  
Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Click on this link for

A Two Month Snapshot Leading Up To Elections . . .  

In The News . . . An Astonishing Snapshot of Events

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE
FACING CONGRESS  .  .  .

21st CENTURY GOVERNMENT

POLITICS vs. PROCESS  The
110th Congress is now in session,
yet the skills needed to guide
today's leaders in an aggressive,
accelerating global environment
aren't on the radar screen, much
less the 100 hour agenda.

Global manufacturers, financial
institutions, service providers and
other businesses are forced to
continuously restructure to remain
competitive !   So why not the
organizations and leaders that
govern us ?  When will they begin
adapting to evolving circumstances ??

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS   
Many problems reported in the
news are not simply unfortunate,
random events.  Take a few
moments to browse this snap-
shot of daily news clips. Together
as a group, they reveal common
characteristics, underlying causes,
and provocative unanswered
questions . . .  

Why do problems like these persist
in governing organizations year-in,
year-out, despite highly educated
leaders from the finest universities,
unlimited resources, and the most
advanced technologies found
anywhere on earth ?   

What should students and leaders in
government, law, non-profits and the
media learn about powerful process
management and information
management principles, and their
application in government and public
institutions ?   

What new investments are essential
to upgrade leadership skills and
enabling infrastructure ?