SummerSnow
SummerSnow's JournalThousands in Illinois lose food stamps after computer system change
Saturday, December 16, 2017 03:31PM
CHICAGO -- Tens of thousands of Illinois households have been cut off of federal food stamps as a state agency transitions to a new computer system that handles such benefits.
The problems come after the Illinois Department of Human Services rolled out the second phase of a new computer system to administer entitlements, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
A certain number of people who receive food stamps lose benefits each month because of missed deadlines or ineligibility, The Chicago Tribune reported, but that number grew significantly after the second phase began in October. With the old system, the state canceled some 14,000 to 15,000 cases per month, said Diane Grigsby-Jackson, director of the division of family and community services for the Department of Human Services. Under the new system, the state canceled 41,000 cases on Nov. 15, about 12,000 of which have since been reinstated, she said.
Department of Human Services officials and representatives of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, which represents more than 2,400 Illinois human services caseworkers, disagree on what's causing the problems.
People receiving food stamps must complete an application every six months to recertify their eligibility. Vonceil Metts, president of AFSCME Local 2808, said some who completed those applications in the past two months lost their benefits because their files had not been converted into the new system. Converting the files has been a tedious process, Metts said.
* more at the link... http://abc7chicago.com/politics/thousands-in-illinois-lose-food-stamps-after-computer-system-change/2789144/
I still love this video....
One thing I feel is this. When all the info comes out about Trumps emails...
He will throw EVERYBODY under the bus. I bet he has sat with his lawyers and came up with some serious backstabbing thrown under the bus dooky that his team was corrupt and he didn't know.
Read the letter where Chris Christie tells Phil Murphy to take a hike
Updated Dec 12, 9:14 AM;
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/12/christie_murphy_clash_over_the_budget.html
By Matt Arco and Samantha Marcus
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
That really short honeymoon is over.
Gov. Chris Christie and Gov.-elect Phil Murphy are at odds over the incoming governor's request that Christie refrain from spending extra money or doing anything to worsen the state's finances during his final month in office.
Murphy's 14-item request came in the form of a letter sent to Christie's office last week.
"Chris, deep appreciation for this and for all!" was scrawled at the bottom by hand, with Murphy's signature.
Christie responded in a letter of his own Sunday, saying, in essence, that he's still the governor until Jan. 16 and Murphy should take a hike.
"As you might imagine, I was shocked to be informed that your personal letter to me (along with a wonderful handwritten note at the bottom) has come into the possession of the press before I was even able to craft a reply," Christie wrote after Politico NJ obtained a copy of the letter.
Murphy's request and Christie's response signal increasing friction between the two men.
"
That) was quite a letter," Murphy told reporters at a public event in Newark Monday, regarding Christie's response, before he was whisked away by staffers.
In his letter, Murphy asked Christie to freeze spending and hiring and veto legislation that would cost the state money in light of "the fiscal challenges we presently face as a state."
His letter outlined those challenges, including unreliable tax revenues that he warned could leave the state with "significant shortfalls" by the end of the fiscal year in June. The 14 steps range from freezing all new appointments and reappointments to boards and commissions -- of which Christie has made many in the past month -- to alerting Murphy's team to any major financial transactions.
"These necessary steps," Murphy wrote, "will provide meaningful assurances that the state's finances will not be jeopardized as we transition from one administration to the next."
In return, Christie accused Murphy of embellishing the state's immediate fiscal woes and calling for extraordinary and unwarranted financial measures.
Christie sent an identical list of demands to his Democratic predecessor, former Gov. Jon Corzine, in 2009 while the state was in the grips of the Great Recession. At the time, Christie said he was inheriting "a horrible bag of problems" -- specifically, a $2.2 billion shortfall that had to be closed in the second half of the fiscal year.
He made the case that Murphy is being dealt a better hand.
"I can only wish to have inherited a budget in the shape that I am passing to you," Christie told Murphy. "There is no basis for comparison whatsoever between the fiscal shape of the state today versus this time eight years ago."
The state has consistently rung up revenue shortfalls under Christie's administration, as tax collections fell short of overly optimistic projections and he's had to slash spending to balance the budget.
Murphy's letter expresses concern that this year's budget is built on shaky ground, including $200 million in "projected, but uncertain revenues," $125 million in "unidentified" health care savings, $854 million in projected "lapsed" funds, $300 million to $600 million in Medicaid funds the federal government is trying to claw back, and an "indeterminate amount of excess budgetary costs due to an inability to fully account for corporate tax credits issued by the Economic Development Authority."
Efforts to rewrite the federal tax code "would generate even more fiscal uncertainty," said Murphy, who has called the legislation bad for New Jersey and its residents.
In his response, Christie slights Murphy for skipping a transition meeting on the budget, saying if he had, "I am confident you would not have to rely on obviously inaccurate, second-hand information."
Christie stood by the $200 million his Treasury Department expects to take in through modernizing tax collections and said his budget doesn't count on the $125 million in health care savings.
In addition, Christie said his administration is disputing results of the Medicaid reimbursement audit, and he called Murphy's claim the budget includes $854 million in lapses -- or mid-year spending reductions -- "fiction."
He conceded that predicting when EDA credits earned by businesses hiring and building in the state will be cashed in can be tough.
But assuming revenues for the rest of the year hold up, he added," the budget "continues to progress in good shape," he said.
Christie's letter did end on a friendly note: "Merry Christmas to you, Tammy and your children," he wrote.
*Still an asshole to the end
A Century Later, a Little-Known Mass Hanging of Black Soldiers Still Haunts Us
by James Jeffrey
December 8, 2017
Sixty-three black soldiers were represented by one lawyer in the largest court martial in U.S. history, the first of three that followed the Houston riot of 1917. In total, 110 men out of 118 were found guilty, and nineteen were sentenced to death by hanging.
http://progressive.org/dispatches/a-century-later-a-little-known-mass-hanging-of-black-soldier/
* This is a must read
With Omarosa's departure, these are all of Trump administration's remaining minority members
BY
TERENCE CULLEN
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Updated: Wednesday, December 13, 2017, 11:47 AM
Omarosa Manigault Newman’s pending White House departure means the Trump administration will soon have one fewer minority official.
The President’s cabinet is overwhelmingly stocked with white secretaries, leading to criticism that the White House isn’t an inclusive one.
One exception is Dr. Ben Carson, secretary of Housing and Urban Development, who is the only black Cabinet member.
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is the sole Asian-American member of the cabinet, while there are at least three Indian-American high-ranking appointees. Labor Secretary Alex Acosta is the son of Cuban immigrants.
Here’s the list:
HUD Secretary Ben Carson (African-American)
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao (Chinese-American)
Labor Secretary Alex Acosta (Cuban-American)
UN Ambassador Nikki Haley (Indian-American)
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai (Indian-American)
Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Seema Verma (Indian-American)
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/trump-administration-remaining-minority-member-article-1.3695762?utm_content=bufferc93b0&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Theyre going after Schumer now.
Schumer calls cops after forged sex scandal charge
Mike Allen /AXIOS 12 hrs ago
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he was the victim of a fake news hit on Tuesday, and has turned over to Capitol Police a document that purports to detail lurid sexual harassment accusations by a former staffer.
Why it matters: This was an apparent effort to dupe reporters and smear a senator — both symptoms of an amped-up news environment where harassment charges are proliferating and reporters have become targets for fraud.
The former staffer told me in a phone interview that she did not author the document, that none of the charges ring true, and that her signature was forged.
She said she had never heard of the document before Axios took it to Schumer's office for comment on Tuesday.
Matt House, Schumer's communications director, told me: "The document is a forged document and every allegation is false. We have turned it over to the Capitol Police and asked them to investigate and pursue criminal charges because it is clear the law has been broken."
House continued: "We believe the individual responsible for forging the document should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law to prevent other malicious actors from doing the same."
The backstory:
A password-protected PDF of the 13-page document was shopped to Axios and other outlets. The document, which is dated 2012 and has the file name "Schumer_Complaint," looks like a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
One of many red flags: No lawyer for the staffer is named.
The woman named in the document was a legislative staffer for Schumer from 2009 to 2012, and is now a career employee of the federal government.
The former staffer said she took the matter to Washington, D.C. police on Tuesday. She said the police told her they were unsure of their jurisdiction in the case. She said she now plans to go to Capitol Police.
She told me in a statement: "The claims in this document are completely false, my signature is forged, and even basic facts about me are wrong. I have contacted law enforcement to determine who is responsible. I parted with Senator Schumer's office on good terms and have nothing but the fondest memories of my time there."
Axios agreed to her stipulation that she not be named, because she said she is the victim of a crime.
A source close to Schumer said the document is full of errors:
"The document contains an allegation of inappropriate behavior on September 16th 2011 in Washington, but Schumer was in New York City."
"It contains an allegation of inappropriate behavior by Schumer on August 25th 2011 in Washington, but Schumer was in France."
The source tells Axios that reporters from the Washington Post, CNN, BuzzFeed, The New Yorker and ABC all inquired about the document Tuesday.
Be smart: Look for more hits like this, aimed at victimizing both reporters and public figures.
https://www.axios.com/schumer-calls-cops-after-forged-sex-scandal-charge-2517019807.html
Do you think the governor of New York, (D) Andrew Cuomo ...
can beat Trump in 2020 for POTUS?
?itok=817GCkfi
It's actually just the opposite...
Republicans in office thought if they embrace Trumpism they would win their elections, if not you would lose.However, it is just the opposite.If you embrace TrumpBannonism you will lose your election. Interesting.
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