Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations

Disciplined Doctors Still Get Drug Company Cash �March 06, 2012|By LISA CHEDEKEL, Connecticut Health I-Team Writer, The Hartford Courant In 2010, as state health officials were investigating allegations that Dr. Gerson Sternstein of Berlin was overmedicating patients, three pharmaceutical companies were showering thousands of dollars on the psychiatrist for meals and speaking engagements. Some of the payments continued even after his license was suspended in August 2010. Similarly, Dr. Murray Wellner of West Hartford was the beneficiary of speaking fees and meals from four drug companies last year, even as federal prosecutors were investigating allegations that he wrote 11 illegal prescriptions for controlled substances � charges that he settled in April by paying a $42,500 fine. Sternstein and Wellner are among the most striking examples of doctors in Connecticut who have reaped benefits from pharmaceutical companies while also being disciplined for violating medical conduct rules, according to records of the state Department of Public Health and public disclosures by drug companies from 2009 to 2011. That dual status � drug company beneficiary and over-prescriber � is not uncommon, experts say.Continued at �.. http://articles.courant.com/2012-03-06/health/hc-doctors-drug-benefits-20120306_1_drug-companies-pharmaceutical-companies-prostate-cancer-drug

Malloy Administration Investigate Possible Data Breach� By Christopher Keating, Hartford, On March 7, 2012 ��Gov. Dannel P. Malloy�s administration is investigating a potential data breach of confidential health information between two state agencies and state legislators that involves as many as 8,500 recipients of public benefits.� Continued at �.. http://courantblogs.com/capitol-watch/malloy-adminstration-investigating-possible-data-breach-between-agencies/

What the Frack is in That Water? �by Lena Groeger | @lenagroeger� Oil and gas companies have long hidden the "trade secret" chemicals they use in the process of fracking. We break down the most commonly found chemicals and the ones that pose a serious health risk. Read complete report at http://www.propublica.org/special/what-the-frack-is-in-that-water

More coverage: Fracking: Gas Drilling's Environmental Threat

The Bipartisan Force Behind the For-Profit College � Scam: Big Money� Zaid Jilani 3.6.2012 at 6:17 PM It starts with high level party functionaries paid by a rich industry, which uses the talents and connections of those party functionaries to extract government concessions. In this case, it�s the for-profit college industry, which perpetually leaves students with astronomical debt while providing poor quality education. The functionaries were former Bill Clinton advisor Doug Sosnik and Republican consultant Sara Fagen. Rather than fighting like cats and dogs, these two showed a keen sense of bipartisanship as they told leaders of these for-profit education companies how they can use their power to manipulate Congress into handing them more money�.The joint presence of a senior Clinton advisor like Sosnik and a veteran of the Bush White House like Fagen echoes the bipartisan nature of the lobbying effort the for-profits continue to wage to avoid accountability for waste, fraud, and abuse with federal dollars and students� futures. Continued at �.. http://www.republicreport.org/2012/for-profit-colleges-sopa-union-consultants/

Should state government offer a retirement plan for private citizens?� By Keith M. Phaneuf� on March 7, 2012�� State government should offer a retirement plan to the increasing number of people whose companies don't provide a pension or a 401(k) savings program, labor groups and other advocates this week told a legislative panel.�� The Labor and Public Employees Committee has raised a bill that would create a task force to study that concept and report back when the 2013 General Assembly session convenes next January.� Read more at http://ctmirror.com/story/15661/should-state-government-offer-retirement-plan-private-citizens

Sealing Loose Lips: Charting Obama's Crackdown on Leaks by Cora Currier | @coracurrier� A timeline of the Obama administration's aggressive campaign against government leakers.� March 9, 2012� While the Obama administration has promised to strengthen protections for whistleblowers, it has also launched an aggressive crackdown on government employees who have leaked national security information to the press. The administration has brought a total of six cases under the Espionage Act, which dates from World War I and criminalizes disclosing information �relating to the national defense.� (The Department of Justice has five criminal cases and the Army has one against alleged Wikileaks source Bradley Manning.) Prior to the current administration, there had been only three known casesresulting in indictments in which the Espionage Act was used to prosecute government officials for leaks. �A spokesman for the Department of Justice told us the government �does not target whistleblowers.� (Read their full statement below the timeline.) As they point out, government whistleblower protections shield only those who raise their concerns through the proper channels within their agency�not through leaks to the media or other unauthorized persons. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper summed up the government�s approach in a 2010 memo: �people in the intelligence business should be like my grandchildren�seen but not heard.� Here�s a timeline of leak prosecutions under the Espionage Act, showing how they�ve picked up steam under Obama. Continued at �� http://www.propublica.org/special/sealing-loose-lips-charting-obamas-crackdown-on-national-security-leaks

State fails to recover $60M in missing taxpayer funds Dayton� Daily News By Josh Sweigart, March 8, 2012 State watchdogs tout their ability to track down misspent public money. But when it comes to retrieving that money, state officials have been largely ineffective, a Dayton Daily News investigation found. Of roughly $72 million the state auditor�s office has singled out in audits of local government entities as mishandled and missing since it began tracking it in 2001, only about $12 million has been brought back to public coffers. Some outstanding debts are in the millions of dollars, a Daily News investigation found. In the Miami Valley, an analysis of state data found 578 findings totaling more than $2 million outstanding. Continued at �� http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/state-fails-to-recover-60m-in-missing-taxpayer-funds-1340243.html

When the GOP Tried to Ban Dark Money by Justin Elliott | @elliottjustin� March 9, 2012� Last month, when House Democrats introduced [1] the DISCLOSE 2012 Act to try to stop the flow of secret "dark money" into the electoral process, it marked an ironic twist.

A decade ago, it was Republicans who were pushing for disclosure of donors to nonprofit social welfare groups who are now pouring millions into political attack ads and House Democrats who opposed them. Continued at �. http://www.propublica.org/article/when-the-gop-tried-to-ban-dark-money

More coverage: PAC Track: What and Where are the Super PACs Spending?

FDA considers waiving prescriptions for key drugs USAtoday.com� March 9, 2012 WASHINGTON � Some of the most widely used prescription drugs, including those to treat cholesterol and high blood pressure, could be available over the counter under a new proposal being weighed by government regulators. Continued at �.. http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/story/2012-03-08/FDA-considers-waiving-prescriptions-for-key-drugs/53416812/1

Ponying Up: How Much Have Big Banks Been Docked for the Financial Crisis? By Cora Currier | @coracurrier March 6, 2012 Nearly four years after the financial crisis, settlements with the big players on Wall Street keep coming out, one after the other. It can be hard to keep track of it all. So who�s been hit, with what, and for how much in total? We put together a chart of notable settlements reached between big banks and the government�namely, the SEC and the Department of Justice�over charges stemming from the crisis. In the case of the SEC settlements we list here, the firms neither admitted nor denied the charges when agreeing to the terms of the settlement. (The SEC�s habit of letting banks sidestep the question of culpability has been widely criticized.)Overall, the SEC says it has brought in almost $2 billion in penalties as well as money for investors from settlements related to the crisis, and the Department of Justice lists dozens of criminal cases it has brought against smaller players. And the investigating isn�t over yet. The SEC recently sent notices of possible charges to JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and Wells Fargo, and the DOJ reportedly has issued subpoenas to eleven financial institutions related to mortgage securities. Check out the chart and more at http://projects.propublica.org/tables/financial_settlements

As an Adviser, Goldman Guaranteed Its Payday New York Times By ANDREW ROSS SORKIN, March 8, 2012� Kinder Morgan announced it had agreed to acquire El Paso for $21.1 billion in cash and stock. When the deal was announced, buried at the end of the news release was a list of Wall Street banks that had advised on the deal, including Goldman Sachs. Goldman received a $20 million fee for playing matchmaker for El Paso. The fee, of course, was not disclosed, nor was the Kinder Morgan stake owned by Goldman Sachs�s private equity arm, worth some $4 billion. Nor did the release disclose that the Goldman banker who advised El Paso to accept Kinder Morgan�s bid owned $340,000 worth of Kinder Morgan stock.Now, however, a court ruling in a shareholder lawsuit has laid bare the truth: Goldman was on every conceivable side of the deal. As a result, El Paso may have unwittingly sold itself far too cheaply. Mr. Blankfein may have said he was �very sensitive to the appearance of conflict,� but the judge�s order ruling �reluctantly� against a motion to block the merger made it clear that Goldman�s conflicts went far beyond mere appearances. Continued at �.. http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/advising-deal-goldman-sachs-had-all-angles-for-a-payday/

Editorial: Lobbyists who aren't lobbyists� USAtoday.com� March 9, 2012

The Obama administration has a ban on hiring lobbyists, but Vice President Biden recently hired the president of a lobbying firm as a senior adviser. How could that happen? The answer is that new Biden aide Steve Ricchetti isn't technically a "lobbyist" under current law, which defines the job so narrowly that many people who work in Washington to help clients influence the federal government don't have to register as lobbyists. They aren't subject to the ethics and disclosure rules they'd have to follow if they admitted that they are what common sense says they are. http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/story/2012-03-08/lobbyists-Biden-Obama-law/53422454/1?loc=interstitialskip

Joe Rubin: Aging Nuclear Reactors: Are We � Doing Enough to Ensure Safety? In the U.S., all nuclear power plants were initially licensed to operate for 40 years, and many aging plants are now reaching the end of that period. The NRC allows nuclear plants to apply for a 20-year license extension; so far 71 out of the country's 104 reactors have been relicensed. No applications for license renewal have been rejected.� While reporting on the Diablo Canyon story, one of the most surprising things that I learned was how the NRC oversaw the relicensing of aging nuclear power plants. As reactors approach the end of their original lifespan, utilities can apply for a 20-year license extension without ever conducting a thorough review of the plant's actual condition after decades of wear and tear;� and without a reevaluation of newly discovered hazards, such as the new earthquake fault at Diablo Canyon. According to the NRC, key safety issues are dealt with as part of the agency's regular operational oversight of the plants, and therefore do not need to be addressed during relicensing. But as I continued to work on the story, I found that there were surprising problems with this approach.� Read complete report at

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-rubin/nuclear-reactor-safety_b_1336085.html

Afghan Air Force Probed in Drug Running By Jonathan Miller� March 8, 2012 | �The U.S. is investigating allegations that officials in the Afghan Air Force, which was established largely with American funds, have been using aircraft to ferry narcotics and illegal weapons around the country, The Wall Street Journal reports. U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Daniel Bolger called the allegations �fairly dramatic,� saying that Afghan Air Force officials are being investigated for ferrying the materials on aircraft not owned by the Afghan government. Bolger cautioned that the investigation was still preliminary and the allegations could not be proved at this stage. Read complete report at

http://www.nationaljournal.com/nationalsecurity/afghan-air-force-probed-in-drug-running-20120308

National Taxpayers Union: Email - Spotlight: 3 Bills That Could ... focus on EXPANDING DOMESTIC ENERGY The sponsors intend their legislation to bring America closer to energy independence and to create quality jobs through increased energy output. More importantly, they see their proposals as a step toward lower energy costs for Americans by opening up new areas for oil and natural gas drilling. Though each one focuses on a different geographic area, the bills serve as three (of many) bills introduced in the 112th Congress with their merits and economic impacts available to taxpayers. Continued at �.. http://action.ntu.org/site/MessageViewer?dlv_id=13441&em_id=10481.0