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Monthly Archives: April 2009

Treasury Secretary'sTestimony Before Congressional Oversight Panel

Secretary Geithner Opening Statement Before the Congressional Oversight Panel, April 21, 2009: “Today I will outline the steps taken by the Obama Administration to restore the flow of credit to get our economy back on track and Americans back to work.” Secretary Geithner Written Testimony Congressional Oversight Panel, April 21, 2009: “The challenges that our… Continue Reading

News GAO Reports: Congressional Oversight on Afghanistan, Iraqi Refugee Assistance, OPM Retirement Modernization Planning

Afghanistan: Key Issues for Congressional Oversight, GAO-09-473SP, April 21, 2009: “Security in Afghanistan has worsened significantly in the last 3 years, impeding both U.S. and international partners’ efforts to stabilize and rebuild the country. The security situation, including the overall increase in insurgent attacks from 2005 to 2008, is the result of a variety of… Continue Reading

OCC Consumer Tips for Avoiding Mortgage Modification Scams and Foreclosure Rescue Scams

“This Consumer Advisory, issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), describes common scams, suggests ways to protect yourself, provides information on U.S. government loan programs and counseling resources, and lists 10 warning signs of a mortgage modification scam.” Related postings on financial system Continue Reading

Senate Armed Services Committee Inquiry Into the Treatment Of Detainees In U.S. Custody

Unclassified and Redacted – Inquiry Into the Treatment Of Detainees In U.S. Custody, November 20, 2008 (Released, April 22, 2009) (263 pages, PDF) “The abuse of detainees in U.S. custody cannot simply be attributed to the actions of “a few bad apples” acting on their own. The fact is that senior officials in the United… Continue Reading

One Degree of Separation: Paralysis and Spinal Cord Injury in the United States

News release: “According to a study initiated by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, there are nearly 1 in 50 people living with paralysis — approximately 6 million people. That’s the same number of people as the combined populations of Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. And that number is nearly 40 percent higher than… Continue Reading

Special IG – Troubled Asset Relief Program – Report to Congress

The Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, April 21, 2009 – Quarterly Report to Congress: “The Troubled Asset Relief Program (“TARP”) now includes 12 separate, but often interrelated, programs involving Government and private funds of up to almost $3 trillion — roughly the equivalent of last year’s entire Federal budget. From programs… Continue Reading

Gallup Poll: Americans Increasingly Concerned About Retirement Income

Follow up to April 19, 2009 posting – 2009 Retirement Confidence Survey: Economy Drives Confidence to Record Lows, see this Gallup Poll, Americans Increasingly Concerned About Retirement Income – Expected reliance on 401(k) plans shows major drop from last year, by Frank Newport. “For the first time this decade, a majority of non-retired Americans, 52%,… Continue Reading

New York "Gas Card" Program for Job Seekers Expanded Statewide

News release: “State Labor Commissioner M. Patricia Smith announced today that additional transportation assistance for unemployed workers will be made available in 20 non-rural counties in New York State. Each Workforce Investment Board in these counties will receive $6,250 that may be used to help pay transportation expenses for unemployed workers to access services at… Continue Reading

Harvard Business School: Corporate Misgovernance at the World Bank

Corporate Misgovernance at the World Bank, Working Paper 09-108, April 20, 2009, by Ashwin Kaja and Eric Werker. “This paper examines the politics of corporate governance at the world’s largest appropriations committee, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors, and exposes a weakness in the design of the World Bank’s decision-making structure. Any large public… Continue Reading