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Investigative reporting still exists

Posted: July 18, 2023 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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By Christopher Harper

At a time when it is virtually impossible to find a publication that engages in serious investigative journalism, PJ Media highlights one of the best of all time.

Adam Andrzejewski and OpenTheBooks.com provide an ongoing view of government waste and misconduct.

As a former investigative reporter, I commend the operation, whose motto is “Every Dime. Online. In Real Time.” OTB also encourages its readers to “join the transparency revolution.”

A former publisher from Illinois, Andrzejewski, and OTB use the Freedom of Information Act to gain access to various government data and analyses that someone has tried to keep away from prying eyes.

As PJ Media notes: “There are legions of advocacy and activism groups in America that raise hundreds of billions of dollars each year based on claims of working to make government better. But not one of them can match the monumental accomplishment of Andrzejewski and OTB.”

Using federal law and similar laws in many states takes time and effort. Simply put, governments don’t like anyone looking over their shoulders. In most cases, the government will play the waiting game, knowing that a significant delay in providing documents will tire most journalists of the search. The government will often charge excessive amounts to duplicate the information. In other cases, a journalist or private individual must be prepared to sue the government to get the information.

In 2022, OTB filed 50,000 FOIA requests and captured 25 million public employee pension and salary records.

The organization also plans to obtain “data in all 50 states down to the municipal level. We won’t stop until we capture every dime taxed and spent by our government.”

OTB also collects investigative reports from other news outlets, such as Forbes.

Here are the four most recent reports issued by OTB’s investigators and auditors:

—“Earmarks: The Return of the Swamp Creatures.” This analysis dug into the 7,509 earmarks worth more than $16 billion in that massive Omnibus Spending Bill last year. All of those earmarks are on an OTB pin map to enable anybody who wants to see comprehensive details on every one of them.

—“Improper Payments: At Least $528 Billion Wasted During the First Two Years of the Biden Administration.”  Every year, federal bureaucrats issue checks to recipients who are dead, ineligible, or fraudsters. “Since 2004, 27 federal agencies have wasted $2.9 trillion (inflation adjusted to 2022) in improper spending, giving away tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer money every year to people who shouldn’t have received it,” OTB reported.

—“The Militarization of the U.S. Executive Agencies.” The mission of the IRS is to collect taxes legitimately owed by citizens and corporations. So why did the federal tax agency need to spend “$21.3 million on guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment between fiscal years 2006 and 2019? The agency stockpiled 4,500 guns and five million rounds of ammunition.”

—“Export-Import Bank: 2007 – 2021.” Did you know U.S. taxpayers handed Boeing Aerospace more than $66 billion during those years via subsidies for foreign airlines to buy commercial jets and the maintenance parts and equipment required to keep them flying?

It’s good news from PJ Media and Open The Books!

Pa gov tries to compromise on school vouchers, but fellow Dems block his moves

Posted: July 11, 2023 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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By Christopher Harper 

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro wanted to cut a deal with the Republicans, but his fellow Democrats wouldn’t let him do it. 

The issue was important: school vouchers for kids in failing public schools throughout the state.  

Surprisingly, Shapiro supported a $100 million program to pay tuition at private and religious schools throughout the state.  

The Republicans, who control the State Senate, wanted the deal. The Democrats, who control the House of Representatives, blocked it, bowing to complaints from teachers’ unions and other leftists.  

Shapiro had to back down because the Democrats had kept the state without a budget for five days over the issue. “One party can’t get anything done on their own. Democrats and Republicans need to work together if we are to accomplish anything here in our state capital,” said Shapiro, who added he was disappointed but did not want to plunge the state into a “painful, protracted budget impasse.” 

Some Republicans expressed shock at the turn of events. 

“If this was the plan in the end, (Shapiro) certainly will have ruined his credibility with us, which to this point had been pretty strong,” said Sen. Chris Gebhard, R-Lebanon. 

Senate Republicans have not necessarily lost all their leverage. Other items that Democrats had wanted in the budget bill — and that Senate Republicans agreed to in exchange for the private schools program — might need separate legislation to spend that money. 

And Republicans haven’t scheduled the Senate to return to session until September 18, allowing them to hold up the budget bill until then without the constitutionally required signature of the presiding officer. 

Rep. Tarik Khan, D-Philadelphia, argued that boosting money for public schools — not private schools — must be a priority for lawmakers to try to wipe out disparities. 

But public schools, particularly in large cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, have been a mess for years. After the COVID shutdown, tests demonstrate that the students have fallen way behind in math and reading at all levels.  

The budget impasse also means higher education support remains in limbo, particularly for Penn State, Temple University, and the University of Pittsburgh. All the schools are reeling from declines in admissions and scholarships.  

I must credit the governor for trying to reach across the aisle, but here it’s the Democrats, not the Republicans, who favor unions over student success.  

Lower the boom on fireworks

Posted: July 4, 2023 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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By Christopher Harper

I’ve had it with fireworks!

Like any young boy, I used to relish the days of cherry bombs and M-80s used to drop down school toilets. Watching our animals cower in corners for three or four days each year, I think it’s time to take the displays out into the country or substitute laser and drone shows.

Nearly three-quarters of pet owners in the United States told pollsters that animals get stressed out every Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve. Add major sports victories to the times animals dive under beds in Philadelphia.

Add the 11 people who die each year and more than 10,000 injured last year, and you come up with some decent reasons for dialing back the celebrations.

Part of the problem is that the fireworks industry lacks oversight. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said 43% of fireworks tested last year contained components that did not comply with the law, including faulty fuses, prohibited chemicals, and overloaded pyrotechnic materials.

Fortunately, there are some excellent alternatives to blowing stuff up.

Salt Lake City and a few other cities across the U.S. are opting to trade thunderous fireworks displays for colorful high-tech drone shows this Fourth of July week over fire safety and air quality concerns in dry areas.

Last week, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall announced it was replacing traditional fireworks for Independence festivities and those planned on July 24 for Pioneer Day.

Instead, the city held its first-ever drone show, which it said was an effort to combat the city’s high fire danger and alleviate air quality concerns.

“As temperatures rise and fire danger increases, we must be conscientious of both our air quality and the potential for fires,” Mendenhall said. “The summer holiday shows are a mainstay for Salt Lakers, and we’re excited about adapting to new technology which will provide a safe alternative for our residents and visitors.”

Salt Lake is about as conservative as it gets. But lefties are jumping on the bandwagon, too.

For example, Boulder, Colorado, has swapped pyrotechnics for drones. The city has celebrated Ralphie’s Independence Day Blast every year since 1941, according to the city’s website, at least until the COVID-19 pandemic. [Ralphie is the U of Colorado mascot].

Rather than fireworks being shot into the sky and bursting into colorful patterns, drone shows feature hundreds of illuminated tiny flying machines that execute pre-programmed patterns to music while forming shapes like soaring dragons, city logos, and the American flag.

Minneapolis is opting for lasers, simply because those technologies have been easier to locate than fireworks in recent years.

Fireworks have had a good ride, but it’s time to dial back the shows—just my nickel.

On the road again

Posted: June 27, 2023 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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By Christopher Harper

In these deeply divided days of partisan politics, it isn’t easy to raise a chapeau when the other side does something right.

Nevertheless, I acknowledge that local, state, and national leaders—most of them Democrats—performed a significant service to Philadelphia and the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware by getting Interstate 95 up and moving in less than two weeks.

On Sunday, June 11, a tractor-trailer caught fire, killing the driver and burning through an overpass on I-95 just north of central Philadelphia. The accident forced the closure of a highway that sees more than 160,000 travelers daily, including many commuters into Philadelphia.

Most experts thought the highway would be closed through much of the summer. But a full-court press, including workers in shifts around the clock, bought a significant fix—albeit temporary—in only 12 days.

Indeed, other countries have shown it can be done. While every project is different, China replaced a section of a bridge overpass in 43 hours back in 2015. Last year, India built a 46-mile stretch of road in five days. Closer to home, a part of Interstate 85 in Atlanta collapsed because of a fire in 2017. Crews completed the repairs in 44 days.

Seeing city, state, and federal leaders working together after the collapse was a welcome sign. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued a disaster declaration for the ruined section of I-95, allowing the state to access federal funds for repairs.

“We’ve gotta get it fixed as soon as humanly possible,” said U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, who convinced federal officials to tour the site.

Travelers will have only six out of the usual eight lanes, but that’s a far cry better than snaking through neighborhoods in Northeast Philly. So far, the repair has cost $7 million.

The importance of the project captured the attention of many residents. In fact, a live stream of the work became a must-see event in bars, sports venues, and homes throughout the region.

The euphoria over the quick success, however, has prompted a serious assessment of what else needs to be accomplished in the city.

In an editorial, the Philadelphia Inquirer provided a list:

–The subway system, which provides transportation to about 170,000 people each weekday, faces many problems with aging vehicles and structures.

–The open-air drug market in the Kensington neighborhood just north of downtown—aka Center City—symbolizes the ineffectiveness of policies on addiction, homelessness, and policing.

–The School District of Philadelphia faces an estimated $9 billion needed for building repairs and updates.

“The fast reopening of I-95 is undoubtedly worth celebrating, but none of us should be satisfied to stop there,” the newspaper wrote. “We must demand more of our leaders. If the measure of a society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members —if a community’s actions reflect its values —then what we value shouldn’t just be measured in mile markers.”

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