12/2/2012 12:23:00 AM
Taxpayers are sitting
in the 'Amen Corner'
| |
|
Our View
Unfortunately for Gov. Nikki Haley, the news surrounding the hacked tax returns of nearly the entire state's population just does not get better.
Yes, we hold onto a belief - perhaps "hope" is the better word choice these days - the governor is doing her level best in terms of damage control now and in the days, weeks, months and even years ahead, but to learn this breach of taxpayer information that now comes with a multi-million dollar price tag to repair could have been avoided with a $25,000 expenditure is ... well, it's inexcusable. Really.
That's right, a few dollars (in government speak, $25,000 is not a lot of money; if in doubt, Google search the nation's current tally on the national debt) could have prevented all of this. It turns out if the astute state Revenue Department had spent that much money on a system that would have required more than one password for remote access to the millions of files, we would all be resting much easier this holiday season.
 |
This information came from Mandiant, a computer security firm the state hired to help sort out this mess, a firm getting paid a good bit more than $25,000. Mandiant's spokesman added this little nugget: If only the information was encrypted, the hacker wouldn't have been able to hack.
Of course, it might have helped a bit if DOR had not left its computer security chief spot vacant for nearly a year.
Does that not just gall you as a taxpayer? Not too many businesses in the private world would leave a computer security chief spot vacant for that long. Imagine, for example, your bank has a vacancy in that role and opts to let the position remain open for a while. Big savings on salary and benefits, yes? Big money loser in the end, however, when your account and everybody else's is drained by a hacker.
Much political rhetoric has been bandied about, and not just in this recent presidential campaign that pitted Romney against Obama, regarding the need to run government more like a business.
Can we, on this fine Sunday morning, get an "Amen?"
|
|
Posted: Monday, December 10, 2012
Article comment by:
Donald S
To Mike Clarke-the guy posted facts, how is that misrepresenting anything or misleading anybody?
7% of white people are on food stamps.
25% of black people are on food stamps.
Get over it. Facts are facts, whether you want to believe them or not. Why do liberals hate facts? Geez.
It is amusing that you keep harping on the Franklin quote too. Obviously the guy provided you with one site out of many that has the quote attributed to him. Why don't you give all of us evidence that he DID NOT say it.
Posted: Monday, December 10, 2012
Article comment by:
Mike Clarke
To Dr. No,
Thank you so much for the first intelligent responses to one of my posts. It was truly a delight to finally find someone that could respond where we could base a discussion on, rather than emotional rants. Dealing with poverty in America is a serious discussion where the lives of loved ones and fellow countrymen are at stake. In my opinion this and healthcare are the two biggest challenges our country faces.
All along I have stated that I don't want to throw the poor out on the street, but we all agree that there are people that are abusing the system. Our job as is to identify those that "game" the system and punish them severely. Because those that game the system are in effect stealing from the poor. That, in my view is one of the most heartless and socially contemptible crimes a person could commit. How we deal with those people is the first step to solving our problem. And I also agree with you that our country has become very pacified by "tasteless media" that has learned that they can increase ratings if they increase fear and hatred with their readers.
But I must respectfully disagree with two things that you posted. In one of my posts I said that whites were receiving more assistance than blacks. You confirm that by showing that 16 million whites and 10 million blacks are receiving assistance... but then you said that I was wrong. Now we both know that you went on to break down the numbers of the subgroups but that misrepresents the total picture. Your results mislead the average person to reach the wrong conclusion that is opposite of the truth.
I also disagree with your post about the Franklin quote. Just because there is a post on the George Mason web domain that isn't a fact that is supported by the University. You are an intelligent person so you certainly know that isn't the case. While I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer I try to make sure that before I repeat something that I get my facts straight and using this type of reference doesn't pass the test. While this reference really isn't that important, it does emphasis my original post how Americans have grown lazy about allowing inaccurate slogans to become their mantra. So to humor me please give me a reputable reference or agree with me that Franklin never said this.
Finally, thank you for repeating the JFK inaugural quote, I love that speech. Oh, you don't need to give me a reference on that one because I can google it. lol Thank you again for a intelligent and respectable response.
Posted: Sunday, December 9, 2012
Article comment by:
Dr No
To Mike Clarke: Let me share with you a few things.
Your argument about whites and blacks and the percentages of them on welfare is wrong. Does that make a person racist for quoting statistics? No. I don't think anyone wants to see someone hungry, but I, like the person who posted, do have a problem with people abusing the system. Nevertheless, let's look at the true numbers, shall we?
Up to June 2011 there were 45,183,931 people on food stamps. Of that number, 35% are white or 15,814,375 white people, and 22% are black, or 9,940,264 black people. Considering that there are about 220,000,000 white people and about 40,000,000 black people in the United States, that comes out to just over 7% of white people who are on food stamps, and just under 25% of black people who are on food stamps. Just go to this site like I did and start the search. The numbers are there.
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/brief.html
Now I agree that we need welfare reform in this country, and I think the person was saying that he was tired of seeing people abuse the system, eg. drive expensive cars, have expensive clothing, etc. I also think he was speaking about the whole generational welfare problem.
Your information about Franklin and the quote is wrong too. Franklin is credited with saying the quote. There are numerous numbers of academic sites that show Franklin as the original speaker. I will leave you the link to one that hopefully is reputable enough for you, George Mason University:
http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/wew/quotes/govt.html
Your bread and circus quote is from Decimus Junius Juvenalis. He was disgusted at what the once proud Roman Empire had become. "Those scornful words "bread and circuses," panem et circenses in Latin, become more meaningful when you understand that Roman citizens became increasingly addicted to free distributions of food and the violent gladiatorial and other contests held in the Coliseum and the chariot races of the Circus Maximus. He felt that Romans had lost the capacity to govern themselves so distracted by mindless self-gratification had they become."-Thomas James Martin.
You can research this for yourself, but I think most reasonable people would agree that the United States has become more interested in handouts and being entertained by tasteless media than being industrious and serving country first.
I am afraid JFK's famous words "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country" have become to many people in this country "What can this country give to me?"
Good day all.
Posted: Saturday, December 8, 2012
Article comment by:
Mike Clarke
To R. Jones,
This thread is exhausting me. It is amazing to me how people that can turn on a computer and respond to these threads can come up with a response like yours. So you "Googled" it and you got what, 241,000 hits. And you believe every one of those hits is true??? And within 5 seconds you believe it, even though every one of those hits is either a blog, a self created web page, or some right wing political action committee. If Franklin said it then provide us with a reference to when and where he said it. You can't do it because he never said it. If you're such an expert with Google than search for "panem et circenses" and you'll get the real origion and meaning for the quote. Again, you'll find that it originated in Roman times as an argument against democracy.
Now on to the subject that we were discussing. In the US nonelderly Medicaid recipients are 42% white and 20% black. Since you're such an internet expert here's a link to that data.
http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparebar.jsp?ind=158&cat=3
And in the US Food stamps are recieved by 59% white and 23% black.
USDA, “Food Stamp Nutritional Education Systems Review”, September 2006, Page E-8 of Executive Summary
Sorry to upset your laughter with the facts.
Posted: Saturday, December 8, 2012
Article comment by:
R Jones
I think it is obvious why the Jenks guy said he was sorry Mike: he was called out by name and place of employment. He had to eat his words or wonder if the people he had put down would happen to run into him somewhere and ask him to shoot off his mouth to them in real life and not behind a computer screen.
Mike's comment that most welfare recipients are white has to be the funniest thing I have heard all week long. I suppose most violent crime is committed by whites in your world too, eh?
By the way, when you called out the Gibson fellow for misquoting Franklin you were wrong, and he was right according to several web sites of quotes. It took me five seconds to Google it.
|
|
Article Comment Submission Form
|
|
