OT: California Prison Academy: Better Than a Harvard Degree

[just someone]

My problem is that I don’t get the outcry about unions.

We pay the highest amount for healthcare. About 30% higher.

We outsource, the average salaries we pay go down. But often the amount we pay does not, aka benefit not realized. When it does go down, it’s on the back of the government, because for the benefits costs drop, but the costs to government in assistance goes up (aka wal mart effect)

Where does the extra money go to? The executives.

Anyone with a government contract or subcontract should be required to PUBLISH their salaries and bonuses, and shareholder dividends to shareholders wgo get more than 10k. I’d like to know who is living off the government.

[Shadowfax]

[quote=CA renter]BTW, don’t think for a moment that basketball fans are the ones paying the bloated salaries of these athletes (and entertainers of any kind). It’s the consumers who buy the products that are being advertised during the games, and those who buy the products being advertised by the athletes, themselves. If athletes (and everyone in the entertainment industry) were dependent only on fans who bought their tickets or who paid for exclusive channels, they would make a tiny fraction of what they do under the current model. And don’t say we have a choice to not buy the advertised products. I’ve actually tried to list all the advertisers during games, to see how easy it would be to avoid them, and it would be almost impossible. Try it sometime.[/quote]

And many of the products we buy come from a consortium of companies owned by one or a small number of mega-corporations. Does anyone remember the Beatrice adds, where virtually every product imaginable is flashed on screen with the nice lady’s voice repeating “Beatrice.” Anti-trust doesn’t seem to appy. P&G owns a ton of brands at the grocery store, so while the array of goods is mind-boggling (most being things that people don’t really need) there are only a handful of owners of those brands and the decisions they make are hard to avoid (see thread on “Whole Foods”). So choices are limited in that regard.

[Shadowfax]

[quote=CA renter]BTW, don’t think for a moment that basketball fans are the ones paying the bloated salaries of these athletes (and entertainers of any kind). It’s the consumers who buy the products that are being advertised during the games, and those who buy the products being advertised by the athletes, themselves. If athletes (and everyone in the entertainment industry) were dependent only on fans who bought their tickets or who paid for exclusive channels, they would make a tiny fraction of what they do under the current model. And don’t say we have a choice to not buy the advertised products. I’ve actually tried to list all the advertisers during games, to see how easy it would be to avoid them, and it would be almost impossible. Try it sometime.[/quote]

And many of the products we buy come from a consortium of companies owned by one or a small number of mega-corporations. Does anyone remember the Beatrice adds, where virtually every product imaginable is flashed on screen with the nice lady’s voice repeating “Beatrice.” Anti-trust doesn’t seem to appy. P&G owns a ton of brands at the grocery store, so while the array of goods is mind-boggling (most being things that people don’t really need) there are only a handful of owners of those brands and the decisions they make are hard to avoid (see thread on “Whole Foods”). So choices are limited in that regard.

[Shadowfax]

[quote=CA renter]BTW, don’t think for a moment that basketball fans are the ones paying the bloated salaries of these athletes (and entertainers of any kind). It’s the consumers who buy the products that are being advertised during the games, and those who buy the products being advertised by the athletes, themselves. If athletes (and everyone in the entertainment industry) were dependent only on fans who bought their tickets or who paid for exclusive channels, they would make a tiny fraction of what they do under the current model. And don’t say we have a choice to not buy the advertised products. I’ve actually tried to list all the advertisers during games, to see how easy it would be to avoid them, and it would be almost impossible. Try it sometime.[/quote]

And many of the products we buy come from a consortium of companies owned by one or a small number of mega-corporations. Does anyone remember the Beatrice adds, where virtually every product imaginable is flashed on screen with the nice lady’s voice repeating “Beatrice.” Anti-trust doesn’t seem to appy. P&G owns a ton of brands at the grocery store, so while the array of goods is mind-boggling (most being things that people don’t really need) there are only a handful of owners of those brands and the decisions they make are hard to avoid (see thread on “Whole Foods”). So choices are limited in that regard.

[Shadowfax]

[quote=CA renter]BTW, don’t think for a moment that basketball fans are the ones paying the bloated salaries of these athletes (and entertainers of any kind). It’s the consumers who buy the products that are being advertised during the games, and those who buy the products being advertised by the athletes, themselves. If athletes (and everyone in the entertainment industry) were dependent only on fans who bought their tickets or who paid for exclusive channels, they would make a tiny fraction of what they do under the current model. And don’t say we have a choice to not buy the advertised products. I’ve actually tried to list all the advertisers during games, to see how easy it would be to avoid them, and it would be almost impossible. Try it sometime.[/quote]

And many of the products we buy come from a consortium of companies owned by one or a small number of mega-corporations. Does anyone remember the Beatrice adds, where virtually every product imaginable is flashed on screen with the nice lady’s voice repeating “Beatrice.” Anti-trust doesn’t seem to appy. P&G owns a ton of brands at the grocery store, so while the array of goods is mind-boggling (most being things that people don’t really need) there are only a handful of owners of those brands and the decisions they make are hard to avoid (see thread on “Whole Foods”). So choices are limited in that regard.

[Shadowfax]

[quote=CA renter]BTW, don’t think for a moment that basketball fans are the ones paying the bloated salaries of these athletes (and entertainers of any kind). It’s the consumers who buy the products that are being advertised during the games, and those who buy the products being advertised by the athletes, themselves. If athletes (and everyone in the entertainment industry) were dependent only on fans who bought their tickets or who paid for exclusive channels, they would make a tiny fraction of what they do under the current model. And don’t say we have a choice to not buy the advertised products. I’ve actually tried to list all the advertisers during games, to see how easy it would be to avoid them, and it would be almost impossible. Try it sometime.[/quote]

And many of the products we buy come from a consortium of companies owned by one or a small number of mega-corporations. Does anyone remember the Beatrice adds, where virtually every product imaginable is flashed on screen with the nice lady’s voice repeating “Beatrice.” Anti-trust doesn’t seem to appy. P&G owns a ton of brands at the grocery store, so while the array of goods is mind-boggling (most being things that people don’t really need) there are only a handful of owners of those brands and the decisions they make are hard to avoid (see thread on “Whole Foods”). So choices are limited in that regard.

[Anonymous]

[quote=CA renter]I’ve actually tried to list all the advertisers during games, to see how easy it would be to avoid them, and it would be almost impossible. Try it sometime.[/quote]

It’s actually quite simple, just move to North Korea.

[Anonymous]

[quote=CA renter]I’ve actually tried to list all the advertisers during games, to see how easy it would be to avoid them, and it would be almost impossible. Try it sometime.[/quote]

It’s actually quite simple, just move to North Korea.

[Anonymous]

[quote=CA renter]I’ve actually tried to list all the advertisers during games, to see how easy it would be to avoid them, and it would be almost impossible. Try it sometime.[/quote]

It’s actually quite simple, just move to North Korea.

[Anonymous]

[quote=CA renter]I’ve actually tried to list all the advertisers during games, to see how easy it would be to avoid them, and it would be almost impossible. Try it sometime.[/quote]

It’s actually quite simple, just move to North Korea.

[Anonymous]

[quote=CA renter]I’ve actually tried to list all the advertisers during games, to see how easy it would be to avoid them, and it would be almost impossible. Try it sometime.[/quote]

It’s actually quite simple, just move to North Korea.

[Coronita]

Heh, why “work”, when you can just embezzle?

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/may/03/two-former-sedc-officials-charged-with/

Former SEDC officials charged with embezzling
The former president and finance director are accused of improper bonuses

SEDC bonuses

SEDC chief authorized extra pay for herself

SEDC plagued by fraud, auditors say

Judge blocks severance pay to ex-SEDC chief

Two former top officials of an agency tasked with revitalizing some of San Diego’s poorest neighborhoods were charged with conspiracy, embezzlement and misappropriation of funds on Tuesday by the Attorney General’s office.

Former President Carolyn Y. Smith, 54, and former finance director Dante Dayacap, 62, are accused of wrongly approving more than $800,000 in bonuses for themselves and others at the Southeastern Economic Development Corp. The payments were labeled as bonuses for holidays, longevity, cost-of-living, “year-end acknowledgment” and other purposes, according to the 10-page felony complaint.

The two left the agency in 2008 under pressure, after an investigation by voiceofsandiego.org. A subsequent city audit outlined many of the same payments and said they amounted to fraud.

If proved, the criminal charges could result in up to seven years and four months in state prison for each of the defendants.

The payments were requested and personally approved over a number of years, according to the five-count complaint which alleges 42 overt acts.

“Each bonus check was signed by Dayacap and Smith, including Smith’s own bonus payment,” the arrest documents say. “The Board was never informed of the bonuses or asked to approve them. City Council was never informed of the bonuses or asked to approve them.”

Officials from the state Attorney General’s Office answered general questions about the arrest warrant but declined to comment on the scope of the allegations.

A spokesman said Tuesday that Smith had not yet been arrested but was informed she would need to turn herself in for booking soon; Dayacap was arrested Tuesday and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday on five separate charges.

The same official said the FBI assisted with the investigation. Neither Smith or Dayacap could be reached Tuesday for comment.

Smith joined the agency in 1984 and took over as its head in 1994. The organization promotes economic development in seven square miles east of downtown, and is set up as a nonprofit city agency.

The arrest documents allege a number of lies, omissions and misrepresentations used to keep city leaders in the dark about compensation at the agency. In discussing the budget for 2007-08, for instance, the documents say, “Smith’s explanation of merit bonuses was also a misrepresentation, listing an example of $2,000 when in fact Smith had already received $53,500 in bonus compensation alone that fiscal year to date.”

Smith was fired after the city audit.

She originally was awarded a $100,350 severance package but that payment has been withheld. Last year, Smith filed a lawsuit to recover the tied-up severance package but the payment remains in legal limbo.

According to the arrest affidavit, Smith told city officials she found ways to compensate the agency’s employees because City Hall rejected raises and the staff was underpaid compared to a sister agency, the Centre City Development Corp.

Smith defended her record in an August 2008 interview with the Union-Tribune.

“In a nutshell, everything we’ve done in redevelopment has accrued back to the community, and that’s huge because often you find redevelopment displacing people that are living there, but our first priority has been to the residents and businesses in this area,” she said.

Jerry Groomes, who served as president of the Southeastern Economic Development Corp. in the early 1990s and reassumed that job Feb. 1, said he had no idea arrest warrants were forthcoming.

“We were just kind of caught off guard like everybody else,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, but the organization is moving forward. We’re trying to do what we need to do to revitalize the community. That’s my focus.”

An aide to Mayor Jerry Sanders noted that Sanders called on Smith to resign as early as July 2008.

“Now that this is a criminal matter, it would be inappropriate for the mayor to comment publicly beyond that,” spokesman Alex Roth said.

[Coronita]

Heh, why “work”, when you can just embezzle?

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/may/03/two-former-sedc-officials-charged-with/

Former SEDC officials charged with embezzling
The former president and finance director are accused of improper bonuses

SEDC bonuses

SEDC chief authorized extra pay for herself

SEDC plagued by fraud, auditors say

Judge blocks severance pay to ex-SEDC chief

Two former top officials of an agency tasked with revitalizing some of San Diego’s poorest neighborhoods were charged with conspiracy, embezzlement and misappropriation of funds on Tuesday by the Attorney General’s office.

Former President Carolyn Y. Smith, 54, and former finance director Dante Dayacap, 62, are accused of wrongly approving more than $800,000 in bonuses for themselves and others at the Southeastern Economic Development Corp. The payments were labeled as bonuses for holidays, longevity, cost-of-living, “year-end acknowledgment” and other purposes, according to the 10-page felony complaint.

The two left the agency in 2008 under pressure, after an investigation by voiceofsandiego.org. A subsequent city audit outlined many of the same payments and said they amounted to fraud.

If proved, the criminal charges could result in up to seven years and four months in state prison for each of the defendants.

The payments were requested and personally approved over a number of years, according to the five-count complaint which alleges 42 overt acts.

“Each bonus check was signed by Dayacap and Smith, including Smith’s own bonus payment,” the arrest documents say. “The Board was never informed of the bonuses or asked to approve them. City Council was never informed of the bonuses or asked to approve them.”

Officials from the state Attorney General’s Office answered general questions about the arrest warrant but declined to comment on the scope of the allegations.

A spokesman said Tuesday that Smith had not yet been arrested but was informed she would need to turn herself in for booking soon; Dayacap was arrested Tuesday and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday on five separate charges.

The same official said the FBI assisted with the investigation. Neither Smith or Dayacap could be reached Tuesday for comment.

Smith joined the agency in 1984 and took over as its head in 1994. The organization promotes economic development in seven square miles east of downtown, and is set up as a nonprofit city agency.

The arrest documents allege a number of lies, omissions and misrepresentations used to keep city leaders in the dark about compensation at the agency. In discussing the budget for 2007-08, for instance, the documents say, “Smith’s explanation of merit bonuses was also a misrepresentation, listing an example of $2,000 when in fact Smith had already received $53,500 in bonus compensation alone that fiscal year to date.”

Smith was fired after the city audit.

She originally was awarded a $100,350 severance package but that payment has been withheld. Last year, Smith filed a lawsuit to recover the tied-up severance package but the payment remains in legal limbo.

According to the arrest affidavit, Smith told city officials she found ways to compensate the agency’s employees because City Hall rejected raises and the staff was underpaid compared to a sister agency, the Centre City Development Corp.

Smith defended her record in an August 2008 interview with the Union-Tribune.

“In a nutshell, everything we’ve done in redevelopment has accrued back to the community, and that’s huge because often you find redevelopment displacing people that are living there, but our first priority has been to the residents and businesses in this area,” she said.

Jerry Groomes, who served as president of the Southeastern Economic Development Corp. in the early 1990s and reassumed that job Feb. 1, said he had no idea arrest warrants were forthcoming.

“We were just kind of caught off guard like everybody else,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, but the organization is moving forward. We’re trying to do what we need to do to revitalize the community. That’s my focus.”

An aide to Mayor Jerry Sanders noted that Sanders called on Smith to resign as early as July 2008.

“Now that this is a criminal matter, it would be inappropriate for the mayor to comment publicly beyond that,” spokesman Alex Roth said.

[Coronita]

Heh, why “work”, when you can just embezzle?

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/may/03/two-former-sedc-officials-charged-with/

Former SEDC officials charged with embezzling
The former president and finance director are accused of improper bonuses

SEDC bonuses

SEDC chief authorized extra pay for herself

SEDC plagued by fraud, auditors say

Judge blocks severance pay to ex-SEDC chief

Two former top officials of an agency tasked with revitalizing some of San Diego’s poorest neighborhoods were charged with conspiracy, embezzlement and misappropriation of funds on Tuesday by the Attorney General’s office.

Former President Carolyn Y. Smith, 54, and former finance director Dante Dayacap, 62, are accused of wrongly approving more than $800,000 in bonuses for themselves and others at the Southeastern Economic Development Corp. The payments were labeled as bonuses for holidays, longevity, cost-of-living, “year-end acknowledgment” and other purposes, according to the 10-page felony complaint.

The two left the agency in 2008 under pressure, after an investigation by voiceofsandiego.org. A subsequent city audit outlined many of the same payments and said they amounted to fraud.

If proved, the criminal charges could result in up to seven years and four months in state prison for each of the defendants.

The payments were requested and personally approved over a number of years, according to the five-count complaint which alleges 42 overt acts.

“Each bonus check was signed by Dayacap and Smith, including Smith’s own bonus payment,” the arrest documents say. “The Board was never informed of the bonuses or asked to approve them. City Council was never informed of the bonuses or asked to approve them.”

Officials from the state Attorney General’s Office answered general questions about the arrest warrant but declined to comment on the scope of the allegations.

A spokesman said Tuesday that Smith had not yet been arrested but was informed she would need to turn herself in for booking soon; Dayacap was arrested Tuesday and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday on five separate charges.

The same official said the FBI assisted with the investigation. Neither Smith or Dayacap could be reached Tuesday for comment.

Smith joined the agency in 1984 and took over as its head in 1994. The organization promotes economic development in seven square miles east of downtown, and is set up as a nonprofit city agency.

The arrest documents allege a number of lies, omissions and misrepresentations used to keep city leaders in the dark about compensation at the agency. In discussing the budget for 2007-08, for instance, the documents say, “Smith’s explanation of merit bonuses was also a misrepresentation, listing an example of $2,000 when in fact Smith had already received $53,500 in bonus compensation alone that fiscal year to date.”

Smith was fired after the city audit.

She originally was awarded a $100,350 severance package but that payment has been withheld. Last year, Smith filed a lawsuit to recover the tied-up severance package but the payment remains in legal limbo.

According to the arrest affidavit, Smith told city officials she found ways to compensate the agency’s employees because City Hall rejected raises and the staff was underpaid compared to a sister agency, the Centre City Development Corp.

Smith defended her record in an August 2008 interview with the Union-Tribune.

“In a nutshell, everything we’ve done in redevelopment has accrued back to the community, and that’s huge because often you find redevelopment displacing people that are living there, but our first priority has been to the residents and businesses in this area,” she said.

Jerry Groomes, who served as president of the Southeastern Economic Development Corp. in the early 1990s and reassumed that job Feb. 1, said he had no idea arrest warrants were forthcoming.

“We were just kind of caught off guard like everybody else,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, but the organization is moving forward. We’re trying to do what we need to do to revitalize the community. That’s my focus.”

An aide to Mayor Jerry Sanders noted that Sanders called on Smith to resign as early as July 2008.

“Now that this is a criminal matter, it would be inappropriate for the mayor to comment publicly beyond that,” spokesman Alex Roth said.

[Coronita]

Heh, why “work”, when you can just embezzle?

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/may/03/two-former-sedc-officials-charged-with/

Former SEDC officials charged with embezzling
The former president and finance director are accused of improper bonuses

SEDC bonuses

SEDC chief authorized extra pay for herself

SEDC plagued by fraud, auditors say

Judge blocks severance pay to ex-SEDC chief

Two former top officials of an agency tasked with revitalizing some of San Diego’s poorest neighborhoods were charged with conspiracy, embezzlement and misappropriation of funds on Tuesday by the Attorney General’s office.

Former President Carolyn Y. Smith, 54, and former finance director Dante Dayacap, 62, are accused of wrongly approving more than $800,000 in bonuses for themselves and others at the Southeastern Economic Development Corp. The payments were labeled as bonuses for holidays, longevity, cost-of-living, “year-end acknowledgment” and other purposes, according to the 10-page felony complaint.

The two left the agency in 2008 under pressure, after an investigation by voiceofsandiego.org. A subsequent city audit outlined many of the same payments and said they amounted to fraud.

If proved, the criminal charges could result in up to seven years and four months in state prison for each of the defendants.

The payments were requested and personally approved over a number of years, according to the five-count complaint which alleges 42 overt acts.

“Each bonus check was signed by Dayacap and Smith, including Smith’s own bonus payment,” the arrest documents say. “The Board was never informed of the bonuses or asked to approve them. City Council was never informed of the bonuses or asked to approve them.”

Officials from the state Attorney General’s Office answered general questions about the arrest warrant but declined to comment on the scope of the allegations.

A spokesman said Tuesday that Smith had not yet been arrested but was informed she would need to turn herself in for booking soon; Dayacap was arrested Tuesday and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday on five separate charges.

The same official said the FBI assisted with the investigation. Neither Smith or Dayacap could be reached Tuesday for comment.

Smith joined the agency in 1984 and took over as its head in 1994. The organization promotes economic development in seven square miles east of downtown, and is set up as a nonprofit city agency.

The arrest documents allege a number of lies, omissions and misrepresentations used to keep city leaders in the dark about compensation at the agency. In discussing the budget for 2007-08, for instance, the documents say, “Smith’s explanation of merit bonuses was also a misrepresentation, listing an example of $2,000 when in fact Smith had already received $53,500 in bonus compensation alone that fiscal year to date.”

Smith was fired after the city audit.

She originally was awarded a $100,350 severance package but that payment has been withheld. Last year, Smith filed a lawsuit to recover the tied-up severance package but the payment remains in legal limbo.

According to the arrest affidavit, Smith told city officials she found ways to compensate the agency’s employees because City Hall rejected raises and the staff was underpaid compared to a sister agency, the Centre City Development Corp.

Smith defended her record in an August 2008 interview with the Union-Tribune.

“In a nutshell, everything we’ve done in redevelopment has accrued back to the community, and that’s huge because often you find redevelopment displacing people that are living there, but our first priority has been to the residents and businesses in this area,” she said.

Jerry Groomes, who served as president of the Southeastern Economic Development Corp. in the early 1990s and reassumed that job Feb. 1, said he had no idea arrest warrants were forthcoming.

“We were just kind of caught off guard like everybody else,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, but the organization is moving forward. We’re trying to do what we need to do to revitalize the community. That’s my focus.”

An aide to Mayor Jerry Sanders noted that Sanders called on Smith to resign as early as July 2008.

“Now that this is a criminal matter, it would be inappropriate for the mayor to comment publicly beyond that,” spokesman Alex Roth said.

[Author]

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