The Obama Administration on Governing: Brains Optional

    There's an old joke that says if aliens are seeking for signs of intelligent life on earth, let's hope they don't start in the nation's capital. But to hear this White House tell it, much of the work in DC could be accomplished anyway without the benefits of brains. Here are just some examples of administration members' thoughts on the subject from the White House website:

• “Making Title IX as strong as possible is a no-brainer,” said Vice President Biden.
• So it is a no-brainer for Congress to do what it's supposed to do: Pass transportation funding.
• The President then detoured briefly from his prepared remarks, explaining why it's a “no-brainer” for Congress to pass the bill [on student loan debt.]
• Providing people with health care, that should be a no-brainer.  Giving people a chance to get health care should be a no-brainer.
• So you would think this [minimum wage increase] would be a no-brainer. Politically, you'd think that folks would be rushing to do this.
• During the speech, the President called on Congress to pass a bill that makes clear that current insider trading laws apply to Members of Congress... This is a no-brainer.
• And your neighboring states have made that decision because they look at it and they say, this is a no-brainer, why would not -- why would we not want to take advantage of this [expansion of Medicaid coverage.]
• This kind of waste is just unacceptable. Particularly at a time when we’re facing tough decisions about reducing our deficit, it's a no-brainer to stop spending taxpayer dollars on things that benefit nobody. [Vice President's Campaign to Cut Waste]
• It’s a plan [to help responsible homeowners refinance their mortgages] that we know will work.  It has the support of independent, nonpartisan economists and leaders across the housing industry.  It’s a no-brainer that should have passed easily.
• Do the right thing.  It is a no-brainer.  Let’s get it done.  Let’s pass these [Bush] tax cuts.
• Congress should renew the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.  Whether you are a conservative or a liberal, Democrat or Republican, this is a no-brainer.
• It should be a no brainer. The United States has been subsidizing the oil industry for a century. President Obama believes that's long enough.
• Ensuring paycheck fairness for women should be a no brainer. And they need to pass that bill.
• Green consumer products can only become mainstream if businesses make the right environmental choice a financial no-brainer...
• This sounds like common sense.  It should be a no-brainer.  It just doesn’t happen in this country.  And if we can invest to create access to high-speed broadband, we open up a new world of educational opportunity.
• That should be a no-brainer.  That should be a bipartisan no-brainer to make sure that we've got the best possible nursing staffs in the country.
• We all agree on prohibiting insurance companies from arbitrarily cancelling [sic] insurance policies.  That's a no-brainer; there's strong agreement on both sides of the aisle there.

The above is by no means a comprehensive list. But if this much can be accomplished sans grey matter, maybe there's hope in Washington for one of the White House's favorite characters who is trotted out frequently in arguments against Republican policies. And no trip to Oz will be required.

Postal Service Explores Sensors, Data Collection Via 'Vehicles, Mailboxes, Machines, Letter Carriers'

    The U.S. Postal Service is seeking a company to help develop a program called The Internet of Postal Things. The Risk Analysis Research Center (RARC), part of the Postal Service's Office of the Inspector General (OIG), is looking for a supplier "who possesses expertise and critical knowledge of the Internet of Things, data strategy and analytics, and the Postal Service’s operations, infrastructure, products and services."  The OIG is exploring ways for the Postal Service to benefit from the technology that provides "virtually unlimited opportunities to collect and process data from any device, infrastructure, machine and even human beings."
    The idea was first raised at a January 28, 2014 meeting sponsored by the OIG and the Universal Postal Union. The "Internet of Things" concept is defined in the documents accompanying the OIG's solicitation as:

[T]he ability to embed sensors and other data collection technologies into physical objects, infrastructures, and the surroundings in which people live and businesses operate – is one of the latest technology revolutions that are affecting the nature of business.  

The OIG acknowledges the issue of privacy and asks that respondents have "appropriate knowledge to assess the impact of privacy and transparency policies on the design of data strategies is also requested."
    The documents note that the collection of data is nothing new for the Postal Service, and that the new technology will supplement and enhance the information already collected in various ways:

The U.S. Postal Service has always been a major creator of large datasets – from mail origin/destination information to quality of service data, and letter mail scans.   

The application of sensors and other data collection technologies to the various components of the postal infrastructure (vehicles, mailboxes, machines, letter carriers etc.), combined with powerful software and analytical tools, could help the Postal Service bring data management to the next level. It would create new rich data sources that could help the Postal Service improve operational performance, customer service, create new products and services, and support more efficient decision-making processes. The “Internet of Postal Things” could also have a positive spillover effect on other adjacent non-postal sectors, as the information collected by and for the Postal Service could be useful to others[.]

    The contract for the research and reporting for the Internet of Postal Things project is expected to be less than $100,000. The timeline calls for the work to be completed with various presentations and possibly a white paper on the subject before the end of 2014.


Note: A version of this post first appeared at The Weekly Standard.

Director of National Intelligence Celebrates LGBT Pride Month: 'What The IC Is About'

    In line with President Obama's official proclamation of June as "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month", the current banner headlining the website of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) Wednesday proclaims the agency's celebration of the same, noting, "It’s also about what the IC is about: integration":

    The graphic contains a quote from a March speech given by director James Clapper at the Intelligence Community (IC) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Allies (LGBTA) Summit which was held this year at the National Security Agency in Fort Meade, Maryland:

[T]his isn’t just about what’s altruistically right. It’s also about what the IC is about: integration. It means having and using a widely diverse workforce, and taking advantage of all those great intellects we have, while removing as many frustrations and distractions as possible. So – it’s not just about what’s right. It’s about good business in our profession.

    In his speech, Clapper noted his experiences with gay members of the intelligence community, from initially helping to expel two gay airmen in the 1960s to later, as Clapper's rank and authority grew, accommodating and retaining gays who were outed, at least in part to "atone for what happened to those two airman."

    Clapper closed his remarks to the LGBTA summit with a repurposing of an Arthur C. Clarke quote about "hoping to find intelligent life in Washington":

Let me finish with the words of the brilliant science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was in part about the quest to find intelligent life in the universe. He said some great things over the years, including: “I'm hoping to find intelligent life in Washington.” 

Clarke, who was just way ahead of his time, also said this: “We stand now at the turning point between two eras. Behind us is a past to which we can never return.” 

I’d like to think that we’re now well beyond the turning point that applies to equal opportunity and diversity for the LGBT community. Because I know, there’s no going back.

Update: The ODNI since tweeted several LGBT Pride-related tweets, including this one featuring a former Navy Seal:

Thanks @TheLadyValor for helping DIA celebrate #LGBT #PrideMonth this week! http://t.co/lhmCIgk2dI pic.twitter.com/ApoyEXgg18
— DIA (@DefenseIntel) June 20, 2014

Note: A version of this post, before the update, appeared first at The Weekly Standard.

88 Charged in One of Largest Food Stamp Frauds Ever

    The FBI announced Tuesday in Savannah, GA that eighty-eight persons have been charged in "one of the largest federal food program frauds ever prosecuted."  Fifty-four of the defendants were charged with conspiring to open "purported grocery stores" specifically for the purpose of defrauding the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) and Food Stamp program.  After the fake stores were "approved as WIC and Food Stamp vendors," many of the fifty-four defendants went through neighborhoods soliciting WIC and Food Stamp participants to exchange government benefits for cash instead of food in clear violation of the law.  The remaining thirty-four defendants were such benefit recipients who sold over $1,000 of their own or their minor children's benefits for a fraction of their worth.  In all, over $18 million was laundered in this way in at least nine cities in Georgia.
        The list of those charged includes some colorful nicknames, like Grand Hustle, Big Bo, Da Man, Rah Rah, and even The Money Wizard.  The fifty-four defendants were charged with mail and wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy, each of which carry a maximum of twenty years in prison plus fines of $250,000 and $500,000 respectively. The thirty-four defendants charged with selling their benefits could face five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  The government is attempting to seize "$20 million and various bank accounts and assets, including a 2008 Land Rover and a 2008 Mercedes Benz."
    A report in August 2013 revealed that in the latest period studied, 2009-2011, Food Stamp fraud had increased from 1% to 1.3%, an increase of 30% over the previous study period of 2006-2008. However, with the explosion in Food Stamp participation beginning with the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession, the increase in the dollar value of fraud illustrates the jump more dramatically, from $330 million in 2006-2008 to $858 million in 2009-2011.
    It is unclear from the FBI's press release how the "purported grocery stores" managed to acquire approval from the USDA as WIC and Food Stamp vendors without, at least initially, arousing suspicion. The FBI did not reveal how the fraud was uncovered, but credited a number of federal, state and local agencies and authorities for cooperation in the investigation.


Note: A version of this article first appeared at The Weekly Standard. 

Audit: IRS Does Not ‘Effectively Track’ Computers That Are ‘Recycled Or Donated’

    The results of a Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) audit released Tuesday found that "[w]hile the IRS is complying with GSA requirements to recycle or donate used information technology (IT) equipment, TIGTA found several areas for improvement." The IRS got rid of more than 100,000 computers between 2009 and 2012 by recycling or donating to schools. However, the agency does not "effectively track which equipment is recycled or donated," which made it difficult for TIGTA to measure compliance to General Services Administration (GSA) requirements.
    The press release from TIGTA reads as follows:

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) needs to improve its processes for disposing of unneeded computers, printers, and servers, according to a report publicly released today by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). 

TIGTA reviewed the accuracy of the disposal asset inventory and the IRS’s actions taken or planned to fulfill General Services Administration (GSA) requirements. 

While the IRS is complying with GSA requirements to recycle or donate used information technology (IT) equipment, TIGTA found several areas for improvement. According to the report, the IRS needs to: improve documentation to ensure compliance with media sanitization guidelines; report any IT equipment that cannot be located to the Computer Security Incident Response Center as required; and improve documentation of disposal actions. 

The IRS disposed of 63,031 desktop computers and 44,734 laptops between 2009 and 2012 through a combination of recycling and donating to schools. However, it does not effectively track which equipment is recycled or donated, making it difficult to measure compliance with GSA requirements. 

TIGTA made eight recommendations to improve documentation of the removal of all data from IT equipment before it is donated and the equipment’s final destination, and the reporting of lost or stolen equipment. The IRS agreed with TIGTA’s recommendations and is taking actions to implement them.

    The report is dated April 25, 2014, but was released publicly Tuesday.
    The IRS has been under scrutiny lately for missing emails of former Exempt Organizations Unit director Lois Lerner, whose laptop hard drive crashed in 2011.  The IRS released a statement on Tuesday saying that through other methods of recovery, "the IRS has or will produce 24,000 Lerner emails from this 2009-2011 time period, largely from the files of the other 82 individuals. The IRS’s production to Congress of the 67,000 Lerner emails is nearly complete."


Note: A version of this article first appeared at The Weekly Standard. 

Gov't Report: Nearly Half Sampled Approved School Lunch Applications Found to Be Ineligible

    A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published a month ago but just publicly released on Monday found that while the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken steps to see that ineligible beneficiaries do not receive reduced-price or free school meals, oversight still needs to be improved. An analysis of a small, "nongeneralizable" sample of twenty-five approved applications found that eleven of them were in fact ineligible.
    The sample included two categories of applications: those which automatically qualify due to "categorical eligibility (by participating in certain public-assistance programs or meeting an approved designation, such as foster children)", and those which qualify based on self-reported household size and income.
    Of the six applications that indicated categorical eligibility, half were either completely ineligible (2) or qualified for reduced-price meals instead of free. These type of applications are not even subject to standard verification. The GAO recommended that the USDA conduct sample verification such as the one conducted by the GAO to help prevent this problem.
    Of the remaining nineteen applications, the GAO found that nine were ineligible, and only two of the nine could have been verified as ineligible under standard USDA procedures. The GAO suggests that using computer matching with external income data (state payroll records) could help in weeding out participants who do not qualify despite the self-reported information that resulted in the initial approval.
    A chart included in the report illustrates the relatively small window of income variation ($1,200) from the established thresholds that subjects an application to standard verification:

    The report noted that "[t]he Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has designated the NSLP [National School Lunch Program] as 1 of 13 federal 'high-error' programs due to its large estimated improper payments—approximately $1.8 billion in fiscal year 2013," for an error rate of 15.7 percent.  The School Breakfast Program (SBP) error rate was even higher at 25.3 percent for an estimated $831 million in improper payments in fiscal 2013.
    As of this date, the USDA has not responded to the GAO regarding the recommendations made in the report.


Note: A version of this article first appeared at The Weekly Standard. 

Kerry: Terrorists in Syria, Iraq 'Thinking About How They Can Hurt People... in the United States'

    Hillary Clinton raised eyebrows recently with her assertion that the five Taliban commanders transferred to Qatar in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl are "not a threat to the United States." John Kerry, in remarks Thursday to the U.S. Embassy staff in London, seemed to take issue with Clinton's assessment on the relative danger posed to the United States by terrorists in foreign lands [emphasis added]:

[W]e’re living in an era – a tectonic shift, a moment of extraordinary change. And our interests are at stake everywhere.
That’s what I want to reinforce in you. There’s no us and them, over there, over here, and you’re safe. We’re all connected to what’s going on. Terrorists in Syria today, in Iraq today are thinking about how they can hurt people in London or Paris or Berlin or even in the United States. And they don’t offer anything else to their people. They’re not offering an education plan, they’re not offering – well, actually, it’s do what we tell you. Read one book and that’s it, and you live by it. But they’re not offering a broad-based set of opportunities and education. They don’t talk about building their country, they don’t have healthcare, nothing. That’s what we’re struggling with.

    In an interview at The Hague in 2009, Clinton herself seemed more concerned about the direct threat posed to the United States by the Taliban than her recent remarks would indicate:

QUESTION: President Obama just last week was talking about the Taliban and al-Qaida. He said that they are regenerating and they’re a threat to the United States and to its allies. And just today we had the head of the Pakistan Taliban making a threat against directly the United States, in fact, Washington, D.C. – Baitullah Mehsud saying he’s planning a terrorist attack that would “amaze the world.” What can you tell us about that? Do you know how serious it is and could the Taliban actually mount such a threat? 

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, remember that leaders of the Taliban are in a syndicate relationship with al-Qaida. They are allies, they depend upon one another. Al-Qaida provides planning, logistical, financial support. The Taliban provides a safe haven. So it’s a totally interconnected relationship. So what we respond to something like that is to make clear that threats like that will be dealt with. We will be obviously vigilant and prepared. But it illustrates exactly why we’re doing what we’re doing. Anybody who thinks we can walk away from Afghanistan and Pakistan and the border area is forgetting it happened on September 11th, 2001. I was a Senator from New York. I don’t forget. I know what these people are capable of doing. And we’ve kept them at bay and we’re going to dismantle them, disrupt and defeat them.

Note: A version of this article first appeared at The Weekly Standard.