Who Watches the Money?    
   
   We don't want to spoil your Thanksgiving dinner with worrisome reports, so we'll put this one to bed now. 

   You may remember the General Services Administration "conference" in Las Vegas in 2010. GSA officials made eight visits to Sin City, staying at various resorts to determine which had the best rooms and food.

   Parties and entertainment were "necessary" to judge where best to hold the conference. One dinner cost more than $100/person, at taxpayer expense. This was the advanced party!

   Over four days, 300 government employees lived it up, spending millions. As we remember, the Obama Administration termed it "team building."

   What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas, except this time. GSA Inspector General Brian Miller did his job, and the chief organizer, who awarded himself an extra getaway, served eight months in a correctional institution.

   Interviewer Marvin Olasky recently ask Miller, "How swampy is the Washington swamp?" "It's swampy," he answered. The work of IGs is "somewhat like playing Whac-A-Mole." 

   GSA, the federal landlord, buys things for the government. There are 12,000 employees. 

   Miller said, "Any town with 12,000 people in it will have people doing stupid things and criminal things." There are always scandals at GSA. That's where the money is, and a lot of it flows through GSA."

   Healthcare fraud is another concern, with billions of dollars involved. Miller said, "There's always incentive to maximize your reimbursement from the federal government. There are lots of judgment calls in billing. Regulations have gotten so complicated that it's hard to follow precisely." 

   There are 73 federal inspectors general, all supposedly independent. Soon, the nation will hear from the Dept. of Justice IG. Pleasant dreams.  

        Jimmy