UTTERLY STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR THIS ADMINISTRATION. AN EVENT SUCH AS KATRINA REPRESENTS HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR SCAMS TO "FRIENDS OF THE ADMINISTRATION" AND IF THE MONEY TRAIL WERE FOLLOWED, NO DOUBT SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS FLOW BACK TO "CAMPAIGN FUNDS".
ABOVE ALL, THIS IS A "HAPPY-FACE" ADMINISTRATION THAT TURNS TRAGEDY AND HUMAN SUFFERING INTO CELEBRATION AND "HIGH-FIVES" FOR WELL-CHOSEN PEOPLE. AND YOU DON'T WANT CAREFUL ADMINISTRATION BY THE GOVERNMENT--NO NO NO NO NO! YOU JUST WANT PEOPLE TO SHOVEL OUT THE MONEY (MOSTLY TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE) AND A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PERSONAL FRAUD, SO THE WHOLE THING CAN BE CHARACTERIZED AS A SIGN OF DISHONESTY OF THE COMMON FOLK. GOTTA HAVE THAT, BECAUSE THE REST CAN THEN BE UNDERSTOOD (FALSELY) AS THAT.
GOTTA HAND IT TO THEM--THESE FOLKS ARE TALENTED CRIMINALS!
Katrina fraud estimated at $2 billion
RAW STORY
Published: Monday June 26, 2006
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According to the New York Times, Hurrican Katrina has "produced one of the most extraordinary displays of scams, schemes and stupefying bureaucratic bungles in modern history, costing taxpayers up to $2 billion," RAW STORY has learned.
The Times pored through government audits, criminal prosecutions and congressional investigations to find stories of claims for non-existent victims, payments for rental assistance made to prison inmates, and bureaucratic boondoggles involving inflated renovation costs and unused mobile homes.
The degree of fraud is creating amazement even in Washington, DC. Senator Susan Collins is quoted as saying, "The blatant fraud, the audacity of the schemes, the scale of the waste -- it is just breathtaking,"
FEMA officials say they typically expect 1-3% of disaster relief funds to be improperly disbursed. However, in the cases of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, nearly 11% of the expenses to date are estimated to have been fraudulent -- and as much as 21% of the money given directly to individuals.
The most disturbing cases are those which involve government officials accused of orchestrating elaborate scams involving bribes and extortion in connection with debris removal, provisions for relief workers, and unemployment benefits. Even a program set up by the American Red Cross resulted in an extraordinary level of waste and abuse.
rawstory.com |
