West Virginia News

SSA Commissioner Claims No Silver Bullet To Stop Problems Within Agency

2012-02-13T08:03:00.000-08:00

Is Commissioner Astrue Scrambling To Rehire Former ALJ Judges While Freezing Pay Raises And Increasing Workloads? by, Jack Swint

“Our inability to timely handle work makes the public more frustrated, and you endure that frustration. I also know that outcomes like pay freezes may cause you to question your career choice.”…Michael J. Astrue, Social Security Commissioner

Is It All Hands On Deck Or Abandon Ship?

This past Wednesday, February 8th, 2012 at 5:15pm, SSA Commissioner Michael J Astrue sent a broadcast message to all employees that fell just short of doom and gloom for some aspects of the agency in 2012. When looking for someone to take a portion of the blame for SSA’s shortcomings this year, he pointed to Congress…

“We were surprised that Congress did not stick to the substantially higher level of continuing disability reviews called for in the debt ceiling legislation passed last August. This lower level of funding, combined with substantially more people filing hearings requests, requires us to shift resources.”

The Commissioner also announced there is a cut back on SSA employees assisting state agencies … “I have asked some employees who have been helping the State agencies to redirect their support to hearing offices. That transition has started smoothly, and I want to thank everyone who is helping our fellow Americans who have been waiting too long for a hearing decision.”

It’s not known what the trickledown effect this will now cause state agencies that depended on those SSA workers for support.

Astrue goes on to say that SSA suffered a net loss of over “4,000 Federal and State (related) employees in FY 2011 and we expect a net loss of over 3,000 employees this fiscal year. As we continue to lose staff, it means that in 2013, we will likely have about the same number of employees we had when I arrived in 2007, even though the volume of our work continues to increase.”

He admits that job related stress, higher workloads and pay issues equal an unhappy workforce. “I know that fiscal shortfalls create stress in our offices, especially when there are fewer of you to handle more work. Our inability to timely handle work makes the public more frustrated, and you endure that frustration. I also know that outcomes like pay freezes may cause you to question your career choice.”

Admitting there is a problem is a good foot forward, but as you read below, it appears Astrue is really taking three steps backwards.

Besides stress, heavier workloads and those pay freezes that he claims is partly the cause employees leaving; there is another possible reason. And it is a problem that was self-inflicted by early retirement incentives offered by SSA officials. A decision that added to the already disastress backlog of stalled appeals.

Early Retirement Verses Increased Backlog Of Appeals

Back in May 2007, Astrue assured Congress that SSA would correct the problem of surging growth in the number of individuals awaiting a hearing for disability benefits. He described an ambitious plan the agency had recently launched “to eliminate the backlog of hearing requests by 2012” and also “to prevent its recurrence.” At that time, appeals of 715,568 individuals were pending before what is arguably the largest court system in the world.

Four years later, in March of 2011, the commissioner testified again, emphasizing his accomplishments since 2007 that included the appeals hearings backlog problem. He also testified that SSA significantly improved service and stewardship efforts. Not exactly true according to at least one respected watchdog group.

Information analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, (TRAC) indicated that the overall number of individual claimants awaiting a hearing has not gone down but climbed to 746,712. That’s 31,144 cases higher than it was when the SSA launched its expensive rehabilitation plan in 2007.

The same data shows that between February 2011 and June 2011 backlog totals showed the largest single increase from 728,013 to 746,712. (18,699)

Coincidentally, also in February 2011, SSA issued a notice for all eligible employees to take early retirement, which included anyone at ODAR. Employees had to separate by June 3, 2011. This time, they included Administrative Law Judges (ALJ). According to at least one of the older judges, this was the first time they can remember an early retirement being offered to ALJs.

Keep in mind this is the exact same time period (February 2011 to June 2011) that data reflects the largest single spike in backlogged cases since 2008. Is it possible, that as employees moved quickly to take the early retirement, the exit of ALJ’s and or their support staff, caused a further lapse in backlogged cases being heard?

Is SSA Now Scrambling To Rehire ALJ’s Who Accepted Early Retirement In 2011?

Now, just one year after SSA’s early retirement offer in 2011, upper management has flip-flopped and appears to be scrambling to rehire that same group of Administrative Law Judges and support staff. Get them back to work ASAP. Is it possible that they now realize it was a very costly decision to offer early retirement and are now trying to put a temporary fix to it?

Remarks by judges on an ALJ posting board says it appears SSA officials want a "lot of bodies to fill those empty judges' chairs" created in part from their 2011 early retirement offer. Reportedly, the agency is looking to rehire judges who have retired within the last three years but not after 12/2011. Hiring retired ALJs probably will help to keep the backlog under control and keep costs for doing so under control as well.

Another judge adds that SSA could also save money rehiring these recently retired ALJ’s…“There are no additional retirement benefits that will accrue, and that most retired ALJs already have federal health insurance or are receiving Medicare. Also, their pay may come from a different budget line, such as a budget line for temporary workers.”

SSA even posted a contact person on the OPM website for retired ALJ’s interested in rehire.

Dina Khoiri

E-mail: dina.khoiri@ssa.gov
703-605-7280.

Commissioner Andrus referred to this rehire project of judges in his February 2012 message by saying… “While we are doing some very limited hiring, we are relying on retired annuitants and overtime at least until next year’s budget situation clarifies. I appreciate the help our recent retirees are giving us, and I encourage newer employees to learn as much as possible from these experts.”

SSA will also halt any further opportunities for early retirement. “Given the budget uncertainty, we are delaying a decision about offering early out retirement. We will revisit this issue in the fall when we have a better sense about our FY 2013 resource level.”

The Future Of Social Security Disability Insurance

December 2011 Republican Ways and Means RSS Article…

“The Social Security Disability Insurance program pays benefits to individuals with a disability that meets certain medical criteria, as long as they worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes. The continuing growth of the program is striking. At a time when workers paying into the system has increased nearly 70 percent between 1970 and 2010, the number of people receiving disability benefits increased by almost 300 percent, from 2.6 million to nearly 10 million.

By 2020, the number of beneficiaries will continue to increase by 18 percent to 11.8 million. By then total benefits paid will reach $188 billion. That’s a 52 percent increase over the $124 billion paid in benefits last year.

Experts tell us the program’s growth is due to the changing workforce, including the aging of the baby boomers, changes in disability policy over the years, and the still struggling economy. That continued growth is putting a massive strain on the Social Security Disability Insurance program.

According to the 2011 Trustees’ Report, without Congressional action, the Disability Insurance Trust Fund will be unable to pay full benefits beginning in 2018, just a little over six years from now. The path we are on is unsustainable, and we are putting individuals with disabilities at risk if we do not act soon.” End…

US Congressman Johnson Claims SSA Program Being Abused By Con Artists

On January 17, 2012 U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee stated Social Security has become filled with waste, fraud, and abuse in the disability insurance program and that it cheats honest hardworking American taxpayers.

“We need to protect the American taxpayers from con artists, who are stealing from the system. How does he propose this? “By making sure benefits are paid only to those who deserve them.” (link below)

In Closing

SSA Commissioner Michael J. Astrue surmised his February 2012 message to all employees by admitting this is an uphill battle and … “There is no silver bullet, but we can’t ignore fiscal reality and assume that we can go on doing business as usual. As Deputy Commissioner Colvin has said, we will do less with less. We continue to look for ways to streamline and simplify work and identify what work we can stop doing.”

His message to all SSA employees, like the assurances to Congress back in 2007 regarding resolving the backlogged cases, offers no true light at the end of the tunnel for Americans waiting on their disability appeals or counting on SSA to be there when they retire. What will the Commissioner testify to Congress in another 4 years?

As reported above, according to the 2011 Trustees’ Report, without Congressional action, the Disability Insurance Trust Fund will be unable to pay full benefits beginning in 2018, just a little over six years from now. “The path we are on is unsustainable, and we are putting individuals with disabilities at risk if we do not act soon.”

It appears on the surface that SSA top officials are throwing everything at the wall hoping something will stick to it that offers a resolution to the ongoing problems ranging from employee morale, budget restraints, pay freezes, workloads, retirement, backlogs, simplifications, etc. This doesn’t include the report that by 2018, the Trust Fund wont be able to pay full benefits.

US Congressman Johnson accuses the SSA of becoming filled with “waste, fraud, and abuse in the disability insurance program and that it cheats honest hardworking American taxpayers.” That we need to protect Americans from “con-artists?”

When taking Astrue’s recent message, Congressman Johnsons statement, the Ways and Means Article and 2011 Trustee’s report and put them all together, you have one hell of a mess that a whole box of silver bullets cant stop.

End Of Story....

Jack Swint - Publisher
West Virginia News
E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Website: WVNewsOnline.com
Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

Links

Appeals Disability Case Backlog

US Congressman Johnson Jan 2012 Comments

2008 Testimony On Retired Fed Employees Being Rehired

Why Police Sometime Mistake Insulin Shock For Drunk Driving

2012-02-10T14:37:00.000-08:00

Adam Greene Now Hopes What He Endured Will Bring Awareness And Training For All Law Enforcement... by, Jack Swint

On the morning of October 29, 2010, 38 year old Adam Greene was driving to work. Henderson NV Police thought he was driving drunk, but he was having a diabetic attack.

Greene, a diabetic for 26 years, now hopes what happened to him will help bring awareness to the way officers are trained to deal with people suffering from medical conditions. He was severely beaten by an officer when police thought he was resisting a traffic stop. Portions of the incident were captured by dashboard cameras mounted in four Nevada Highway Patrol cruisers.

He is observed on video swerving as he pulls up to a traffic light. His car was approached by a trooper who draws his service weapon, kicks the driver's side window and yells, "Don't move! Hey driver, do not move!" When the trooper opens Greene's door, another officer moved in and placed a handcuff on one of his wrists. At that point, the state troopers, with assistance from Henderson police officers, pull Greene from his vehicle. Greene's four-door sedan rolls forward until an officer stops it.

Five officers force a dazed and confused Greene to the ground. A sixth officer, Henderson police Sgt. Brett Seekatz, is seen kicking Greene in the face multiple times, as one of the officers yells, "Stop resisting, mother fucker. Stop resisting, mother fucker!"

Once Greene is subdued, an officer discovers a vial of insulin on him and announces Greene "could be a diabetic." Moments later, an officer can be heard talking on the radio to a police dispatcher. "He's a diabetic. He's probably in shock, semiconscious." Other officers are heard joking about the incident.

Greene was not charged in connection with the traffic stop. When he arrived at a local hospital, he was treated for low blood sugar and multiple injuries that he said he received during the traffic stop.

Diabetic Shock & DMV Requirements

How can diabetic shock be mistaken for-alcohol intoxication? According to doctors, as the diabetic's blood sugar level drops lower, the organ most affected by the change is the brain. As the brain's functions begin to decrease, the diabetic will become weak and or become abnormally aggressive or uncooperative, could have slurred speech, and could easily be mistaken for being drunk or on drugs.

Like most medical conditions, low blood sugar is easiest to treat when it is discovered early, before it has become true insulin shock. There isn't very much time, because low blood sugar usually develops fairly quickly, over the period of less than an hour to just a few minutes.

According to the American Diabetes Association, most states have a law that requests that people with diabetes present the Department of Motor Vehicles with a doctor's report verifying that they have diabetes, but it is, at best, a request. If diabetics comply, then that information is required to be on the diabetic's driving record and license.

West Virginia’s DMV has a question on all applications (new and renewal) that allows diabetics to designate this information on their license.

Other states, like Georgia, have no restrictions, unless the driver suffers loss of consciousness resulting from diabetes. The driver will then lose his or her drivers license for one year and, in order to be reinstated, must remain episode free during this time.

California's driving restrictions on diabetics are among the strictest in the country. After a diabetic is treated at a medical facility for a lapse of consciousness, even one not involving an automobile, medical personnel are required to notify the state, and a diabetic can have his or her license revoked, even for a first incident. Maryland, may deny a driver license to an applicant with diabetes based on the recommendations of the Maryland Advisory Board.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, people with diabetes controlled by insulin are not allowed to be truck drivers. Thus, even though diabetics may be capable of driving a tractor trailer, they are not legally allowed to do so.

Greene’s Civil Rights Suit Settled

Adam Greene recently settled a lawsuit against the City of Henderson and the state of Nevada. Per the terms of the settlement, Greene will receive $158,000 from the city and $35,000 from the state. Greene's wife will receive an additional $99,000 from the City of Henderson. The $292,500 payout settles a federal civil rights lawsuit Greene filed against Henderson police and the Nevada Highway Patrol. The suit accused the agencies of battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

"We think it's fair; we agreed to it and we're satisfied," Greene told KTNV about the settlement. "I was confused, but I wasn't resisting and I would think this would be incorrect and inappropriate behavior whether I was drunk ... or not drunk." He ended up with two broken ribs, cuts, a black eye and bruises.

But for Greene, it's what he doesn't remember that has helped him move forward. "I think it helps that I don't remember it," he said. "I'm far removed from something that was so personal and I think that helps me to forgive them." Despite the ordeal he has been through, Greene, whose father was an Arizona state trooper, said his family does not hold a grudge.

Since the incident, Henderson Police said they've seen a 30 percent decrease in the amount of use of force cases and are also reviewing the way they train their officers to handle these types of situations.

In Closing…

Adam Greene's case, while shocking, is not unique. Alan Yatvin, a legal advocate for the American Diabetes Association and a Philadelphia attorney, said police across the country frequently mistake low blood sugar for intoxication in people with diabetes. A Web search on the issue returns dozens of video clips and stories similar to Greene's. Symptoms of hypoglycemia include shakiness, dizziness, hunger, pale skin, moodiness, aggressive behavior, loss of consciousness and even seizures.

"You need police to be trained in what to look for," Yatvin said. "The problem is, there's no authority over all police departments. Every department has its own procedures, and states have different rules and training regimens."

Spokespersons from the WV State Police, several County Sheriff Departments and local Police departments all state that their officers have been trained to recognize not only diabetic type seizures, but other causes of health issues that can appear as alcohol or drug inducements.

End of Story…

Jack Swint-Publisher
West Virginia News
E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Website: http://WVNewsOnline.com
Twitter: @WVNewsOnline
.
Links

Video Of Adam Greene Police Stop
.
Henderson NV Press Release
.
.

Obama Backing Off Of No Child Left Behind Program

2012-02-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

PresidentCalls Accomplishments To Date AnAdmirable But Flawed Effort

According to the following news story (writtenby education reporters Kimberly Hefling and Ben Feller) President Barack Obamawill free 10 states today from the strict and sweeping requirements of the NoChild Left Behind law, giving leeway to states that promise to improve how theyprepare and evaluate students.

The first 10 states to receive the waiversare Colorado, Florida,Georgia, Indiana,Kentucky, Massachusetts,Minnesota, New Jersey,Oklahoma and Tennessee. The only state that applied forthe flexibility and did not get it, New Mexico, is working with the administration to getapproval, a White House official told the AP.

The official spoke on condition ofanonymity because the states had not yet been announced. A total of 28 otherstates, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have signaled that they, too, plan to seekwaivers, a sign of just how vast the law's burdens have become as a bigdeadline nears.

No Child Left Behind requires all studentsto be proficient in reading and math by 2014. Obama's action strips away thatfundamental requirement for those approved for flexibility, provided they offera viable plan instead. Under the deal, the states must show they will preparechildren for college and careers, set new targets for improving achievementamong all students, develop meaningful teacher and principal evaluationsystems, reward the best performing schools and focus help on the ones doingthe worst.

In September, Obama called PresidentGeorge W. Bush's most hyped domestic accomplishment an admirable but flawedeffort that hurt students instead of helping them. He said action was necessarybecause Congress failed to update the law despite widespread bipartisanagreement that it needs fixing. Republicans have charged that by grantingwaivers, Obama was overreaching his authority.

The executive action by Obama is one ofhis most prominent in an ongoing campaign to act on his own where Congress isrebuffing him. No Child Left Behind was primarily designed to help the nation'spoor and minority children and was passed a decade ago with widespreadbipartisan support. It has been up for renewal since 2007. But lawmakers havebeen stymied for years by competing priorities, disagreements over how much ofa federal role there should be in schools and, in the recent Congress, partisangridlock.

For all the cheers that states may haveabout the changes, the move also reflects the sobering reality that the United Statesis not close to the law's original goal: getting children to grade level inreading and math.

Critics today say the 2014 deadline wasunrealistic, the law is too rigid and led to teaching to the test, and too manyschools feel they are labeled as "failures." Under No Child LeftBehind, schools that don't meet requirements for two years or longer faceincreasingly tough consequences, including busing children to higher-performingschools, offering tutoring and replacing staff.

As the deadlineapproaches, more schools are failing to meet requirements under the law, withnearly half not doing so last year, according to the Center on EducationPolicy. Center officials said that's because some states today have hardertests or have high numbers of immigrant and low-income children, but it's alsobecause the law requires states to raise the bar each year for how manychildren must pass the test.

In states granted a waiver, students willstill be tested annually. But starting this fall, schools in those states willno longer face the same prescriptive actions spelled out under No Child LeftBehind. A school's performance will also probably be labeled differently.

The pressure will probably still be on thelowest-performing schools in states granted a waiver, but mediocre schools thataren't failing will probably see the most changes because they will feel lesspressure and have more flexibility in how they spend federal dollars, saidMichael Petrilli, vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, aneducation think tank.
While the president's action marks achange in education policy in America,the reach is limited. The populous states of Pennsylvania,Texas and California are among those that have notsaid they will seek a waiver, although they could still do so later.

On Tuesday, Education Secretary ArneDuncan said states without a waiver will be held to the standards of No ChildLeft Behind because "it's the law of the land."
Some conservatives viewed Obama's plan notas giving more flexibility to states, but as imposing his vision on them. Rep.John Kline, R-Minn., who chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee,said Thursday that, "This notion that Congress is sort of an impediment tobe bypassed, I find very, very troubling in many, many ways."
Duncan maintained this week that the administration"desperately" wants Congress to fix the law.

In an election year in a divided Congress,that appears unlikely to happen.
Kline, who was speaking at an event at theconservative American Enterprise Institute, said that in the House there wassome bipartisan agreement on how to fix No Child Left Behind, but in many areasthere was disagreement. He said later in the day he would release Republican-writtenlegislation that seeks to restore states' authority in education.

California Rep. George Miller, thecommittee's ranking Democrat, has said such partisanship "means theend" to No Child Left Behind reform in this Congress. Sen. Tom Harkin,D-Iowa, who chairs the Senate committee with jurisdiction over education, hassaid he believes it "would be difficult to find a path forward"without a bipartisan bill in the House.
A Senate committee last fall passed abipartisan bill to update the law, but it was opposed by the administration anddid not go before the full Senate for a vote.

In Closing

According to an August 2011 Charleston Daily Mail Article, West Virginia school officials will follow suit and ask for a waiver from Washington. Within the story, State Superintendent Jorea Marple reportedly called the No Child Left Behind program a "flawed system."

In 2010, only 85% of WV public schools met adequate yearly progress.

End Of Story....

Jack Swint –Publisher

WV News Online

E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com

Website: http://WVNewsOnline.com

Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

SSI Lawyer Eric Conn Demands Cease And Desist Of News Stories

2012-02-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

Lawyer In Huntington WV Social Security Scandal Wants Retractions From WV News.. by Jack Swint

“Although the Court is concerned by the alleged professional misconduct of the respondent, his agreement to cease all practice before this Court provides the Court and its appellants with protection from any repetition of such conduct by him"....by US Veterans Appeal Court Judges

Cease And Desist

The Kentucky Lawyer embroiled in the current Huntington WV Social Security Office scandal is demanding that stories we published involving him cease and desist immediately. Eric C. Conn also demands that we print a retraction of what he calls… “Erroneous and false statements” about him (Conn) and it be “accompanied by an editorial in which you specifically repudiate your libelous statements” against Eric C. Conn.

Conn first contacted WV News on August 2nd 2011 through attorney H. David Hicks, who practices with Conn’s law firm in Stanville Kentucky. In that letter, Hicks writes that… “If you do not immediately publish the requested retraction and cease and desist from tortuous interference and making false and malicious comments about the Eric C. Conn Law Firm, its employees, and its business, we will file suit against you.”

Our response? Just like in August 2011, we stand firmly behind the stories and that they depict the facts in the record. We would certainly welcome a law suite so that the truth comes out in open court through testimony from witnesses and available documents. Within his demands, Conn claims, in part, that we failed to name sources, provide statistics that show Conns higher than normal SSI disability approvals from other attorneys and even goes as far as to claim that even though we did not name him personally or his staff in one story; Conn feels that it merely implies that his law firm is not acting in their clients best interest.

Last week, we received a new notice from Richmond Virginia lawyer Domingo J. Rivera that he now represents Eric C. Conn and that Conn is once again demanding us to cease and desist any and all postings of stories portraying him in a negative light. This time, Rivera states that we must also… “Enter into an appropriate written agreement that you will refrain from any further unlawful activity against our client.” In what appears to be an attempt of intimidation by Rivera, he writes that it is not clear why, publisher Jack Swint, would engage in this “unlawful activity” against Eric Conn since he (Swint) himself has been convicted of “counterfeiting” in the past.

Eric Conn’s Version Of The Truth

At the heart of Conns demands for us to cease and desist is the truth behind the 2002 US Veterans Appeals Court forever barring him from any further practicing of law in that court. (Linked below) Attorney Rivera states in his recent letter to WV News that Conn merely resigned on his own terms. “Mr. Conn decided to no longer practice in that area of law and filed motions to withdraw on multiple cases.” Rivera goes on to claim that his client just “decided to leave the Court of Veterans Appeals.”

In The Interest Of Justice And Integrity

But, according to Court records, (linked below) Conn was under investigation for numerous counts of professional misconduct. In order to halt that investigation, he decided to just resign from practicing law in that Court. That’s easy enough, or not? What attorney Rivera fails to address is the fact that the judges dictated to Conn that he only had one option, either accept their terms for his resignation or continue on with the current investigation. And, it is very clear by the courts stipulations and statements on record that their decision was based solely in the interest of justice; both to the public and the integrity of the court.

Judge Steinberg wrote that… “First, I note that the Court not only accepted the respondent's resignation, but dictated to him the terms and the form under which it would accept such resignation.” And, “Therefore, the Court imposed these conditions upon the respondent, i.e., his options were either to accept resignation on the Court's terms and conditions or to continue with the Committee's investigation process.”

“Second, the respondent proposed only to agree not to seek admission to practice before this Court at any time in the future.” But, in the official resignation from the Bar of the Court and on the form dictated by the Court, the respondent had to agree that he forever… “Relinquishes any right he may have ever in the future to apply for reinstatement or readmission to the Bar of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, either as an attorney or as a non-attorney practitioner.”

In their September 30, 2002 ORDER and OPINION, (attached) …“Although the Court is concerned by the alleged professional misconduct of the respondent, his agreement to cease all practice before this Court provides the Court and its appellants with protection from any repetition of such conduct by him.”

The Judges went as far as to also state that unfortunately, this action could stop both public sanctions against Eric Conn and notification to the National Bar Association… “Furthermore, I would note that any member of the public, including of course, any judge or staff member of this Court is free to bring to the attention of the appropriate authorities the existence of this order and that attorneys may in fact be under a heightened obligation to take such action.”

The Scandal Within The Huntington WV SSI Office

Attorney Conn was named back in December 2010 by this news website and the Wall Street Journal as the lawyer allegedly involved in a huge disability case-fixing scandal along with ALJ Judge David Daugherty who since resigned-retired. It is alleged that collusion between Daugherty and Conn began back in 2005 when office staff began complaining to higher-ups of the exceptionally high caseload between the judge and lawyer compiled with the 98% approval ratings of SSA claims between the two. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) in Washington DC is investigating.

Problems in the Huntington WV office also have raised questions on other possible problems including collusion, falsifying of records and retaliation against former ALJ Judge Tinsley for reportedly blowing the whistle on Daugherty and Conn as far back as 2005. During this same time, then Chief Judge Charles Andrus was facing allegations of racial discrimination. Recently, accusations surfaced that Andrus was the middle man in brokering a $250,000 a year job offer between Eric Conn and former ALJ Judge Al Tinsley in order to entice Tinsley to retire.

Also, according to our records, Eric Conn was paid $3,815,512.96 by the Social Security Administration in 2010. He was ranked 3rd in the nation as highest paid in SSI work.

In Closing

Attorney Rivera claims that our story also alleges Conn was “disbarred” from the Appeals Court. He goes on to say that, “Disbarment refers to the act of disqualification of a lawyer from membership in a bar association” and that his client resigned from practicing in that court on his own terms just because he wanted to.

In reality, the stipulations Conn accepted with that Court does in deed disqualify him forever from practicing in the Veterans Appeal Court and membership to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Bar Association. (CAVC)

Why did the court make it mandatory that he be forever barred? As one of the Judges wrote…“His agreement to cease all practices before this Court provides the Court and its appellants with protection from any repetition of such conduct by him.”

End Of Story...

Jack Swint-Publisher
West Virginia News
Website: http://WVNewsOnline.com
E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Twitter: @WVNewsOnline
.

Links And Related Stories

Eric Conn 2002 US Veterans Appeal Court Document

Attorney Accused In WV Social Security Scandal Was Barred From Veterans Appeals Court In 2002

Is The Social Security Appeals Process Beyond Repair

Huntington’s Chief ALJ Named in Federal Lawsuit Alleging Racial Discrimination and Whistleblower Retaliation

Hearings Office Director Resigns Amidst WV Social Security Appeals Scandal

WV Law Allows Doctors To Keep Their Addictions From The Public

2012-01-17T08:08:00.000-08:00

Board Of Medicine Keeps Physicians Chemical & Alcohol Impairments Confidential by Jack Swint

“…any information received, maintained or developed by the board relating to the alcohol or chemical dependency impairment of any physician, podiatrist or physician assistant and any voluntary agreement made pursuant to this subsection shall be confidential and not available for public information...” WV Code Chapter 30-3-09(C)(4)

Had he been a pilot, a train engineer, or even a bus driver, chances are random work drug testing would have discovered the chemical addictions of Podiatrist Jeffrey E. Shook before it was too late. Unfortunately for some of his patients, their lives will forever be altered because a WV law and the Board of Medicine permitted him to keep practicing while keeping his chemical dependencies a secret from the general public.

In fact, his Board of Medicine records show a malpractice claim in 2007 while on probationary restrictions. And, 2011 Court records show at least one more malpractice suit pending.

This same confidentiality law doesn’t just keep physicians like Dr. Shook’s addictions from the general public; it also bars civil discovery, court subpoena, or introduction into evidence in any medical professional liability action or other action for damages arising out of the provision of or failure to provide health care services.

Why can these addicted physicians keep their known chemical and or alcohol abuses confidential? Because, WV State Legislatures feel that it’s important to do so in order to encourage voluntary participation in monitored alcohol chemical dependency or major mental illness programs. And because lawmakers agree that major mental illness, alcoholism and chemical dependency are an illness. WV 30-3-9(h)(1)

In order to obtain this confidentiality, the law requires that the physician not have prior pending complaints at the time they enter into thier voluntary approved agreement with the WV Health Program and State Board set forth in WV Code Chapter 30-3-9(B). The agreement and stipulations may include rehab, random drug testing, counseling, fewer work hours and patients, monitoring by another physician and periodic reviews.

And, these agreed upon stipulations and conditions between the state and physician are not to be considered a disciplinary nature or available to the public. (WV Code Chapter 30-3-9(2) Bottom line, in these conditions, WV law will stop you from discovering if your physician -surgeon is impaired by an addiction to drugs or alcohol.

The West Virginia Board Of Medicine (WVBOM)

According to their website, the West Virginia Board of Medicine is the sole authority for the issuance of licenses to practice medicine and surgery, to practice podiatry, and to practice as a physician assistant for a medical doctor (M.D.) in the State of West Virginia, and is the regulatory and disciplinary body for the practice of medicine and surgery and the practice of podiatry and for physician assistants for M.D.'s in this State.

There are thirteen office staff on hand ranging from the director to a receptionist-verification coordinator. Out of fifteen Board Members, fourteen are appointed by the governor. Eight of the members are appointed from among individuals holding the degree of doctor of medicine and two shall hold the degree of doctor of podiatric medicine. One member shall be an individual licensed by the board as a physician assistant.

Each of the 8 doctor- members must be duly licensed to practice his or her profession in this state on the date of appointment and must have been licensed and actively practicing that profession for at least five years immediately preceding the date of appointment. Three lay members shall be appointed to represent health care consumers.

NOTE: A quick search of each Board Members license shows that 4 of the 8 physicians appointed to the Board have medical malpractice settlements on record.

1. Podiatrist Richard Curtis Arnold, who practices in South Charleston WV has had 3 recorded malpractice complaints dating from 1995 to 1996 and settled for a total of $156,000. He has served on the board since 1993 and his latest term came in 2007 from former governor Joe Manchin. (Dr. Arnold and Dr. Shook practiced together in 2010)

2. Dr. M. Khalid Hasan, who practices in Beckley WV, has 1 recorded malpractice settlement in 1979 in the amount of $17,500. He was appointed in 2001 by former governor Bob Wise.

3. Dr. Carlos C. Jimenez, who practices in Glen Dale WV, has 1 recorded malpractice settlement in 2000 in the amount of $160,000.He was appointed in 2007 by former governor Joe Manchin.

4. Dr. Badshaw Wazir, who practices in South Charleston WV, has 1 recorded malpractice settlement in 2001 in the amount of $5,000. He was appointed in 2004 by former governor Bob Wise.

The Case Of Logan Podiatrist Jeffrey E. Shook

We were able to gain access to one chemical addicted doctor’s actual agreement, only because he also practiced in Ohio, which allows public access to these records.

Logan Podiatrist, Jeffrey Edward Shook, (pictured to the left) is one of the doctors that the confidentiality law in WV was used in order to protect his chemical dependency from the public. And, according to his own admissions contained in the Ohio Board of Medicines agreement, (linked below) those addictions were most likely the cause of malpractice claims and other complaints.

Shockingly enough, because Shook’s agreement and terms in WV were kept confidential, the State Medical Board didn’t take any action against him when he violated those terms and conditions after at least one new malpractice claim occurred just 5 months after signing the confidentiality agreement and being placed on probationary restrictions in 2007.

That case recently settled in 2011 for $200,000. Also, the Ohio Board never made the connection between the date Shook entered into the 2007 WV agreement and the subsequent malpractice suit 5 months later.

In April 2011, Shook was named as a co-defendant in another lawsuit filed by Stephanie Bego who alleges she went to him in 2009 to remove a pin from her foot left by another surgeon. Shook agreed to the operation but according to Bego’s complaint, he… "Evidently decided not to remove the pin from the plaintiff's foot,"

Doctor Shook’s public information is available on the WVBOM website at the link below. He was licensed in this state back in March 1996 and is valid through June 2013. A work address of 20 Hospital Drive, in Logan WV is also on file. Because of his 2007 confidentiality agreement, the website states that Shook has “no discipline records on record.”

But, it does list 4 malpractice claims in which 2 were paid totaling $700,000. Ohio Board Members placed Shook on probationary sanctions on March 6, 2009 because of his West Virginia agreement for his admitted “Hydrocodone” drug addictions in 2006.

According to US District Court filings, civil case 3: 09-1004 (linked below) in Huntington, it appears that Dr. Shook admitted to the WV and OH Board of Medicine that he had a chemical dependency that was mentally and physically impairing his ability as a podiatrist. And he was seeking rehabilitation of that disease beginning in August 2006 when he entered into a short term (10 day) rehab program in Savannah GA that was approved by the WVBOM.

During that time Shook voluntarily gave up his license to practice even though there is no mention of that in his public records. Coincidently, just one month after entering the substance abuse rehab, Shook’s insurance company paid a malpractice claim of half a million dollars for a botched surgery in 2000.

One source for this story claims that part of that malpractice settlement included his seeking rehab for his drug addiction.

The Ohio probationary stipulations were to run for a minimum of 3 years and included intense drug counseling, psychiatric treatment, specific and random drug testing, and restriction on traveling outside of Ohio. It was also ordered for an approved physician to monitor Shook’s medical practice, surgeries, patient charts and work hour limitations.

Shook’s restrictions in WV included his refraining from drugs and alcohol, AA and DA meetings at least 4 times a week, unlimited-random drug testing, care by an addiction psychologist, supervision by an approved physician in his office and during surgery, work no more than 30 hours a week, appear before the committee for progress reports.

The entire Ohio-WV Agreements and US District Court case are linked below

Are Doctors Addictions Becoming An Epidemic Across The Country

Research we conducted across the U.S. shows that WV is not the only state that provides confidentiality to its physicians under the law. And, like WV, some physicians who are allowed to practice under the cloak of confidentiality are still endangering innocent and completely unknowing patients.

Why is that? Because doctors, unlike airline pilots, truck drivers, some big-city firefighters, and other professionals whose performance impacts public safety in the United States, are not required by law or regulation to be randomly screened for drug use. As a result, you have zero guarantees that the surgeon fixing your ACL, or administering your medication, or even the dentist performing your root canal isn't quietly hooked on something that could inhibit or completely annihilate his or her ability to treat you safely and effectively.

"The American public has accepted the idea that a physician works in the patient's best interest. And most physicians do," says Lucian Leape, M.D., a professor of public health policy at Harvard's school of public health and a leading advocate for patient safety. "But in the past 20 years, there's more and more evidence that we have some definite problems."

There's so much evidence that Dr. Leape now believes it's time to flip the current arrangement on its head to move from a system in which patients must blindly trust that the people treating them are drug and alcohol free to a system in which health care workers are required to prove, through random and periodic drug testing, that they're drug- and alcohol-free.

"I'm very much in favor of random testing," Dr. Leape says. "We have a responsibility to identify problem doctors and bring them into treatment." And to protect patients in the process.

Drug Testing For Doctors?

No one looks forward to the prospect of peeing into a plastic container to prove he or she is fit to do a job. Yet all clinical members of the anesthesia department at Massachusetts General Hospital, (one of the countries oldest and most prestigious medical facilities) are required to do exactly that. If their tests come back clean, the residents are free to keep on practicing. If not, a second sample is sent to another certified lab for confirmation. If the second sample is positive, the doctor is steered into treatment for drug use.

This program, along with a similar one that's in effect at the Cleveland Clinic, began in 2004 after a rash of publicity emerged about high addiction rates among anesthesiologists. (A 2005 survey by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation found that 80 percent of anesthesiology residency programs had problems with drug-impaired residents.)

"Some view it as an invasion of privacy. But others feel we have the safety of the public in our hands, just like bus drivers and pilots do," says Michael Fitzsimons, M.D., the Massachusetts General anesthesiologist who is the driving force behind the testing program. "And because of that, we not only have to be drug-free, but also have to prove we're drug-free."

Even the courts have generally ruled in favor of drug screening for people who hold jobs that may pose a threat to public safety, and the public seems to have accepted the idea of giving up some rights in exchange for greater safety and security.

The notion of workplace drug screening as a way to protect the public, first gained momentum in the 1980s; it was a Reagan-era response to the rise of casual drug use. President Ronald Reagan himself signed an executive order in 1986 mandating drug screening of all federal employees.

In Closing…

The government and the public seem to have little problem telling a blue-collar subway engineer to offer up his urine, but we've been far more hesitant to put the same demands on a Harvard-trained oncologist or a Johns Hopkins cardiologist. "There's a long history of professionalism when it comes to medicine," says Harvard's Dr. Leape, "and the public has generally accepted the idea that physicians are self-regulating."

Laws are generally created and enforced for the good and safety of the general public. WV Code 30-3-09 is designed to provide confidentiality to physicians who admit that they have a drug and or alcohol addiction that is effectively impairing their ability to work. And in most cases, these doctors are allowed to continue working while seeking help for the effects of this disease.

Doesn’t the public have a right to know if the WV Board of Medicine has knowledge of any doctor’s drug or alcohol addictions, especially if they are allowed to continue treating patients during this probationary time period?

In the case of Jeffrey Shook, records show that 1 month after he notified the board of his drug addiction in 2006, (and subsequent 10 day stint in a GA rehab) his insurance company paid $500,000 to a former patient for malpractice.

Then, after only 5 months from entering into his 2007 agreement with the WVBOM, a new malpractice complaint was filed against him. It recently settled for $200,000. One is still pending....

Doctors are not driving trucks, delivering the mail or any other blue collar job. They are caring for and performing surgery on human beings. Having the life of another in your hands is almost sacred. There should be no tolerance to a doctor’s impairment due to drugs or alcohol whether it is classified a disease or not!

Bottom line, many non-physicians around the world also suffer from these same type addictions or “diseases.” They are no longer able or allowed to perform the job they once had. Nor did they take an oath to treat and protect life to the best of their ability and judgment.

Nor did they swear to “maintain this sacred trust, holding myself far aloof from wrong, from corrupting, from the tempting of others to vice.”

End Of Story….

Jack Swint-Publisher
WV News 2011
(304) 982-7024
E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

Links

Hippocratic Oath

Dr. Jeffrey Shook’s Ohio And WV Agreement

WV Code-Chapter 30-3-9

US District Court Document From Case 3:09-CV-01004 Maynard vs Shook

WVBOM Public Discipline Reports From 1990 To Present

WVBOM License Search

Doctor Seth Stinehour Health And Safety News Articles
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Is Your Boss A Micromanager

2012-01-15T10:26:00.000-08:00

Why Is It So Many New Managers Tend To Micromanage?

While it’s unfair to paint all young supervisors as micromanagers, it’s a fairly common trait among new leaders for at least three reasons.

In a January 13, 2012 article by Tom Fox, with the “Partnership for Public Service,” claims that new supervisors are often promoted as aresult of their exceptional performance doing the job of the people they’re now supervising. “We tend to do what we know best, so it’s natural for new supervisors to continue doing their job and maybe your job too.”

A new supervisor could also be getting to know his or her new employees and as such will tend to provide more direction than less when initiating a project with their new team.

Micromanagement can also result from a new manager’s team needing a higher level of direction and not being aware of this situation. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the transition, the previous supervisor may have become relaxed in providing feedback, and as a result, the team might have grown accustomed to relatively less supervision when in fact more guidance is needed.

After considering the possible reasons for micromanagement, the question to ask yourself, “What can I do about the situation?”

If you’re the new supervisor and you’re concerned that you may be micromanaging your team, congratulations! Admitting that you have a problem is always the first step to changing your behavior. Next, consider your personal reasons for micromanaging. Are you simply clinging to your old job? Are you, in fact, trying to get to know your folks? Or, do you feel that they need regular counsel?

Once you’re comfortable with diagnosing the reasons behind your management approach, it’s best to have some one-on-one conversations with your supervisor and team members. It’s likely that your supervisor has been through this same transition and can offer some great insights into how to become a more flexible supervisor.

After talking with each member on your team individually, you can then reassess whether you need a lighter management touch more generally, or whether you need a varying approach for each team member. Whatever your approach, it’s important to develop a plan of action. To the extent that your plans are appropriate for the whole team, call a team meeting and set new expectations. If the outcome is more variable, have a concrete conversation with each team member to ensure that you’re shared expectations are completely clear.

Now, the response to the question, “What do I do about the situation?” is more complex if you’re the one being supervised. The good news, however, is that the New Year is a great time to have a conversation with your supervisor about expectations and plans for 2012 even if you already set your formal performance plan at the end of last year.

Within this context, it should be easier to share with your supervisor how you would like to take on more responsibility and gain more autonomy over the next year. Then, you can ask your supervisor what it would take to make her feel more comfortable with these new responsibilities. Demonstrating the confidence to initiate this professional conversation will help you show your supervisor that she should trust your abilities to get things done.

You can e-mail Tom Fox at: fedcoach@ourpublicservice.org

End of Story...

Jack Swint-Publisher
WV News 2011
(304) 982-7024
E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Twitter: @WVNewsOnline
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Doctor Caught On Tape Trading Drugs For Sexual Gratification

2012-01-05T06:53:00.000-08:00

Jack Mark Levine Has A Long List Of Infractions And Complaints In WV And OH by Jack Swint

“It’s a case of a physician who fulfilled his own sexual selfish desires by engaging in conduct that is considered depraved. He controlled, he dominated and he manipulated not just patients, but vulnerable patients with built-in credibility issues. That is, these patients were all drug addicts”… Assistant Ohio Attorney General Julie Pfeiffer

Dr. Jack Mark Levine was born in New York and graduated from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1982. In addition to Ohio, Dr. Levine held medical licenses in West Virginia and Illinois. He was board-certified by the American Board of Osteopathic Surgeons in 1995 in general surgery and critical care medicine, and became a fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons in 1998.

Here was a man who had the world in the palm of his hands. But, beneath the public and state medical board’s radar, Doctor Levine’s multi state practices were beginning to crumble as medical mistakes and indiscretions mounted in both WV and Ohio.

Malpractice And Settlements Come First

According to documents we obtained, Levine was facing allegations of at least 2 wrongful death suits dating as far back as 1992. The first was in Mason County WV involving Kandi Tweety. The other was filed on the behalf of Helen Zeigler in Cabell County. Malpractice Liability forms filed by Levine to the State Board show that his insurance carrier paid $100,000 on the Tweedy complaint in 1992 and $400,000 in the Zeigler action in 2000.

Four additional Malpractice complaints were filed against Levine from 1994 to 1998. One report alleges Levine failed to totally remove a catheter from the chest of one of his patients. Cabell County records also show a 2001sexuall harassment lawsuit filed against Levine and others by Dr Maria Teresita Paulin Antigua-Martinez (01-C-467).

Drugs For Sexual Gratification Caught On Audio Tape

In 2008, Levine was notified that he was under investigation by the Ohio State Medical Board for 3 counts of misconduct. The charges arose from his treatment of three female patients who the board only referred to as Patient 1, Patient 2, and Patient 3. Levine treated each patient for opioid addiction by prescribing Suboxone, a drug designed to minimize withdrawal symptoms and curb addiction to opioids.

The board's first charge alleged that between November 2007 and December 2007, Levine engaged in sexual misconduct with Patient 1 over the course of several "inappropriate" phone calls that were secretly tape recorded by the patient. Specifically, the board alleged that Levine asked Patient 1 to write him notes about sex and masturbation; he told her that "she needed a master to tell her what to do" and asked her to say "F… me master.” He told her that he "would like to ‘f…her’ and that when he called she should be ‘Ready to f….’

Levine was recorded telling her that she should see his "cock right now" and also told her that he wanted her to "get a vibrator.” He also referred to her as his "sex toy" and asked her whether she liked what she felt, referencing to his penis, when she was previously in his office.

In the second and third charges, the board alleged that Levine engaged in sexual misconduct with Patient 2 and Patient 3 at separate times in 2007. According to the second charge, appellant told Patient 2, after she tested positive for the use of drugs other than Suboxone, that she would have to "prostitute herself" again for him to prescribe her more Suboxone.

The third charge alleged that Levine asked Patient 3 to write him notes about masturbation and to bring him those notes on her next visit, and that he inappropriately "touched" and "bounced" her breasts when examining her during an office visit in 2007.

Ohio Assistant Attorney General Julie Pfeiffer testified at Levine’s hearing and stated that “this case is one of the most disturbing” cases that she had ever tried before the Board. “This is not a case about two people who cared for each other, two people who fell in love or even two people who had a physical attraction for each other. It’s a case of a physician who fulfilled his own sexual selfish desires by engaging in conduct that she considers depraved. He controlled, he dominated and he manipulated not just patients, but vulnerable patients with built-in credibility issues.”

Ms. Pfeiffer stated that this was not a compassionate, two-sided affair. It was Dr. Levine crossing all bounds of decency, morality, and integrity to get what he wanted from an extremely vulnerable patient. Ms. Pfeiffer commented that Dr. Levine talks about being taken aback and not being truthful at first, but he didn’t know about the tapes right away. It was after the tapes were made known to him that he decided to admit those allegations.

Pfeiffer also stated that “if the Board didn’t have those tapes, Dr. Levine probably wouldn’t be here today.”

In his defense, Mark Levine pleaded with the board members (in part)…. “I pray that the Board will not judge my 25-year career in healthcare by my shameful words I uttered two years ago. For you to take my livelihood away over this will hurt my wonderful family who are just totally innocent. I have three wonderful children, two still in college, and an incredibly bright and beautiful wife.

And they have endured such embarrassment due to my inexcusable actions. To take away my ability to support them over an inappropriate phone call seems very unfair to them." (The entire Ohio hearing is linked below.)

The Boards Decision

The Ohio State Medical Board permanently suspended Jack Mark Levine’s license to practice medicine in September 2009. Subsequently, on April 06, 2010, Illinois Medical Board revoked Levine’s license. Then on October 18th, 2011 the WV Medical Board revoked his license too.

Levine appealed the decision to the Ohio Supreme Court and lost. He is reportedly to be residing in Piketon Ohio and had been allowed to teach, but not practice, osteopathic medicine in or near Detroit Michigan.

One Unanswered Question

The Ohio Board members did ask one question that Levine still has never answered. Why, would a man, who is Board-certified in surgery, decided to prescribe Suboxone? Especially when he had no specialty training in psychiatry or addiction medicine?

Levine did have the legal right to prescribe the drugs because he passed an “on-line test by the FDA,” the Board didn’t charge him with this. Board members noted that when physicians step out of their areas of competency, the areas for which they’ve been trained, they generally do get into trouble.

In Closing

Jack Mark Levine’s medical license should have been reviewed/revoked back in the 1990’s due to the numerous related malpractice reports against him that include wrongful death civil suits for causing the death of at least 2 of his patients.

Then, at some point in time, he elected to go outside of his area of expertise and began treating female patients who he knew to be drug addicted and vulnerable. He used their dependency to act out his sexual fantasies and or needs by objectifying these 3 patients to a place in his mind where he referred to at least one as his “sex toy” on tape.

All doctors should hold their patients above anything else; his pattern of malpractice alone is inexcusable, but compiled with the fact that he also categorized these 3 female patients as sex toys/slaves, goes beyond discipline and loss of his medical license. It should be investigated for possible criminal charges.

Levine’s actions go against all of the simplest fundamentals in the practice of medicine, and it goes way beyond any defense possible.

End Of Story...

Jack Swint-Publisher
WV News 2011
(304) 982-7024
E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

Links

Ohio State Medical Board-Jack Mark Levine

Ohio Supreme Court Decision
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New Study Claims Shroud Of Turin Is Authentic

2011-12-25T12:56:00.000-08:00

Shroud Is Not A Fake According To December 2011 Published Report by Jack Swint

A series of experiments conducted by Italian researchers indicate the Shroud of Turin is likely authentic, but the team has not yet reached a definite conclusion. And if authentic, is it truly the face of Jesus?

According to the December 12, 2011 Vatican Insider, the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, has published a report on five years of experiments conducted in the ENEA center of Frascati on the shroud-like coloring of linen fabrics by far ultraviolet radiation.

With a lot of fair play and almost "en passant", this new report very clearly refutes the hypothesis that the Shroud of Turin might be the work of a medieval forger. The hypothesis was supported against many weighted arguments by the results of the disputable and probably biased - C14 measurements; a test whose credibility has been rendered very fragile not only by objective difficulties but also from proven factual errors of calculation and the inability to obtain “raw data” from the laboratories for the necessary controls.

The report notes… “The double image (front and back) of a scourged and crucified man, barely visible on the linen cloth of the Shroud of Turin has many physical and chemical characteristics that are so particular that the staining which is identical in all its facets, would be impossible to obtain today in a laboratory, as discussed in numerous articles listed in the references. This inability to repeat (and therefore falsify) the image on the Shroud makes it impossible to formulate a reliable hypothesis on how the impression was made.

In fact, today Science is still not able to explain how the body image was formed on the Shroud. As a partial justification, Scientists complain that it is impossible to take direct measurements on the Shroud cloth. In fact, the latest in situ experimental analysis of the physical and chemical properties of the body image of the Shroud was carried out in 1978 by a group of 31 scientists under the aegis of the Shroud of Turin Research Project, Inc. (STURP).

The scientists used modern equipment for the time, made available by several manufacturers for a market value of two and a half million dollars, and took a number of non-destructive infrared spectroscopy measurements, visible and ultraviolet, X-ray fluorescence, thermograph, pyrolysis, mass spectrometry, micro-Raman analysis, transmission photograph, microscopy, removal of fibrils and micro-chemical tests."

The analysis carried out on the Shroud did not find significant amounts of pigments (dyes, paints) or traces of designs.

Based on the results of dozens of measurements, the STURP researchers concluded that the body image is not painted nor printed, nor obtained by heating. Furthermore, the color of the image resides on the outer surface of the fibrils that make up the threads of the cloth, and recent measurements of fragments of the Shroud show that the thickness of staining is extremely thin, around 200 nm = 200 billionths of a meter, or one fifth of a thousandth of a millimeter, which corresponds to the thickness of the primary cell wall of the so-called single linen fiber. We recall that a single linen thread is made up of about 200 fibrils.

Other important information derived from the results of the STURP measurements are as follows: The blood is human, and there is no image beneath the bloodstains; the gradient color contains three-dimensional information of the body; colored fibers (image) are more fragile than undyed fibers; surface staining of the fibrils of the image derive from an unknown process that caused oxidation, dehydration and conjugation in the structure of the cellulose of the linen."

In other words, the color is a result of an accelerated linen aging process.

As already mentioned, until now all attempts to reproduce an image on linen with the same characteristics have failed. Some researchers have obtained images with a similar appearance to the image of the Shroud, but nobody has been able to simultaneously reproduce all microscopic and macroscopic characteristics.

In this sense, the origin of the Shroud image is still unknown. This seems to be the core of the so-called mystery of the Shroud regardless of the age the Shroud, whether it is medieval (1260 - 1390) as shown by the controversial dating by radiocarbon, or older as indicated by other investigations.

“Regardless of the actual importance of controversial historical documents on the existence of the Shroud in the years preceding 1260, the most important question, the ‘question of questions’ remains the same, how did that body image appear on the Shroud?”

What Scientists Believe

There are two possibilities, the scientists write, on how the sheet of the Shroud was placed around the corpse: placed above and below (not in full contact with the whole body stiffened by rigor mortis) or pressed on the body and tied in order to be in contact with almost the entire body surface.

The first method is supported by the fact that there is a precise relationship between the intensity (gradient) of the image and the distance between the body and the cloth. Furthermore, the image is also present in areas of the body not in contact with the cloth, such as immediately above and below the hands, and around the tip of the nose.

The second method is less likely because the typical geometric deformations of a three dimension body brought into contact in two dimension sheet are missing. Moreover, there is no imprint of body hips. Consequently, we can deduce that the image was not formed by contact between linen and body."

It is this observation, coupled with the extreme superficiality of the coloring and the lack of pigments that makes it extremely unlikely that a shroud-like picture was obtained using a chemical contact method, both in a modern laboratory and even more so by a hypothetical medieval forger.

There is no image beneath the blood stains. This means that the traces of blood deposited before the image was. Therefore, the image was formed after the corpse was laid down. Furthermore, all the blood stains have well-defined edges, no burrs, so it can be assumed that the corpse was not removed from the sheet.

There are no signs of putrefaction near the orifices, which usually occur around 40 hours after death. Consequently, the image is not the result of putrefaction gases and the corpse was not left in the sheet for more than two days.

One of the assumptions related to the formation of the image was that regarding some form of electromagnetic energy (such as a flash of light at short wavelength), which could fit the requirements for reproducing the main features of the Shroud image, such as superficiality of color, color gradient, the image also in areas of the body not in contact with the cloth and the absence of pigment on the sheet.

The first attempts made to reproduce the face on the Shroud by radiation, used a CO2 laser which produced an image on a linen fabric that is similar at a macroscopic level. However, microscopic analysis showed a coloring that is too deep and many charred linen threads, features that are incompatible with the Shroud image.

Instead, the results of ENEA show that a short and intense burst of VUV directional radiation can color a linen cloth so as to reproduce many of the peculiar characteristics of the body image on the Shroud of Turin, including shades of color, the surface color of the fibrils of the outer linen fabric, and the absence of fluorescence.

However, Enea scientists warn, "it should be noted that the total power of VUV radiations required to instantly color the surface of linen that corresponds to a human of average height, body surface area equal to = 2000 MW/cm2 17000 cm2 = 34 thousand billion watts makes it impractical today to reproduce the entire Shroud image using a single laser excimer, since this power cannot be produced by any VUV light source built to date." (the most powerful available on the market come to several billion watts )

Finally, the report states that the Shroud image has some features that scientists are not yet able to reproduce. For example, the gradient of the image caused by a different concentration of yellow colored fibrils that alternate with unstained fibrils”. And they warn: “We are not at the conclusion; we are composing pieces of a fascinating and complex scientific puzzle”.

The enigma of the image of the Shroud of Turin is still “a challenge for intelligence”, as John Paul II said.

End of Story...

Jack Swint - Publisher
WV News 2011
(304) 982-7024
E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Twitter: @WVNewsOnline
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West Virginia Ranks Thirty-Ninth Overall in Recent 50 State Analyses

2011-12-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

2011 Report Lists Best To Worst Run States In America by Jack Swint

“This report is meant to be an analysis that will focus the debate about state management and financial operations. The analysis should also serve to empower and inform citizens who want who want to better understand the impact government decisions have on each state.” 24/7 Wall Street, LLC - 2011

Preparing This Analysis

According to a new study by the 24/7 Wall Street LLC group, “comparing the 50 states can be a challenge because they are so different. Some states have abundant natural resources while others rely on service or innovation. State populations also can be more rural or more urban. Some had booming industries that are waning or that have disappeared altogether.”

They go on to report that… “Border States with large immigrant communities have populations that are growing rapidly. Many states in the Northeast are not growing at all. All of these factors affect the finances and the living conditions in a state.

Despite these differences, states can do a great deal to control their fate. Well-run states have a great deal in common with well-run corporations. Books are kept balanced. Investment is prudent. Debt is sustainable. Innovation is prized. Workers are well-chosen and well-trained. Executives, including elected and appointed officials, are retained based on merit and not politics.”

To determine how well or how poorly a state is run, is weighed by each state’s financial health, based on factors including credit score and debt.

They also evaluated how a state uses its resources to provide its residents with high living standards, reviewing dimensions such as health insurance, employment rate, low crime and a good education. They considered hundreds of data sets and chose what we considered to be the 10 most important measurements of financial and government management.

In summing up their recent findings, “This report is meant to be an analysis that will focus the debate about state management and financial operations. The analysis should also serve to empower and inform citizens who want who want to better understand the impact government decisions have on each state.”

Bottom line, the best-run state is Wyoming and the worst-run state is California.

1. Wyoming

State debt per capita: $2,452 (18th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 14.9% (21st highest) Percent below poverty line: 10.3% (7th lowest) Unemployment: 5.8% (6th lowest)

Wyoming comes in first place in 24/7 Wall St.’s Best Run States for the second year in a row. The state has high marks in many categories including high school graduation rate. A whopping 92.3% of states residents age 25 or older have at least a high school diploma the highest rate in the country. The state also has the fourth lowest rate of violent crimes and the sixth lowest unemployment rate. Wyoming has the smallest population of any state in the country.

2. Nebraska

State debt per capita: $1,407 (4th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 11.5% (14th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 11.9% (tied for 14th lowest) Unemployment: 4.2% (2nd lowest)

The state of Nebraska had the 21st lowest revenue per capita in the country in 2009 yet managed to spend more per capita that year than all but seven states. The state has the fourth lowest debt per capita, and it is one of 13 states with a perfect AAA credit rating. Besides being financially sound, Nebraska also has an unemployment rate of 4.2%, the second lowest rate in the country. The state also has relatively low poverty, high graduation rates and the seventh lowest rate of foreclosures last month.

3. North Dakota

State debt per capita: $2,721 (20th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 9.8% (9th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 12.3% (17th lowest) Unemployment: 3.5% (the lowest)

One of the best measures of North Dakota’s success is its unemployment rate of 3.5%, the lowest in the country and one that has not been above 5% in over 20 years. While the state has relied on a stable agriculture sector to keep unemployment low, the booming oil industry has created a $1 billion surplus in the past three years. From 2009 to 2011 Montana was the only other state to report a surplus, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

4. Minnesota

State debt per capita: $1,790 (8th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 9.1% (4th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 11.0% (10th lowest) Unemployment: 6.9% (14th lowest)

Minnesota moved up in the ranking from fifth to fourth due to its improvement in several categories, including violent crime rate and health insurance coverage. In 2010, just 9.1% of state residents were without health insurance coverage, the fourth best rate in the country. The state also continues to excel in the areas it did last year. Some 91.5% of the state’s adult population has graduated high school which makes it the second highest percentage in the country. The state also has the eighth lowest debt per capita.

5. Iowa

State debt per capita: $2,117 (13th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 9.3% (6th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 11.9% (tied for 14th lowest) Unemployment: 6% (8th lowest)

Iowa’s greatest assets are its rates of educated and insured residents. Some 90.6% of residents 25 years and older have at least a high school diploma and only 9.3% of residents do not have health insurance. These are among the best rates in the country. Iowa also has an exceptionally low unemployment rate and the highest credit rating available, demonstrating its healthy economy.

6. Utah

State debt per capita: $2,274 (15th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 15.3% (20th highest) Percent below poverty line: 11.5% (12th lowest) Unemployment: 7.4% (17th lowest)

Utah kept the same rank it had in the last survey. The state has the fifth-lowest violent crime rate in the country, as well as the seventh-highest graduation rate in the country. However, Utah had one of the higher foreclosure rates in the country in October, and 15.3% of the population (an above-average rate) is without health insurance.

7. Vermont

State debt per capita: $5,514 (9th highest) Percent without health insurance: 8% (3rd lowest) Percent below poverty line: 11.7% (13th lowest) Unemployment: 5.8% (5th lowest)

Vermont does extremely well in a number of areas considered for this list. Residents are highly educated, and Vermont has the second lowest rate of violent crime in the country. It also has the third lowest percentage of uninsured residents in the country. However, the state has saddled its citizens with debt; Vermont’s debt per capita is more than $5,500, which is the ninth highest in the country.

8. Virginia

State debt per capita: $3,100 (22nd lowest) Percent without health insurance: 13.1% (20th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 10.7% (8th lowest) Unemployment: 6.5% (10th lowest)

Virginia is the highest-ranked state in the southern U.S., largely because it does not suffer from many of the problems that plague the rest of the South. The state has a median income of $60,674, the eighth-highest in the country, as well as a poverty rate of 10.7%, which is the eighth lowest. The state also has the sixth-lowest violent crime rate in the country, with just 213 incidents taking place in 2010 for every 100,000 people.

9. Kansas

State debt per capita: $2,086 (10th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 13.9% (24th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 12.8% (tied for 21st lowest) Unemployment: 6.7% (12th lowest)

Kansas has the 10th-lowest state debt per capita in the country. However, the state’s ranking may change as its debt grows. According to The Hutchinson News, borrowing by school districts has increased over 800% since 1990. Kansas has a relatively low unemployment rate of 6.7% compared to the national rate of 9.1%.

10. South Dakota

State debt per capita: $4,485 (12th highest) Percent without health insurance: 12.4% (18th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 13.8% (25th highest) Unemployment: 4.6% (3rd lowest)

South Dakota rounds out the list of the 10 best-run states in the country. While the state is slightly below average in median income and poverty, otherwise things are going quite well in the state. South Dakota has the third-lowest unemployment rate in the country. It is also one of the few states to truly avoid the worst parts of the housing crisis. Just one in 4,352 homes was foreclosed in October — the fourth lowest rate in the country.

11. Maryland

State debt per capita: $4,133 (14th highest) Percent without health insurance: 11.3% (13th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 9.1% (tied for 2nd lowest) Unemployment: 7.4% (16th lowest)

Despite its relatively high state debt of $4,133 per person, Maryland has a credit rating of AAA, the highest available. The state also has a particularly low poverty rate. Only 9.1% of people are living below the poverty line which is the third lowest in the country. But, the number of Maryland residents in poverty increased by nearly 80,000 from 2009 to 2010, the paper notes.

12. Hawaii

State debt per capita: $5,328 (10th highest) Percent without health insurance: 7.9% (2nd lowest) Percent below poverty line: 10.0% (6th lowest) Unemployment: 6.4% (9th lowest)

Hawaii dropped two slots (from 10th to 12th) on our list because of the decline in median household income and an unchanged unemployment rate. However, the state’s overall picture is a positive one. Just 7.9% of state residents are without health insurance, the second-lowest rate in the country. Hawaii also ranks in the highest 10 for median household income, and among the lowest 10 in poverty and unemployment.

13. New Hampshire

State debt per capita: $6,357 (7th highest) Percent without health insurance: 11.1% (12th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 8.1% (the lowest) Unemployment: 5.4% (4th lowest)

New Hampshire has a poverty rate of only 8.1% the lowest in the country and down from 8.5% last year. The state also has the third lowest rate of violent crime and the fourth lowest unemployment rate. The state’s finances are not perfect, however. It has the seventh highest debt per capita and a credit rating of AA, which is two grades below the best. The state government is trying to address this problem.

On March 30, 2011, the New Hampshire House approved a bill that would make deep cuts to social and health programs and limit collective bargaining rights aimed at restricting how unions impact these programs.

14. Maine

State debt per capita: $4,092 (15th highest) Percent without health insurance: 10.1% (10th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 12.6% (20th lowest) Unemployment: 7.5% (18th lowest)

Maine has moved up three spots from last year’s ranking, partially because of improvements in health insurance coverage and unemployment. For the second year in a row, Maine sports the lowest violent crime rate in the country, at 122 incidents per 100,000 people. Fiscally, the state is not as sound as others. The state only has an AA credit rating. In the fiscal year 2009, the state had a debt of $4,092 per person, the 15th highest in the country.

15. Pennsylvania

State debt per capita: $3,331 (25th highest) Percent without health insurance: 10.2% (11th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 12.8% (tied for 21st lowest) Unemployment: 8.3% (24th highest)

Only 10.2% of Pennsylvania residents go without health insurance. This includes residents covered under “Adult Basic,” a state-funded health plan for low-income adults. This program was canceled early this year due to financial restrictions. In 2009, the state collected revenues of just over $3,000 per person. At the same time, it spent over $6,100 per person.

16. Wisconsin

State debt per capita: $3,707 (19th highest) Percent without health insurance: 9.4% (7th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 12.1% (16th lowest) Unemployment: 7.8% (21st lowest)

Wisconsin would perform much better on our list if it were not for its fiscal scores. The state only has an AA credit rating, and its $3,707 of state debt per capita is the 19th worst in the country. However, the state performs better than average in median household income, poverty rate and unemployment. Also, just 9.4% of the state’s population is without health insurance, a better rate than all but six states.

17. Washington

State debt per capita: $3,719 (18th highest) Percent without health insurance: 14.2% (25th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 12.5% (tied for 18th lowest) Unemployment: 9.1% (16th highest)

Washington State has moved down one slot from last year’s rank, partially due to an increase in unemployment and an increase in poverty rate. On the whole, the state performs better than average in most categories, including household income, violent crime rate and high school graduation. And while the state does not make it to the top 10 in any single category, it also avoids the bottom 10 in each.

18. Alaska

State debt per capita: $9,505 (2nd highest) Percent without health insurance: 19.9% (4th highest) Percent below poverty line: 9.1% (tied for 2nd lowest) Unemployment: 7.6% (19th lowest)

Alaska performs exceptionally well in a number of categories. It has the second lowest percentage of people below the poverty line and the fifth highest percentage of adults with high school diplomas. However, the state has the second highest debt per capita. It also has the second highest rate of violent crime.

19. North Carolina

State debt per capita: $2,138 (14th highest) Percent without health insurance: 16.8% (17th highest) Percent below poverty line: 16.2% (14th highest) Unemployment: 10.5% (8th highest)

North Carolina has jumped five spots compared to last year’s ranking, largely because of the substantial reduction in violent crime over the past year. The rate dropped from 467 violent crimes for every 100,000 residents in 2009, to 363 per 100,000 people in 2010. Despite a healthy budget, including a AAA credit rating and low debt per capita, North Carolina still performs worse than average in a number of categories, including high school graduation rate, unemployment, health insurance coverage and poverty.

20. Missouri

State debt per capita: $3,218 (24th highest) Percent without health insurance: 13.2% (21st highest) Percent below poverty line: 14.5% (tied for 21st highest) Unemployment: 8.7% (22nd highest)

Missouri has moved up five spots from last year’s rank of 24 partly because its unemployment rate has decreased from 9.3% to 8.7%. The state also boasts a AAA credit rating from S&P thanks to state efforts to fund its debts.

21. Delaware

State debt per capita: $6,796 (5th highest) Percent without health insurance: 9.7% (8th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 11.3% (11th lowest) Unemployment: 8.1% (23rd lowest)

Delaware has fallen 10 spots since last year’s ranking. It has the third highest rate of violent crime in the country, worse than it was last year. The state also has the fifth largest debt per capita. On the other hand, it has one of the lowest rates of residents without health insurance and a relatively small percentage of people living below the poverty line.

22. Connecticut

State debt per capita: $8,088 (4th highest) Percent without health insurance: 9.1% (4th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 9.7% (5th lowest) Unemployment: 8.9% (tied for 20th highest)

Connecticut is a relatively wealthy state with the fourth greatest median household income in the country. This is reflected in the tax and spending habits of its government. In 2009, the state collected the sixth largest amount in revenue per capita and spent the eighth largest amount. The state has the fourth lowest percentage of residents without health insurance, thanks in part to state programs such as Charter Oaks Health Plan and Husky Healthcare. However, the state ranks fourth worst when it comes to state debt, owing $8,088 per person.

23. Indiana

State debt per capita: $3,702 (20th highest) Percent without health insurance: 14.8% (22nd highest) Percent below poverty line: 14.2% (24th highest) Unemployment: 8.9% (tied for 20th highest)

Indiana ranks only 23rd on the list of best-run states, but that is a marked improvement from last year’s 29th spot. The state’s scores improved this year in unemployment, violent crime and the percentage of the state’s adult population with a high school diploma. The state still has a great deal of room for improvement, as it ranks in the bottom two-thirds for every single category except for credit rating.

24. Ohio

State debt per capita: $2,423 (17th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 12.3% (17th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 14.8% (17th highest) Unemployment: 9.1% (17th highest)

Ohio’s state revenue in the fiscal year of 2009 was the fourth-lowest in the country. In the same time period, the state spent $71 billion, nearly three times that amount per resident. Despite that fact, Ohio still has an AA+ credit rating and a below-average debt per capita. Ohio scores worse than average on unemployment, median income, foreclosures and poverty. The state does slightly better on graduation rates. Ohio also spends a higher portion of its budget on education than most states.

25. Texas

State debt per capita: $1,240 (2nd lowest) Percent without health insurance: 23.7% (the highest) Percent below poverty line: 17.0% (9th lowest) Unemployment: 8.5% (23rd highest)

Texas managed to spend the third least per capita in 2009, and as a partial consequence has the second lowest debt per capita, a mere $1,240 per person. Austere spending comes at a price. Nearly a quarter of the state’s residents are without health insurance. Also, only 80.9% of Texans 25 years or older graduated from high school. While this is an improvement from its 2003 rate of 77%, it is tied with California for worst among all states.

26. Idaho

State debt per capita: $2,284 (16th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 17.7% (11th highest) Percent below poverty line: 14.3% (23rd highest) Unemployment: 9% (19th highest)

Idaho has the seventh-lowest violent crime rate in the country, a manageable debt per capita and a AA+ credit rating. Otherwise, the state leaves much to be desired. It has the 11th highest rate of residents without health insurance coverage. It also had one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country last month. On a state and local level combined, Idaho spends less per capita than any state in the country on its population.

27. Montana

State debt per capita: $4,903 (11th highest) Percent without health insurance: 17.3% (13th highest) Percent below poverty line: 14.6% (tied for 19th highest) Unemployment: 7.7% (20th lowest)

Montana’s neighbor, Wyoming, has a debt per capita of $2,452 and an AAA rating. Montana state debt per resident is almost exactly double that and the state has an AA rating to show for it. Despite the fact that the state’s debt is higher, it actually spends significantly less per person in most key areas than Wyoming. The state has a high percentage of high school graduates among its adult population and a healthy housing market, but otherwise does relatively poorly. The state is worse than average in health insurance coverage and poverty. It also has the 11th lowest median household income in the U.S.

28. Oklahoma

State debt per capita: $2,689 (19th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 18.9% (7th highest) Percent below poverty line: 16.3% (tied for 13th highest) Unemployment: 5.9% (7th lowest)

Oklahoma has improved since last year’s ranking, moving up from 32nd place to 27th. One significant change has been the state’s improved unemployment rate, which fell from 7% last year to 5.9%. Many of these new job gains fall within the professional and business services category, a field which can be spurred or hindered by state taxes. Home prices in Oklahoma have increased just fewer than 18% since 2006. However, the state also has a fairly high percentage of residents without health insurance.

29. Tennessee

State debt per capita: $773 (the lowest) Percent without health insurance: 14.4% (25th highest) Percent below poverty line: 16.9% (10th highest) Unemployment: 9.8% (11th highest)

Tennessee has less debt per capita than any state in the country, a mere $773 per person. In contrast, Massachusetts’ debt per resident is $11,357. Because of its low debt, the state has earned a credit rating of AA+ by Standard & Poor’s. The state spends the second-least per capita each year, which is helpful in keeping its debt low, but it also means many programs go underfunded. For example, it spends less per capita than any state in the country on education. It also happens to have the 11th lowest percentage of adults with a high school diploma.

30. Massachusetts

State debt per capita: $11,357 (the highest) Percent without health insurance: 4.4% (the lowest) Percent below poverty line: 10.8% (9th lowest) Unemployment: 7.3% (15th lowest)

Massachusetts provides many benefits to its residents. For instance, as a result of its widely-talked about health insurance system, only 4.4% of people are uninsured — the lowest rate in the country. The state also spends a large amount on cash assistance for needy families and on pension benefits for retired state employees. To provide this much, however, the state must spend a lot. As a result, Massachusetts has the highest state debt per capita in the country.

31. Oregon

State debt per capita: $3,284 (15th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 17.1% (15th highest) Percent below poverty line: 14.6% (tied for 19th highest) Unemployment: 9.6% (14th highest)

In 2009, Oregon had the second-lowest revenue per capita and spent the 20th most per capita in the state budget. Oregon has a higher-than-average rate of adults with a high school education, as well as the 12th-lowest violent crime rate in the country. But the state otherwise performs quite poorly. Oregon has worse-than-average poverty rate, health insurance coverage and unemployment. Meanwhile, the state had the ninth-highest foreclosure rate in the country in October — one in every 455 homes.

32. Georgia

State debt per capita: $1,378 (3rd lowest) Percent without health insurance: 19.7% (5th highest) Percent below poverty line: 16.5% (11th highest) Unemployment: 10.3% (9th highest)

In the fiscal year 2009, Georgia’s revenue amounted to $3,419 per person, the 17th lowest revenue in the country. However, the state spent $4,217 per capita that year, the second-lowest expenditure per capita across all programs. The state spent just $984 per person that year on public welfare, the third-lowest amount in the country. This lack of spending contributed to the state’s poverty rate of 16.5%, the 11th highest in the country — and the nearly 20% without health insurance, the fifth highest percentage in the country.

33. Colorado

State debt per capita: $3,454 (23rd highest) Percent without health insurance: 15.9% (18th highest) Percent below poverty line: 12.5% (tied for 18th lowest) Unemployment: 8.3% (25th highest)

Colorado has dropped from 25th place last year to 33rd this year. The state is hurt in part by its housing market. One in every 458 housing units were foreclosed in October 2011. Still, the has a rate of education that is relatively higher than most other states with just under 90% of residents 25 and older finishing a high school education.

34. New York

State debt per capita: $6,288 (8th highest) Percent without health insurance: 11.9% (15th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 14.4% (22nd highest) Unemployment: 8% (22nd lowest)

New York State received the seventh greatest revenues per capita in the country and actually spent the sixth most per capita that same year. At $3,553, the state spends the fifth most per person on education. It also spends the most in the country on public welfare at $2,276 per person. However, this high spending has led to continuous fiscal problems in the state. New York has the eighth-highest debt per capita in the country as well as an S&P AA credit rating. Even with the high level of spending, New York falls short in many measurements.

It is worse than average in violent crime, high school graduation, poverty and decline in home value since 2006.

35. Arkansas

State debt per capita: $1,436 (5th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 17.5% (13th highest) Percent below poverty line: 18.4% (3rd highest) Unemployment: 8.2% (25th lowest)

Arkansas has the third highest rate of poverty in the country, which in turn hurts its ranking in other categories. It has the third lowest median household income. The state also has a low percentage of residents with high school diploma compared to the other states, as well as a high rate of violent crimes. However, the state has the fifth lowest state debt per capita.

36. Alabama

State debt per capita: $1,738 (7th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 14.6% (tied for 24th highest) Percent below poverty line: 17.4% (7th highest) Unemployment: 9.8% (12th highest)

Alabama only has a AA credit rating, but it maintains one of the lowest debts per capita in the country, at just $1,738 per person. Also, foreclosures are near the average. Otherwise, the state performs among the worst in the country in nearly every considered metric. The state has the fifth-lowest median household income in the country, as well as a poverty rate of 17.4% — the seventh-highest in the country.

37. New Jersey

State debt per capita: $6,551 (6th highest) Percent without health insurance: 13.2% (21st lowest) Percent below poverty line: 9.5% (4th lowest) Unemployment: 9.2% (15th highest)

Despite having the second highest median household in the country, New Jersey performs poorly in a number of areas. Most notably, the state has the sixth highest state debt per capita. Its credit rating was also downgraded from AA to AA- in February 2011 due to concerns over its massive retirement obligations.

38. Mississippi

State debt per capita: $2,107 (12th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 18.2% (9th highest) Percent below poverty line: 21.8% (the highest) Unemployment: 10.6% (tied for 5th highest)

Mississippi has improved six slots from last year and is now out of the bottom 10. The state spends the 11th most in the country on public welfare, yet it remains the poorest in the country. Residents’ median income was just over $36,000 in 2010, with more than one in five living below the poverty line. Both of these statistics are the worst in the U.S. On the other hand, foreclosures in October were the fifth lowest in the country. Also, violent crime has dropped significantly in the state over the past year, from 304.6 incidents per capita in 2009 to 269.7 in 2010.

39. West Virginia

State debt per capita: $3,578 (22nd highest) Percent without health insurance: 14.6% (tied for 24th highest) Percent below poverty line: 17.6% (6th highest) Unemployment: 8.2% (24th highest)

West Virginia has the sixth highest percentage of people living below the poverty line in the country. It also has the eighth lowest percentage of adults with a high school diploma and the second lowest median household income of $38,218. The state also collects far more in revenue compared to other states, while it spends about an average amount.

40. Florida

State debt per capita: $2,104 (11th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 21.3% (3rd highest) Percent below poverty line: 15.0% (16th highest) Unemployment: 10.6% (tied for 5th highest)

Florida was hit hard by the housing crisis. Home values declined the third most-in the country between 2006 and 2010. In October, one in every 423 homes was foreclosed upon. The state spends very little relative to its budget, and so it maintains a low debt per capita and a AAA credit rating. However, its lack of expenditure on public welfare has not helped the state’s poor, unemployed and uninsured citizens.

The state had the sixth highest unemployment rate in the country in September. Also, 21.3% of Florida’s population in 2010 was without health insurance, the third-highest rate in the country.

41. New Mexico

State debt per capita: $4,004 (16th highest) Percent without health insurance: 19.6% (6th highest) Percent below poverty line: 18.7% (12th highest) Unemployment: 6.6% (11th lowest)

New Mexico has a relatively low unemployment rate of 6.6% compared with the national average of 9.1%. This is down from 8.6% one year ago. Other statistics are not as promising. At 18.7%, the state has the second highest poverty rate in the country. Worst still, almost 20% of New Mexicans do not have health insurance. The state also has the highest rate of violent crime in the country.

42. Louisiana

State debt per capita: $3,914 (17th highest) Percent without health insurance: 17.8% (10th highest) Percent below poverty line: 17.8% (5th highest) Unemployment: 6.9% (13th lowest)

Louisiana remains in our bottom 10 again this year, although it has improved since last year, primarily because of decreases in unemployment and violent crime rate. In all, however, the state ranks poorly in most of the metrics we considered. Louisiana has the fifth-highest poverty rate in the country, the 10th-highest percentage of residents without health insurance coverage and the fifth lowest percentage of adults with a high school diploma.

43. Rhode Island

State debt per capita: $8,716 (3rd highest) Percent without health insurance: 12.2% (16th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 12.8% (tied for 21st lowest) Unemployment: 10.5% (7th highest)

Rhode Island has many positive attributes, including low violent crime rate and a relatively low poverty rate. However, the state’s spending is exceptionally high, and it has accumulated $8,716 in debt per capita. Nearly 20% of expenditures are for public education, yet compared with other states it has the 10th lowest percentage of adults who have graduated from high school.

44. Kentucky

State debt per capita: $3,107 (23rd lowest) Percent without health insurance: 15.3% (20th highest) Percent below poverty line: 18.2% (4th highest) Unemployment: 9.7% (13th highest)

Last year, 24/7 Wall St. named Kentucky the worst-run state in the country. The state saw slight improvements in the percentage of its population with high school diplomas and poverty rate. Violent crime dropped significantly (now the 10th-lowest rate in the country) compared to the 17th-lowest last year. Despite these improvements, Kentucky remains one of the poorest states in the country, ranking among the five worst for median income and poverty rate. It is also one of just four states to be awarded an unfavorable AA- credit rating, the third worst score awarded to any state.

45. South Carolina

State debt per capita: $3,379 (24th highest) Percent without health insurance: 17.5% (13th highest) Percent below poverty line: 17.1% (8th highest) Unemployment: 11% (4th highest)

Fiscally speaking, South Carolina is relatively sound. It takes in the 27th most in revenue per capita and spends the 24th most in total expenditures per capita. Its state debt per capita is slightly below average. However, the state has the eighth highest poverty rate and the fourth highest unemployment rate. It also has the fifth highest rate of violent crime, with 597.7 crime committed per 100,000 people. This is actually an improvement from last year when the state’s violent crime rate was 731 per 100,000 — the worst in the country.

46. Nevada

State debt per capita: $1,690 (6th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 22.6% (2nd highest) Percent below poverty line: 13.0% (24th lowest) Unemployment: 13.4% (the highest)

Nevada has dropped five places in rankings. This drop is due primarily to its credit downgrade this year from AA+ to AA. Surprisingly, the state has one of the lowest debts per capita in the country, at just $1,690 per person. However, it has other financial woes that make it a long-term risk. Nevada properties declined 44.5% in value between 2006 and 2010, the worst decline in the country. In October alone, one in every 180 homes was foreclosed upon, easily the worst rate in the country. The state also has the second lowest percentage of residents covered by health insurance and the highest unemployment rate in the country.

47. Arizona

State debt per capita: $1,882 (9th lowest) Percent without health insurance: 16.9% (16th highest) Percent below poverty line: 16.3% (tied for 13th highest) Unemployment: 9.1% (18th highest)

Arizona’s housing market was one of the worst hit in the country during the housing crisis. Home values have dropped 28.6% since 2006, the fourth worst rate in the country. In October 2011, one in every 259 housing units were foreclosed upon, which was the third worst rate that month in the U.S. Arizona also has one of the lowest credit scores in the country after its downgrade to AA- in 2009.

48. Michigan

State debt per capita: $2,963 (21st lowest) Percent without health insurance: 12.4% (18th lowest) Percent below poverty line: 15.7% (15th highest) Unemployment: 11.1% (3rd highest)
Michigan has arguably suffered more than any state in post-industrial America. The state is one of just four with a credit rating of AA-, although its debt per capita is actually below average. The state ranks among the worst in the country for violent crime, unemployment, foreclosures and home price decline.

49. Illinois

State debt per capita: $4,424 (13th highest) Percent without health insurance: 13.8% (23rd lowest) Percent below poverty line: 13.1% (25th lowest) Unemployment: 10% (10th highest)

Illinois has fallen from 43rd last year to the overall second-worst run state in the country. The state performs poorly in most categories, but is worst when it comes to its credit rating. Illinois has a credit rating of A+, the second worst given to any state, behind only California. The state has been on credit watch since 2008 because of budget shortfalls and legal challenges against then-governor Rod Blagojevich.

50. California

State debt per capita: $3,660 (21st highest) Percent without health insurance: 18.5% (8th highest) Percent below poverty line: 14.5% (tied for 21st highest) Unemployment: 11.9% (2nd highest)

California has moved down one slot on from last year to earn the title of the worst-run state in the country. In the fiscal year 2009, the state spent $430 billion, roughly 14% of all the money spent by states in that year. Compared to its revenue, the state spent too much.

California had the 10th lowest revenue per person, and spent the 15th most per person. California is the only state in the country to be rated A-, the lowest rating ever given to a state by S&P. Despite the huge amount the state spends each year, conditions remain poor. California has the second-lowest percentage of adults with a high school diploma in the country, the second-highest foreclosure rate and is tied for the second highest unemployment rate in the U.S.

In Closing

The creators of this report, 24/7 Wall St., LLC, is a Delaware corporation set up to run a financial news and opinion operation with content delivered over the Internet. The company currently has its content picked up at websites including TheStreet.com, AOL Finance and BloggingStocks, The Wall Street Journal online, MarketWatch, StockHouse, MSN Money, AOL Finance, Daily Finance, Time.com, and Newsweek.com.

Research for this report was gathered and considered through data from a number of sources, The Bureau of Labor Statistics who provided unemployment data, Credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s provided credit ratings for all 50 states. The Tax Foundation provided state debt per capita for the fiscal year 2009. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Report provided violent crime rates by state.

Realty Trac provided foreclosure rates. A significant amount of the data used came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Data from ACS included percentage below the poverty line, high school completion for those 25 and older, median household income, percentage of the population without health insurance and the change in occupied home values from 2006 to 2010.

End of Story…

Jack Swint-Publisher
WV News 2011
(304) 982-7024
E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Twitter: @WVNewsOnline
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Are Police Investigating Former Principal For Child Sexual Abuse

2011-11-19T10:38:00.000-08:00

Former WV Principal Accused Of Being A Pedophile And Child Molester? by Jack Swint

“He knew that I knew what he was doing to those boys. He always had young male foreign exchange student in his home too. He constantly had groups of boys with him at all times. I knew he was an evil man"….Former Matewan School Counselor, Hester Keatley
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Sometimes A Story Has To Be Told Again And Again (First published in November 2008)

In June 1996, then forty-eight year old Thomas Scott King (pictured above with President Obama) was arrested after spending the night in a Charleston WV motel with a 17-year old boy. At the time, Mr. King was the principal at Valley High school in Smithers, WV. The teenager was one of his students…..and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Kings own little brother has come forward with a deep dark secret of his own…“My older brother, Scott, began raping and sodomizing me when I was 5-years old.”

Signs of a Pedophile

On the surface, 63 year old Thomas Scott King has traveled the world and made friends with dignitaries and other high ranking officials while working for the Peace Corps. In the 1970’s, he traveled to Africa where he taught English. His role as a teacher and principal in at least three WV high schools has opened other doors to prominent state politicians like WV Supreme Court Judge Margaret Workman, who has had him on her “Facebook” list of friends.

Then there is the side of him that only a few choice people know about. When Thomas Scott King was principal at Valley High School in Fayette County, he plead guilty in Magistrate Court for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The charges and subsequent plea deal in Fayette County stemmed from an incident that began at a Charleston motel in June, 1996.

Both King and the student admitted to State Police of spending at least one night together. King claimed he drove the youth from Smithers, WV, to Charleston in order to personally console the boy who police were searching for after his parents reported him missing.

Cops finally caught up with the pair when they spotted the boy driving the principal’s car back in Fayette County 2 days after he was reported missing. King also admitted he allowed the boy to drive his car even though the teen had no license. In fact, Fayette prosecutors could only charge King with contributing to the delinquency of a minor for driving the car because the motel was in Kanawha County.

But, they never followed up with Charleston authorities to go after King for taking the boy to a motel in that jurisdiction.

In an August 7th, 1996 Charleston Gazette and Daily Mail newspaper article; than Assistant Fayette County Prosecutor, Tom Steele, said he did not know the specific details of the trip to the motel and could not investigate because it was outside his jurisdiction.

The newspaper articles described how King admitted they spent the night at the motel together and King’s resignation as principal. There was one mandatory condition to the “no contest” plea agreement. King had to resign as both principal of Valley High School and the WV Board of Education.

Did prosecutors and law enforcement know that this man showed signs of being a sexual predator? Who knows? Fayette County prosecutors either forgot or did not care to follow up with Kanawha County authorities on the overnight motel stay.

Today, that former juvenile is approximately 33 and is allegedly still dealing with problems related to those events.

A Fayette County Magistrate clerk told this author that all records before 1997 have been “purged” so no records exist of the arrest and/or conviction. According to the two newspaper articles, Scott King was merely fined $50 plus $67 in court costs.

Years of Sexual Attacks

Walter “Casey” King (pictured to the left) and his brother Scott, grew up in the Mayberry, WV area in McDowell County. His older brother was born on July 31, 1948, making him approximately 19-years old at the time of the first attack. Casey now recalls how his sibling made it appear as a game of “hide and go seek” by persuading him to belly crawl up under his bed just to have Scott discover him and pull him out by his feet. That is when the assaults would take place.

“I remember how big his hands felt on my legs.” He would also tell me, “Play with it,” talking about his brother’s penis.

The alleged assaults took place until he was seven-years old, which is when his brother left home for Africa. But, one last incident occurred when Casey was 15. In that attack, the younger brother managed to stop Scott from assaulting him as his older brother tried to take Casey’s clothes off of him. As he recalls, “Scott was actually my WV History teacher in the 8th grade and then Ethnic studies in the 9th grade” at former Elkhorn Jr. High in McDowell County.”

Memories of the sexual assaults haunt him some days more than others. Everything all came to a head several months ago when Casey said “just out of the blue,” Scott called him on the phone just to tell him that he needed to call his father. “There was something in the tone of his voice” that brought all of the emotions flowing out of Casey’s deepest subconscious.” From that moment, I knew what all he had done to me.” In fact, Casey says he called his brother back a few days later and left him a simple voice mail message.

“You need to know that I remember everything you did to me….you have one week to turn yourself in to the authorities.”

Casey said he can forgive his brother for everything he did to him, but, he has to be stopped. “He took away my identity, my innocence, and I’ve had nightmares for years about it all.” He says he also felt guilty that it was somehow his fault. Growing up, he became an alcoholic, divorced, and has a lifetime of failed relationships. He is a single dad now and devotes his free time to raising his children and takes each day one at a time. Casey says he is into his "third year being a recovering alcoholic."

At 49, he teaches college students about physics and astronomy. Before that, he worked as a nuclear engineer in Hartsville, SC. He currently lives in the Myrtle Beach area where he feels that “I’m stable at this point in my life.” But, “I can’t morally walk away from what my brother did to me and most likely other kids, too. He’s a rapist and a predator.”

Casey also states that his brother Scott was allegedly charged and arrested for arson at WVU when he and others set fire to the ROTC building in the late 1960's. Scott graduated in 1970.

Thomas Scott King the Principal

Records show that Thomas Scott King has been a teacher, vice principal and principal in several schools across the state (and possibly worked for the Post Office when he lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico) from McDowell to Mingo, Lewis and Fayette Counties. In fact, he was featured in the Charleston Gazette and Daily Mail newspapers in September 1990 as the new Matewan High School principal who first discovered that football players at the schools had their grades falsified so they could play sports.

At the time Scott was arrested, Casey said he was visiting his parents in the Bluefield area. As they watched the 11 pm news on Channel 6, a story came on about Scott being arrested on the contributing charges. He remembers how he and his mother and father just sat there dumbfounded. “They both sat there and didn’t make any comments at all.”

Scott King was also involved in another scandal that caused several foreign exchange students attending Lewis County High School to return to their homeland early because of incidents that occurred while King oversaw that program and had several of the teens living at his home.

He admitted in a March 1996 Charleston Gazette story that he had been playing “host dad” to at least 6 exchange students over the past six years. He told the newspaper reporter that “It’s a little bit of a challenge, but usually very rewarding.”

Reportedly, by one county board source, sealed school records show that one of the boys provided a statement that Scott King came into his bedroom several times and tried to rape him. The exchange student ran from King’s home on the second assault and hid at a friend’s home.

His very frequent movement from school to school since the late 1970’s suggests a pattern of possible problems that his superiors and the Board of Education were aware of and concealed.

A Professionals Opinion Of Thomas Scott King

Former Matewan school counselor, Hester Keatley, has years of training in both helping abused children and in recognizing the signs of an abuser. Ms Keatley is so well respected in the school system that she was still asked to train new counselors after retiring.

She worked for Thomas Scott King when he spent a short time as Principal there in 1989-1990. What did her training and instincts tell her??? “He knew that I knew what he was doing to those boys.” And, “He always had young male foreign exchange student in his home too. He constantly had groups of boys with him at all times." Ms Keatley says that the Board Of Education was made aware of the complaints from the male foreign exchange students. At least one signed statements against King for inappropriate sexual contact.

“I knew he was an evil man.” Her observations became more then just suspicions; enough so that she went to the school board. But, they took no visible official action. Soon afterward, Principal King was moved to another school district.

Hester said that she worried about Kings then teenage son Justin, who was a sophomore when he came to Matewan. “He displayed signs of a child who may have been sexually abused himself.” Does that seem so hard to believe? Scott Kings own brother, Casey, is the person who first came forward with the accusations his older brother Scot raped and molested him at the age of 7.

“I hope and pray he pays for the damages he has done to all the innocent boys. I hope he is hung by the balls.”

Update November 19, 2011

Since the story was first released in 2008, Casey told WV News that “numerous people have contacted me, most with stories of their sons, friends or male relatives and their experiences with Scott. Almost all of their stories involved Scott taking children on school and personal trips, a hotel stay and then an encounter in the middle of the night. Photographs were also mentioned in some of the letters. According to the emails, many of the young boys grew up and later became involved with drugs and alcohol. This seems to be prevalent in sexual abuse.”

He goes on to say that now, he is in the best relationship of his life and with the woman of my dreams. He is still enjoying a successful career as a physics professor both full-time and part-time at two different colleges and live a contented life in Myrtle Beach, SC.

"I speak openly and honestly about what happened to me. I have shared my story with my children. They support me in sharing with others what happened to me and my attempts to seek prosecution for Scott. It is extremely important in my recovery to feel as though I have done everything within my power to stop Scott from doing to others what he did to me for years growing up.

After contacting the prosecuting attorney’s office in the county where the abuse occurred, I was told a conviction would not be obtainable in a case involving testimony alone without another victim coming forward. I can’t put Scott away alone, but I have made a stand and am not backing down. And I will stand with any others that decide the time has come to do something about him.”

Thomas Scott King reportedly lives in the Charleston, WV, area and could be either working or retired now from the US Post Office. Casey found his brother’s “Facebook” account online and was devastated to see that Scott, now 63-years old, had a long list of friends that include the names of young teens in the 10th grade.

He also says that Scott is heavily involved in the WV Democratic Party and State politics. Our search found a recent entry by Scott King on the FACEBOOK account of the "Charleston Democratic Executive Committee Fundraiser And Straw Poll." (link below)

Casey also contacted the McDowell County prosecutor’s office in hopes of bringing charges against Scott for the rapes since the last attack was in their jurisdiction. WV State Police investigator, Mike Spradlin, in Lewisburg WV, has been assigned the case. According to Casey, the last conversation he and the investigator had, Spradlin said that he felt they had enough to get an indictment, but not a conviction.

“I am willing to testify along with any one of them that decide to come forward. Remember that it isn’t just one person he did this to and chances are that there are dozens of boys, now men who were molested. The average pedophile molests over 100 children before they are stopped. I can't do it alone. I tried. Only together can we stop a pedophile.”

We called Investigator Spradlin in 2008 to confirm any information on an ongoing investigation. He said that he could not comment.

Casey has finally talked to his father about what happened so many years ago. His dad said he never knew what Scott had done to Casey, but, his only real question about it all was if Scott would be able to beat the charges. Howard T. King is retired and lives in an assisted living home in Southern WV. His mother passed away several years ago.

In Closing

Some who read this story will be quick to say we were wrong for writing it, that there is no proof that any crime has been committed, and that we have ruined this man and/or his career. To those people we say, there is a pattern here that clearly shows that, at the very least, Thomas Scott King was caught, arrested and convicted of contributing to a minor.

He was a 47-year old school principal and authority figure who admitted to authorities that he took a 17-year old male student to Charleston WV in 1996 and spent at least one night with him in a motel.

Even though Thomas Scott King has no convictions for sexual assaults, rape or even being listed as a pedophile does not mean he is not. How often do pedophiles and rapists slip through the cracks?

This is a man who had spent years being moved from school to school in the WV system until he was finally forced to resign his teaching credentials as part of a plea agreement to stay out of jail and face more severe charges. He also is the same man whose personnel files at several schools (at least the Fayette County Board of Education) are allegedly sealed.

Casey has asked us to include his home telephone number and e-mail address at the end of this story for anyone to call him if they have information, and/or questions. He emphatically states that he harbors no revenge for his brother Scott, and even tried to talk him into receiving counseling instead of being publicly exposed for his sexual assaults on Casey years ago. His brother refused, and disconnected his phone.

Coming forward to expose what his own brother did to him as a child takes more nerve and guts than most people will ever face in a lifetime. Casey King is a hero to all of the sexually abused children that continue to be assaulted everyday at the hands of someone they know and trust.

Thomas Scott King will most likely deny any and all accusations from his brother or anyone else that comes forward to accuse him. Take away his brother’s claims that Scott sexually abused him as a child and you still have the 1996 conviction and his plea deal to resign from the WV school system.

We have attempted to locate and interview Thomas Scott King but could not.

If you would like to contact Casey King:

Walter “Casey” King
Ph: (843) 450-6482
Email: mbsingledad@aol.com

End Of Story

Jack Swint – Publisher
West Virginia News
(304) 982-7024
WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

Links To Related Stories

Is WV Part Of A National Pedophile Network Exploiting Foreign Exchange Students

Are School Board Officials And The State Department Covering Up Its Knowledge Of Abuse Within The Foreign Exchange Student Program

Charleston Democratic Executive Committee Fundraiser & Straw Poll (Facebook)

New Facts Emerge Exposing Human Sterilization Programs

2011-11-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

Thirty Three States Including West Virginia Condoned Eugenics On Young Girls And Boys by Jack Swint

Eugenics was a scientific theory that grew in popularity during the 1920s. Eugenicists believed that poverty, promiscuity and alcoholism were traits that were inherited. To eliminate those society ills and improve society’s gene pool, proponents of the theory argued that those that exhibited the traits should be sterilized... Wikipedia

Shocking new victim accounts are surfacing that describes the horrors behind thousands of sterilizations performed in at least 33 states beginning in the 1920’s and wasn’t finally repealed across the nation until 2003. In the end, over 65,000 individuals were sterilized under state compulsory sterilization programs in the United States.

Sterilization laws could be divided into three main categories of motivations. Eugenic, focused with heredity. Therapeutic, was part of an obscure medical theory that sterilization would lead to vitality. Punitive sterilization was a punishment for criminals. (Could be both punitive and eugenic)

While most states reportedly sterilized children of poverty, promiscuity and or showed alcoholism traits,West Virginias sterilization act reportedly only involved patients of state institutions “afflicted with any hereditary form of insanity that is recurrent, idiocy, imbecility, feeble-mindedness or epilepsy, who are candidates for parole or dismissal.”

West Virginia doctors performed at least 240 documented sterilizations of young girls and boys beginning in 1929 but ended in 1956. Since sterilizations were performed on patients of WV state institutions, it is probable that the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (better known as the Weston State Hospital) served as the feeder institution. The asylum was home to the “mentally ill” after being constructed in the late 1800s.

There is little information available concerning opposition to sterilization in West Virginia. According to reported statements by Robert E. Marshall of the West Virginia Department of Mental Health, the lack of sterilization in West Virginia could be attributed to “a general feeling that sterilization of the mentally defectives are not necessarily desirable or indicated in most cases.

What Is Eugenics And Who Are It's Founders

Some of America’s wealthiest citizens of the time were eugenicists including Dr. Clarence Gamble of the Procter and Gamble fortune and James Hanes of the hosiery company. Hanes helped found the Human Betterment League which promoted the cause of eugenicists.

It began as a way to control welfare spending on poor white women and men, but over time, states began targeting more women and more blacks than whites. A third of the sterilizations performed were done on girls under the age of 18. Some were as young as nine years old.

The Worst Of The Worst States That Condoned Human Sterilizations Until 2003

On November 7^th, 2011 a new published story/report by Michelle Kessell and Jessica Hopper exposed how North Carolina was not only performing these sterilizations on young women (majority were black) without their knowledge, but with the full authority of a five member state eugenics board located in Raleigh NC.

Who are some of the victims coming forward? Teens like Elaine Riddick, who was only13 years old when she got pregnant after being raped by a neighbor in Winfall, N.C., in 1967. The state ordered that immediately after giving birth, she should be sterilized. Doctors cut and tied off her fallopian tubes.

“I have to carry these scars with me. I have to live with this for the rest of my life,” she said. Riddick was never told what was happening. “Got to the hospital and they put me in a room and that’s all I remember, that’s all I remember,” she said. “When I woke up, I woke up with bandages on my stomach.”

Her records reveal that the state eugenics board had approved a recommendation that she be sterilized because she was labeled as “feeble-minded” and “promiscuous.” They said her schoolwork was poor and that she “does not get along well with others.”

“I was raped by a perpetrator (who was never charged) and then I was raped by the state of North Carolina. They took something from me both times,” she said. “The state of North Carolina, they took something so dearly from me, something that was God given.”

It wouldn’t be until Riddick was 19, married and wanting more children that she’d learn she was incapable of having any more babies. A doctor in New York where she was living at the time told her that she’d been sterilized. “Butchered. The doctor used that word… I didn’t understand what she meant when she said I had been butchered,” Riddick said.

For the past eight years, North Carolina lawmakers have been working to find a way to compensate those involuntarily sterilized in the state between 1929 and 1974. During that time period, 7,600 people were sterilized in North Carolina. Of those who were sterilized, 85 percent of the victims were female and 40 percent were non-white.

“You can’t rewind a watch or rewrite history. You just have to go forward and that’s what we’re trying to do in North Carolina,” said Governor Beverly Perdue in an exclusive interview with NBC News.

While North Carolina’s eugenics board was disbanded in 1977, the law allowing involuntary sterilization wasn’t officially repealed until 2003.

In 2002, the state issued an apology to those who had been sterilized, but the victims have yet to receive any financial compensation, medical care or counseling from the state. Since 2003, three task forces have been created to determine a way to compensate the victims. Officials estimate that as many as 2,000 victims are still alive. Riddick was one of several victims to speak at a public hearing this summer. It was the first time that many survivors had told their stories publicly and that others heard of North Carolina’s tarnished past.

“To think about folks who went in…and their doctor told them this was birth control and they were sterilized…the folks who didn’t have the capacity to make the decisions, the uninformed consent,” said Perdue. “Those types of stories aren’t good for America and I can’t allow for this period in history to be forgotten, that’s why this work is important.”

Only 48 victims have been matched with their records, something necessary for them to eventually be compensated. State Representative Larry Womble has been advocating for the survivors of the state’s sterilization program for nearly 10 years. He helped fight for the repeal of the state’s law.

Womble said that if the government is “powerful enough to perpetrate this on this society, they ought to be responsible, step up to the plate and compensate.”

In August, a task force created by Gov. Perdue recommended that the victims be compensated, but they were unsure how much to award the victims. Previous numbers pondered range between $20,000 and $50,000. The task force also recommended mental health services for living victims and a traveling museum exhibit about North Carolina’s eugenics program.

Perdue said it’s a challenge to determine how much money each victim should be given. “From my perspective, and as a woman, and as the governor of this state, this is not about the money. There isn’t enough money in the world to pay these people for what has been done to them, but money is part of the equation,” she said.

Some victims and their advocates have questioned whether North Carolina is procrastinating in compensating them, hoping they’ll die before a solution is reached. “It’s an ugly chapter in North Carolina’s book, we have a wonderful book, but there’s an ugly chapter,” Womble said. “We must step up to the plate and we must realize and take responsibility.”

Perdue, for her part, said that she is committed to helping the victims.

“I want this solved on my watch. I want there to be completion. I want the whole discussion to end and there be action for these folks. There is nobody in North Carolina who is waiting for anybody to die,” Gov. Perdue said. Despite the state social workers who declared Riddick was “mentally retarded” and “promiscuous”, she went to college and raised the son born moments before she was sterilized. Her son is devoted to his mother and a successful entrepreneur.

Elaine is proud of her achievements. “I don’t know where I would be if I listened to the state of North Carolina,” she said.

End Of Story...

Jack Swint-Publisher

WV News 2011

(304) 982-7024

E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com

Twitter: @WVNewsOnline
.
Links

Eugenics

Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (Weston State Hospital)

Is It Finally Okay To Be Openly Gay

2011-11-10T09:46:00.000-08:00

Some Countries Still Execute People For Homosexual Acts by Jack Swint

Just thirty years ago, being gay meant you were happy; a cigarette was called a fag. Grass was mowed and coke was something you drank. Pot was something you cooked in, rock music was a grandmother's lullaby and AIDS were helpers in the Principal's office… Penny Parker

Is The Gay Movement The New Civil Rights Cause In America?

Have gays finally realized that it’s OK to be open about their lifestyle? Probably not, but at least in America, last month’s decision by the military to lift its “don’t ask don’t tell” policy on gays serving in the armed forces is a sign the government is either coming into age for their rights or afraid of being dethroned in upcoming elections because of the multitudes of gay men and women who vote. Either way, supporters of the recent military repeal applauded the historic change as a victory for equal rights.

But can we really compare the overall prejudices and violence against Gays into the same category as the Black Civil Rights movement?

Yes and no depending on who your talking to... According to one source for this story, “gays are attempting to make their plight the new civil rights and discrimination cause. Quite simply, discrimination is not allowing one group to have a particular right while allowing another group to have that same right. This is not what is happening at all, I have the same rights as a gay person and they have the same rights as me. The same things that are illegal for me are illegal for them.

One of the most despicable tactics I have seen some people pull is trying to compare gay marriage with the black civil rights movement. Its apples and oranges, blacks in the 50’s did not have equal rights with whites, they were forced to sit in the back of the bus, use the back door while whites could sit in the front of the bus, and use the front door. The same is not true with homosexuals; they have the exact same rights as heterosexuals, everything that is illegal for them (gays) is illegal for everyone??”

On the other hand, gays not only face the same discrimination practices that blacks have been subjected to for centuries, they are still facing ongoing prejudice around the world that includes laws that make it illegal to even be homosexual. In fact, if you think its bad in the US, here is a list of some countries that not only outlaw gays; but will put people to death for homosexual acts. (Countries listed in RED have death penalties for homosexual acts)

Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Namibia, Gambia, Guinea, Mauritania, Senegal, Togo, Sao, Tome & Principe, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Somalia, Uganda, Tanzania, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Lesotho, Swaziland, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Caribbean Islands, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, ST Vincent & Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobaggranda, Jamaica, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucie, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Bahrain, Palestine, Territories (GAZA), Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Papua, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Brunei, Burma ,Malaysia, Western Samoa, Uzbekistan, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Cook Islands, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Singapore, Guyana, Belize, Chechen Republic, India.

Striving For Equality In Americas Civil Rights

Gay men and women have been subjected to the same types of harassment as blacks. This includes physical and mental abuse up to and including hate crimes, lynchings and other forms of human torture just because of who they are. Gays don’t have the same equal rights as the rest of society in the workplace and in their personal lives either. So, yes, this plight by gays to be treated equally does mirror the same types of civil rights violations faced by blacks in America. Agree with it or not, it’s true.

Coincidentally, it appears on the surface that over the past twenty years the gay movement has followed similar paths that blacks did in becoming more visible and recognized as strong independent contributors to society while strengthening their own men, women and children as a group. Becoming visible to the entire world as everyday people and successful members of society has probably been the best avenue to bring their message and plight to light.

How is this being accomplished?

Through mainstream media utilizing newsprint, radio and TV with well-known gay celebrity personalities, actors, producers and ongoing news stories of their plight. Like the black movement, gays are now making major contributions into education of all people while independently creating higher education for themselves through specific targeted grants, foundations and scholarships.

There are a record growing number of highly successful business executives and CEO’s in the corporate world that are finally defining their role in America that includes being gay.

Right now, the two most powerful men in the world are great examples that both blacks and gays have made significant progress in equal rights and opportunities in society as a whole. We have a black President of the United States, Barack Obama, a black man who is the most powerful politician and leader in the world today. Recently, Tim Cook, the new CEO for APPLE is gay and is considered the most powerful man in the business world. Even though mainstream media has steered away from the fact Cook is gay, it is believed that he is destined to become an icon for gay advancement.

Many states are finally passing laws to allow same sex marriages and or Civil Unions, stopping discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and in strengthen gay’s rights to privacy.

What Percent Of Americans Are Gay?

The findings from a Gallup poll conducted May, 2011, estimate as high as 25% of Americans are gay. This marks the second time Gallup has surveyed people to estimate the gay population in the US. In 2002, Gallup used two separate questions to ask Americans to estimate the percentage of gay men and lesbians. At that time, Americans estimated that 21% of men were gay and that 22% of women were lesbian. Twice as many did not offer an opinion as do now.

There actually is little reliable evidence about what percentage of the U.S. population is in reality gay or lesbian, due to few representative surveys asking about sexual orientation, complexities surrounding the groups and definitions involved, and the probability that some gay and lesbian individuals may not choose to identify themselves as such.

So, if the 25% estimate is nearly correct, than out of approximately 225 million adult people in the US, 56 million are gay. Which is also about the number of Catholics in America?

The Moral Question Still Exists

According to one report in October 2009, nearly half of the public (49%) says homosexual behavior is morally wrong, while 9% say it is morally acceptable and 35% say it is not a moral issue. A similar number says abortion is morally wrong (52%), while far fewer see moral impropriety in divorce (29%) or drinking alcohol (15%).

Blacks are much more likely to think that homosexuality is morally wrong (64%) than whites (48%) or Hispanics (43%). At least half of those ages 30 and older say homosexuality is wrong, compared with fewer than four-in-ten (38%) among those under age 30. And a slim majority of Americans with a high school education or less see homosexual behavior as morally wrong (55%), compared with fewer than half among those with a college degree (40%) or some college education (46%).

Assessments of morality are divided sharply along partisan lines. For example, three-quarters of conservative Republicans say homosexual behavior is wrong. By contrast, nearly as many liberal Democrats (70%) say either that homosexuality is morally acceptable (13%) or that it is not a moral issue (57%).

Among religious groups, 76% of white evangelical Protestants and 65% of black Protestants believe homosexuality is morally wrong; mainline Protestants (40%), Catholics (39%) and the unaffiliated (29%) are much less likely to take this view. Views also differ markedly by level of worship service attendance. Overall, two-thirds of those who attend services at least weekly say homosexual behavior is morally wrong, compared with 43% of those who attend services monthly or yearly and 31% of those who seldom or never attend. The same is true within religious traditions.

For example, among Catholics, a slim majority of weekly Mass attendees (53%) say homosexual behavior is morally wrong, while among those who attend less often, a majority (65%) say it is not a moral issue or is morally acceptable.

In 2005 the 10 largest gay-hate groups raised $400 million to fight gay rights. In 2008, the leadership of the Mormon Church spent $40 million dollars just to show gays status as sinners by helping overturn marriage equality in California. You’d think they could find better things to do with $40 million than promote hate. And, when in history has any group raised 400 million to help feed the hungry, house the homeless and heal the sick?

When all else fails, point to the Bible for the justification against homosexuals. That is like finding a long list of do’s and don’ts that if taken literally will ultimately send everyone to Hell. Most “self-righteous” people use their all-time leading favorite from the King James Bible in Leviticus Chapter 20 verse 13. “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination and they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”

But, if you read the entire chapter you will quickly see that most everyone living outside of a Tibetan Buddhist Monks Sanctuary on a secluded hillside in India is doomed to burn in Hell. And, they may be too according to some Christian beliefs.

In Closing…

Being the proud parent of a gay daughter, I have some insight into the plights and struggles she and her friends have had to face an overcome through the years. From being shunned by members of our family to having to hide her lifestyle from the military. Since the age of 13 my daughter says she knew her sexual preferences and that she did not just wake up one morning and decide she wanted to be gay.

If you didn’t know she was, you’d just commend her as being a woman like any other young adult who has made her way through life having the same hopes and dreams as everyone else while making the same mistakes and successes that we all do. Does it really matter what a person’s sexual lifestyle is? Catholics yell the loudest about the condemnations facing gays yet they elude from the fact that a huge majority of priests are not only gay, but sexual predators.

Have they once come out and condemned their own as being hell bound? Uh… No!

Gays have and will continue to receive the same types of harassment, discrimination and prejudices that blacks have endured. Even though neither will want to admit it, or want to be compared to the other, it is true if you really compare their plights.

Just as recently as 2010, at least one favorite night club in Santo Domingo called “Rua’s Bar & Disco” forbids both blacks and gays because, as manager Manuel Tomas Diaz puts it, “Rua's reserves the right to admission, it’s a right which bars have to decide who can and who cannot enter, our public is demanding and elite and decides whom to rub elbows with and whom not,” he said.”

Bottom line, Blacks and Gays just want equal treatment under the laws and the right to enjoy the liberties and freedoms as every other American.

At the end of the day, that’s all that should matter…

End of Story...

Jack Swint-Publisher

WV News 2011

(304) 982-7024

E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com

Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

Niger, Please

2011-11-08T10:46:00.000-08:00

Spokesperson For The Congress Of Racial Equality Believes Herman Cains Is Caught Up In A Mandingo Stereotype

Niger Innis (pictured to the left) says he is both a friend of Herman Cain and stands for racial equality. He is the National Spokesperson for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). In addition to his role with CORE; Innis is on the Advisory Committee member of the National Center for Public policy Research Project 21. He is a Founding Member of 3rd. Millennium, an organization to promote young leaders that will focus of the problems facing the next generation.

Innis has appeared on CNBC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. His radio appearances include The Jim Bohannon Show and The Gil Gross Show. He has guest-hosted on The Bob Grant Show & Barry Farber Show.

Recently, he came to the aid of his friend, Herman Cain, by going on several national news shows claiming Cain is the real victim of the current sexual harassment allegations against him because these 5 white women and their supporters are out to get the Presidential hopeful because he is caught up in what Innis claims is the “Mandingo Stereotype.”

Mandingo?... Really??... Niger Innis, Please!
.

And did Cain know his friend was going to use this terminology and excuse beforehand in the national media?

Herman Cain, one of the Presidential hopefuls, is currently in the midst of a huge sexual harassment scandal that involves at least five female accusers who say Cain made unwanted sexual comments and advances on them years ago when he was President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association. First, one unidentified female came forward, and even though mainstream media covered it, they portrayed it with a lack of credibility.

Then more women appeared with their accusations against Cain and they personally appeared in public showing their names and faces. Now that the number has climbed to 5, credibility to their claims of sexual harassment gained credibility and momentum. All the while, Herman Cain is denying it all.

That’s when Niger Innis, using his media connections, quickly began making the rounds on national TV slamming Cain’s five white accusers and their supporters by using the race card. “I’m very disturbed by what I see as nothing more than an attempted character assassination using one of the more vicious charges and stereotypes, which I call the Mandingo stereotypes, that being the overly sexed black-skinned, black man that has been used for a couple of centuries in our country.”

Innis also believes that, “what these attempted character assassins don’t realize is they underestimate the decency of the American people and they underestimate the ability of the American people to read past this BS, that’s exactly what I think it is.”

He may be correct when stating not to underestimate the ability of the American people to see past the “BS.” It’s just that it is his own “BS” that the American people will see though. And more and more people are starting to believe that Herman Cains repeated denials of any wrongdoing is also “BS.”

It appears on the surface that Niger just wants to create a smoke screen for his friend by using the oldest slide of hand trick known to Americans, the race card. When all else fails, blame it on whitey, and tie it to what happened hundreds of years ago with slavery. Why? Because most whites are still feeling guilty, nervous and scared when that subject comes up. They'd just as soon ignore the current problem because of past mistakes.

He also appears to be the only person yelling this Mandingo analogy. Even the most vocal black activists, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are leaving the Mandingo theory alone. Maybe they know when it’s time to quit bailing water from a sinking ship.

What Is The Mandingo Theory?

According to research, this stereotypical concept was invented by white slave owners who promoted the notion that male African slaves were animalistic and bestial in nature asserting, for example, that “in the Negro all the passions, emotions, and ambitions, are almost wholly subservient to the sexual instinct...” and “this construction of the oversexed black male parlayed perfectly into notions of black bestiality and primitivism.” Describing slaves in this way allowed them to justify the wealth, privilege and social benefits they gained through slavery as a moral action since they did not see the slaves as fully human.

Just Who Is Herman Cain?

Until this presidential race and sex scandal surfaced, a lot of Americans weren’t really that aware of Herman Cain or his background.

He was born December 13, 1945 in Memphis, Tennessee, to Lenora Cain (née Davis), a cleaning woman and domestic worker, and Luther Cain, Jr., who was raised on a farm and worked as a barber and janitor, as well as a chauffeur for Coca-Cola president Robert Woodruff. Cain has said that as he was growing up, his family was “poor” but “happy.”

He has a background as a business executive, syndicated columnist, and radio host from Georgia. Served as chairman and CEO of Godfather's Pizza from 1986 to 1996. Cain served as deputy chairman of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from 1992 to 1994, and as chairman from 1995 to 1996. Before his business career, he worked as a mathematician in ballistics as a civilian employee of the United States Navy. Cain was president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association from 1996 to 1999.

Cain ran for public office several times, including a campaign in 2000 for President and 2004 for Senator, neither of which were successful. In May 2011, Cain entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Initially dismissed by mainstream media, Cain unexpectedly surged in Republican primary polls in October 2011, and became one of the leading candidates for the nomination.

In Closing,

I never thought of or pictured Presidential hopeful Herman Cain as a Mandingo figure in any sense of the word or its meaning. But, then again it’s hard to picture former President Bill Clinton sitting in the oval office with a cigar in one hand and Monica Lewinsky up under his desk. But I can still picture him on national TV stating that…“I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”

OK, Let’s say what most people are thinking…

Innis is trying to come to the aid of his friend by claiming Cain is the victim of a Mandingo theory by 5 white women. That is the farthest stretch of the imagination possible. Like most Americans of all ethnic background, people are finally tired of hearing from people like Niger Innis who continue blaming everything that goes wrong for blacks on slavery and whites.
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They only exist if their allowed to continue spewing their outdated racially driven opinions on national media outlets.
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In this specific case, its time to suck it up and accept that when 5 women come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against a person; something happened. When confidentiality agreements and or money are paid for silence, something happened. As one person told us, "I’m not a veterinarian, but I know a horse’s ass when I smell one."
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Niger Innis is going to be to Herman Cain’s campaign what the racially outspoken Reverend Jeremiah Wright was to President Obama's. In the end, Obama distanced himself from Wright. Will we see if Herman Cain will do the same thing?

End Of Story

Jack Swint-Publisher

WV News 2011

(304) 982-7024

E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com

Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

Links

Niger Innis Mandingo TV Interview

U.S. Gets More Low Marks On Biothreat Preparedness

2011-10-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

United States Brings Home Another Ugly Report Card How We Are Still Unprepared For A Bioattack.

In a recent Science Insider story by Jon Cohen, the Bipartisan WMD Terrorism Research Center issued another failing report card analysis (linked below) that rates eight different components of the country's bioresponse capabilities. The WMD Center, as its known, dished out 15 F's, 15 D's, seven C's, and eight B's. Bleak as that may sound, the report stresses that a few key improvements recently have taken place and suggests a refocusing of priorities that could improve many D's to C's in the "relative near term."

The WMD Center, a nonprofit that grew of out of a congressional commission, consists of former politicians and retired military brass who have joined up with clinicians and public health officials. That commission issued a similar report card in January 2010 that awarded even lower marks. "Clearly, America's preparedness to respond to small-scale bio-events has improved in many of the categories assessed for this report," the new assessment states.

Before issuing the current report card, the WMD Center asked its board of advisers to come up with questions that then went to a wide range of government officials. The report card evaluates everything from detection of threats to the availability of medical countermeasures, the likelihood of identifying the attacker, communication systems, and cleanup efforts. It also separately rates these responses in the face of small, large, and global threats. The report soberly concludes that "the nation does not yet have adequate bio-response capability to meet fundamental expectations during a large-scale biological event."

In a provocative challenge to conventional wisdom, the report suggests that the U.S. government not focus on the F grades, several of which refer to worst-case scenarios like drug-resistant bioweapons or millions of casualties. Instead, it says the "best return on investment" will come from strengthening responses to much more likely large-scale contagious and noncontagious events.

Retired Major General Philip Russell, a member of the WMD Center's advisory board, says the new report is both "even handed" and "credible." Russell, a former top official at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, says if he still worked for the government on these issues he'd be "a little bit embarrassed" by the report card. But he says it's deserved. "It reflects the feeling of many of us that the government has not paid much attention—and certainly not effectively to the biothreat," says Russell.

End Of Story…

Jack Swint-Publisher
WV News 2011
(304) 982-7024
E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

Links

WMD Report Card
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Prominent Greyhound Breeder Questions WV Governor Tomblins Ethics

2011-10-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

In 2008 Greyhound Breeder Dean Miner Stated Tomblins Ethics Were Less Than That Of A Child Molester

“I sent my small donation to support the GOV in his re-election campaign. Please donate to this cause we need this Gov A whole lot more than he need us so we need to support him. Live Racing is in his Family and his Blood.” Greyhound Member, 2011

A Lot Can Occur In Just A Few Years…

Back in October of 2008, Greyhound owner-breeder Dean Miner of Wheeling WV accused then Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin (now Governor) of having ethics “less than that of a child molester.” He said this in an interview with WV News while also claiming that then WV Racing Commissioner George Sidiropolis was trying to bribe him out of $50,000 in order to become a greyhound kennel owner.

Now, in September 2011 this same Dean Miner supports Earl Ray Tomblin (pictured to the upper left) for governor and has solicited his Greyhound partners to donate thousands to Tomblins campaign for governor. In fact, Miner says he donated $1,000 himself and claims that former senate majority leader and lobbyist, Troy Hendricks along with Senator Stollings hand delivered all of the Greyhound donations to Tomblin personally on their behalf.

But, as we will explain below, Miners support for the governor is more out of fear and his own personal greed.

We recently obtained correspondence between Miner and other greyhound owner-breeders that occurred from May 2011 through July showing the real reason Greyhound Industry is supporting Tomblin with money. It’s more out worry that if they don’t contribute, he won’t look favorably upon them down the road.

On May 15, 2011 at 11:28 pm Miner writes…“when the dust settles, do you really want Gov. Tomblin reviewing that the greyhound community didn't support him?”

On this same date, Miner makes another entry stating, “You can't do better in this lifetime, but to have a Governor who has family that owns greyhounds, a kennel and a farm. If you don't get involved now then I don't know what to say. Not to mention that WV is the richest Greyhound State and thus, produces the greatest National trickle down effect.”

Other reported industry members, Martin Roper, Eric Christopher Klotz, Dick Ciampa, Brian, Stan, Bob Crossland and Ed Gardner also commented on the forum discussion lead by Dean Miner. “My check along with Dick's, Dutch's and any others that I may receive will be hand delivered to Governor Tomblin. It's been my experience hand delivering goes a long, long way.”

Crossland commented on May 23, 2011 that… I sent my small donation to support the GOV in his re-election campaign. Please donate to this cause we need this Gov A whole lot more than he need us so we need to support him. Live Racing is in his Family and his Blood.”

Miner goes on to write again on July 31, 2011… “The Governor is going to win in a landslide and he is well funded. Do you really want him in office with his campaign treasurer noticing that the greyhound community did not support him? Gee whiz...”

These quotes are taken from the “American Greyhounds” Forum that Dean Miner started a link on May 15, 2011. (Link below) He starts out by saying…”During my little speech at the NGA banquet I implored members to go to earlraytomblin.com and send in a contribution to Mr. Tomblin's re election bid. I urge all greyhound folks to visit the website and send in a contribution of any size. Tell'em, it's from a greyhound man/woman.”

Miner asks members to send “personal checks or money orders” (because he says they can’t be business checks) to his personal home address in Wheeling for hand delivery to Tomblin. He also recognizes others who sent him check donations for Tomblin. Neil Abrahamson, Dutch Koerner, Hal Gill, Janice Abrahamson and a man by the nickname “Guy In A Tie.”

On July 30, 2011 Miner posts…“Kudos to Donald J. Black and Mike Harris for submitting sizable donations to the Governor.”

Claims Of Extortion And Past E-mails And Postings By Dean Miner

If Dean Miners name sounds familiar, he was the topic of newspaper headlines across the state this past weekend as being yet the victim once again of an alleged bribery attempt for another $50,000. This time, the FBI made an arrest of a Florida man who allegedly sent Dean Miner E-Mails demanding money or else he would turn over reportedly damaging video’s showing abuse of greyhound dogs being trained in Oklahoma.

Back in 2008 Miner accused than WV racing commissioner George Sidiropolis of trying to bribe him out of $50,000 too. He claims that the former racing commissioner actually had a bag man named “Don Dodd” who was suppose to pick up the cash and deliver it to Sidiropolis. The bribe was supposed to be for Miner to obtain a greyhound racing kennel permit at the Wheeling track.

In three e-mails and one tape recorded conversation, Miner claimed how he and partner Vince Berland were told that it was mandatory to pay off Sidiropolis. (Story below)

Also in 2008 E-Mails and other documents outlined Miners alleged involvement in the slaughter of Greyhound race dogs that could no longer produce money from racing. Those E-mails between Dean Miner and Kansas owner-breeders Lance Berland detail how dogs are euthanized because of injury and age. Here is one of those e-mails…. Sent, January 26th, 2008 at 20:39:14 from Dean Miner to Lance Berland...

“Lance: We’ve gotten killed in the last 10 days. Flying McGrath sprained a hock winning AA. Maloy broke a hock last week. Tarragon a hock tonight…done…euthanasia. Flying Ace and Flat Out Harley; Kay Dancemaker broke bones in his foot. Doves Augustus off limping today in AA.”

Lance Berlands reply… "As far as the injuries, five of those dogs are older and they are all males… Put them down if they can’t be expected to return to racing.” Miner goes on in other e-mails actually referring to one former greyhound dog as being…"just a cheap little dog that made us a lot of money"

This is also the same Dean Miner who once accused former WV Governor, now US Senator Joe Manchin of making advances towards his wife.

In Closing

We all have our skeletons that come back to haunt us from time to time…

Dean Miner is a professional gambler and greyhound breeder-owner and operator. He is considered a leader in the WV Greyhound Industry who now claims to support Governor Tomblin even though he once said Tomblins ethics are lower than that of a child molester.

It appears his writings from May 2011 to July 2011 show the true intent and reasons why Miner and the Greyhound Industry really supports Tomblin for governor. It's out of fear of reprisal down the road if he gets elected and see’s they did not financially support him. And also because they all have something in common in keeping the money pouring into their pockets from the pain, misery and death of the dogs that perform on the racetrack. Or, is it a combination of both….

One last thought in regards to the alleged tapes that the FBI may have obtained in the recent arrest of a Florida man for allegedly trying to extort money from Dean Miner. Reports state that those alleged tape(s) have very incriminating evidence of cruelty to greyhound dogs being abused in Oklahoma.

If they really do exist, maybe the Feds will examine them and if abuse is evident, they will pursue charges against the guilty.

Note: If anyone would like a copy of the "American Greyhound Forum" posting by Dean Miner and Associates, please e-mail WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com . We anticipate someone deleting the below link on the internet after this story is published, so we copied it.

End of Story,

Jack Swint-Publisher

WV News 2011

(304) 982-7024

E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com

Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

Links

American Greyhound Forum

Dean Miner, Racing Commissioner George Sidiropolis

Documents Expose Slaughter Of Greyhound Dogs By Their Owners In 2008

The Killing Fields Of Chapmanville WV…. Inside One WV Greyhound Training Facility (Tomblins)
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West Virginia Governor Wont Be Stopping Greyhound Dog Racing

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City National Bank Offering Federal Inmates Checking Accounts

2011-09-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

Bankers Set Up Makeshift Office In Federal Prison Halfway Houses Offering Free Preferred Checking And Overdraft Protection To Inmates

“City National employees maintain strong relationships with customers and are in tune with the needs of local citizens. In response to local demand, for instance, we were the first in our markets to introduce an innovative checking option, Bounce Back Checking, for individuals who have been denied the opportunity to open a checking account and are looking for a fresh start.” City National Website

In either an unorthodox attempt to boost its own bank customer base or in keeping with their professed “strong relationships with the needs of local citizens,” Bank officers are setting up shop each month in select Federal Halfway Houses within WV, Ohio and Kentucky to entice inmates into depositing their money into checking and savings accounts.

One Dismas Charities employee (federal halfway house) who asked to remain anonymous stated that bank representatives from City National come to the St. Albans WV facility each month to meet one on one with inmates to open savings and or checking accounts. In fact, we were given a copy of a posted notice at Dismas advertising the banks routine visit to the halfway house to offer checking and savings accounts to residents. (Inmates)

Federal Bureau of Prison (BOP) and Dismas policy requires each person residing at the federal facility to have a bank account and deposit a percentage of their payroll earnings into it. Dismas Charities in St. Albans also banks with City National and according to our inside source, the bank gives incentives to Dismas Corporate for allowing them first access to the men and women living at the facility. What type of incentives are alleged? “At one time it was $100 for each new account.” If true, that's a bit shady at the least.

A Whole New Meaning To The Bounce Back Checking Program

We obtained documents from a former resident at Dismas who had been convicted of counterfeiting and had a long history of trouble with checking accounts over a 30 year period. “The bank employee who opened my accounts with a cash deposit only asked for a social security card, drivers license and my signature." Several days later he received confirmation of his accounts being opened as a preferred customer, deposits slips and a VISA bank card came soon after. (His bank statements and checks have the address of this Dismas facility printed on them)

But, it didn’t end there… besides the free preferred customer checking and savings accounts, this man also received $800 worth of overdraft protection without ever asking, opting in or applying for it. And, according to a copy of his credit report, the bank never ran a required credit check that they state is required for that service. If they had, his low score credit rating of 522 would have been a quick denial.

“One day when I was in the bank to see if I was overdrawn on my checking account, the teller told me that I had overdraft protection and it was the highest amount available, $800.”
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"The bank teller went on to explain that overdraft protection was like having a pre-approved loan and that I could use it whenever I desired.” But what no one explained to him, the bank charges $34 each and every time the overdraft protection is used. And, that $34 fee counts against the $800. It turned out to be a total disaster for this person who now owes the bank approximately $1,400. Note: In July 2010 a class-action federal lawsuite was filed that alleges City National Bank WV charged customers overdraft fee's on their accounts through "unfair and deceptive overdraft practices."
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We also discovered that this practice of approaching inmates to open accounts not only increases the banks customer base and on hand deposits, the bank employees are able to better meet their personal incentive goals at work for new accounts. The Dismas facility in St Albans produces up to 15 new accounts each month.
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“It’s like shooting fish in a barrel” according to our Dismas source.

The Pro’s And Conn’s To City Nationals Program

When first learning of City National Banks ongoing practice of approaching inmates to open checking and savings accounts, it raised a red flag. Its almost comical and very shady considering the allegations of kickbacks to the halfway house corporation.

When looking at this from the prisoner’s perspective, no matter what the ulterior motive may be for the bank and halfway house owners, it can be very difficult for ex-offenders to obtain banking services with a criminal record. It’s almost impossible now days for a person convicted of a felony to get a job, credit, life insurance, housing or most other necessities everyone else enjoys and or takes for granted.

A September 2010 BBC news article claims that banks are providing prisoners in England with checking accounts… “Having a bank account can help stop prisoners re-offending; so should financial institutions be doing more to make them available?” One key problem faced by ex-prisoners is lack of access to a bank account. Without that, employers may be reluctant to give them a job and landlords are sometimes unwilling to rent even a room. Banks do not offer even basic banking facilities to ex-prisoners as they do not have the list of former addresses, identity documents and credit history required.

Prison officials in the BBC story said that “Having a bank account gives them personal identity which then opens doors to employment, to accommodation, to maintaining family ties and for personal enhancement, improving offenders own self-esteem.”

Headquartered in Charleston, W.V., City National Bank has 68 locations throughout West Virginia and in Kentucky and Ohio. The bank has expanded into Walmart Supercenters in various locations, adding greater convenience for customers. Founded in 1957, City Holding today employs approximately 800 professionals.

Inmates living in federal halfway houses have been recently released from prison and reside there from 2 months up to one year. Their crimes range from drugs, sex offenders, bank robbery to money crimes. The time spent inside a halfway house is to allow men and women the opportunity to reintegrate back into society.

Update 10/1/2011...City National Banks General Council, Brace Mullett, contacted WV News and stated that the bank denies the contents of this story. Mullett states that City National employees have only been to Dismas Charities Halfway House on one occasion and it was last year. And, it was at the invitation of Dismas staff. He stated that outside of that one occasion, no authorized representative of City National has been there before or after even though we can confirm at least 8 visits between July 2010 and May 2011.

Mullett denies that there was ever a "makeshift office" (which means - temporary) utilized. He states that there were never any incentives offered or provided to Dismas. That overdraft protection does not require a credit check and that $800 is not the limit for that service. Bottom line, City National only admits to being at Dismas one time to enlist customer accounts, and it happened to be the exact same day the former resident of Dismas (referred to above) opened his checking account.

Our stance? We stand behind this story 100% and its contents. And that we would welcome any civil action that City National would entertain so that the true facts can come out. By federal law, Dismas keeps accurate records, logs and video tapes of all visitors coming and going on while there. Not to mention all of the other former residents who opened their bank accounts when City National Employees were at Dismas soliciting accounts.

In Closing…

Under the right guidelines, this could be a positive move for prisoners and banks. But, under the current program that City National Bank offers, it appears on the surface that bank officials are giving away the farm with no collateral.

Everyone would like to have their banks best services available; from free gold card checking-savings, lines of credit and or top of the line overdraft protection.

But, do you have to go to prison first to be eligible for these perks?

End Of Story….

Jack Swint - Publisher

WV News 2011

(304) 982-7024

E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com

Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

Links

City National Bank Website

BBC News Story

Other Dismas Halfway House Problems

Class Action Lawsuite Against City National Bank For Improper Overdraft Fees

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Does US Senator Joe Manchin Really Want Earl Ray Tomblin To Win

2011-09-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

Is Manchin Using His Website To Support Governor Tomblins Election

“This is one of the oddest things to hit the internet in West Virginia. If you go to what appears to be U.S. Senator Joe Manchin's website. What pops up immediately is a full-page endorsement by Manchin of Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin… HuntingtonNews.Net Editorial September 13, 2011

Manchin's endorsement has taken over the entirety of the website and is Manchin's statement, made as loud as possible, for his supporters to back Earl Ray in the October 4th Special Election for Governor. Further, the issues listed otherwise on taxes and jobs, are all about Earl Ray, too.

Certainly, outgoing Democratic Governors have endorsed their successors in the past. The endorsement itself is no big deal. But the urgency by which it is presented on a website that should be engaging West Virginians on the top federal issues Manchin is working on in the U.S. Senate is striking. Frankly, it comes across as a desperation play, as if Manchin is pleading with the reader in large font.

After a second look at the www.joemanchin.com website, one realizes that this is an Earl Ray Tomblin production, even though it has Joe's name attached. But even so, Manchin had to have given Tomblin permission, not only to show his endorsement but, more importantly, to use Manchin's own name for this particular website. Either way you cut it, Manchin is going way over the top in his support of Tomblin.

Why is that?

Manchin and Tomblin are both creatures of the West Virginia statehouse. Tomblin owes his advantage as Acting Governor to Manchin, who vacated the job early to run for Byrd's unexpired term as U.S. Senator. And they no doubt have had several conversations throughout this transition, including the obscure date for the upcoming Special Election, which should be a great benefit to Tomblin's chances over Republican Bill Maloney.

In exchange for giving Tomblin the keys to the kingdom, keys he could never get as a regional State Senator alone, what is Manchin getting in this political horse-trade? Plenty, that's what. As Manchin's handpicked, loyal successor, Tomblin likely knows where some of the bones are buried from the last administration, which was mired in a federal investigation for several months. You can rest assured that, if Tomblin can help to keep any of those restless bones buried for Manchin, he will.

Everytime we see Joe Manchin sticking up for Earl Ray, just remember: this is not just a lovefest between the two Democrats we're watching. This is Joe Manchin taking out a very important insurance policy on his political career--and it's just one more reason to vote against Earl Ray Tomblin on October 4th.

Republican Bill Maloney will not stand in the way of any further federal probe of Manchin's time as Governor--and that has Manchin scrambling.

**This Editorial Was First Published By HuntingtonNews.Net On 9/13/2011**

End Of Story…

Jack Swint-Publisher

WV News 2011

(304) 982-7024

E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com

Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

Links
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Joe Manchin Website

New Study Reports Internet Search Engines Are Affecting Our Memory

2011-09-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

Recent Study Using Harvard Undergraduates Shows Internet Search Engines Are Changing The Way Our Brains Remember Information by Jack Swint

“Our brains rely on the Internet for memory in much the same way they rely on the memory of a friend, family member or co-worker. We remember less through knowing information itself than by knowing where the information can be found.” Psychologist Betsy Sparrow Columbia University.

Recent experiments performed at Columbia University by psychologist Betsy Sparrow and her colleagues produced evidence that people are more likely to remember things they do not think they can find using a computer and vice versa.

In addition, the studies found that people are better at remembering where to look for information on the Internet than they are remembering the information itself. “Since the advent of search engines, we are reorganizing the way we remember things,” Sparrow said in a news release issued with the research published in the journal Science.

“Our brains rely on the Internet for memory in much the same way they rely on the memory of a friend, family member or co-worker. We remember less through knowing information itself than by knowing where the information can be found.”

According to John Bohannon, who reported on the study published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, (AAAS) Sparrow devised a series of offline experiments to catch people in the act of relying on future access to information through a Google search instead of memorizing the information themselves. Sparrow said she didn't want them to actually have access to the information but just think that they would.

For the first set of experiments, which involved 106 Harvard undergraduates working on desktop computers, Sparrow tested whether people thought of the Internet as soon as they were posed true-false questions such as, “An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.”

She employed a psychological method called a Stroop task. After the trivia questions were posed, various colored words would appear on the screen. When those words matched topics that people were already thinking about, they tended to react more slowly when asked to name the words' colors. And indeed, when the colored words were Internet-related, such as Google or Yahoo, the students answered more slowly, indicating that they were already considering going online for answers.

In another test, Sparrow played a trick on her subjects. She presented 40 different trivia statements to the students and had them type the factoids on the computer. She told half of the group in advance that the computer would save what they had written so they could see it later; she told the other half that the computer would erase it. Then all of the students were challenged to write down the statements from memory.

Those who had been told that the computer would erase their notes had by far the best memory of the statements, as if their brains had made an emergency backup. Those who were expecting to retrieve the information later performed more poorly.

In a further set of experiments with 62 Columbia students, Sparrow tested whether that backup memorization comes at a cost. She again posed trivia questions but allowed the students to type notes. Some were told after each note that it would be saved in one of six computer folders with labels such as “Facts” or “Items,” while others were told it would be erased. Then she showed the students a list of the statements, with several of them modified, and asked them to identify if any had been altered. In a different version of the experiment, subjects were asked to remember where the information had been saved on the computer.

In both cases, the students who had been told that their notes would be erased again had the most accurate memory of the information. But the most strikingly accurate recall was for the location of information on the computer. For example, when posed the question, “What folder was the statement about the ostrich saved in,” students easily answered correctly. In short, Sparrow says, they were better at remembering where information was stored than the information itself.

Bohannon goes on in his article to report how psychologist Roddy Roediger at Washington University agrees that “the study is convincing, and there is no doubt that our strategies are shifting in learning, Why remember something if I know I can look it up again? In some sense, with Google and other search engines, we can offload some of our memory demands onto machines.”

But Roediger said this trend started long before the Internet. “When I was a student, many years ago, we consulted books and encyclopedias to write papers. Now students can do it at home on computers. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so.”

End Of Story

Jack Swint - Publisher
WV News 2011
(304) 982-7024
EMail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com

To Purchase Books Written By Jack Swint (click on link)

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King Of Racial Unrest Gets MSNBC News Hosting Gig

2011-08-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

President Of MSNBC Must Be Overlooking Al Sharptons Use Of The Media For His Racial Rhetoric Over The Past 30 Years by Jack Swint

According to an announcement by MSNBC President Phil Griffin, Al Sharpton (pictured to the left) has been named as its new host of “PoliticsNation,” a nightly program airing weeknights live at 6 p.m. ET on MSNBC. Sharpton will lead a “lively and informed discussion of the top headlines, bringing viewers his take on events in his signature style.”

According to Griffins media release…“I’ve known Rev. Sharpton for over a decade and have tremendous respect for him. He has always been one of our most thoughtful and entertaining guests,” said Griffin. “I’m thrilled that he’s now reached a point in his career where he’s able to devote himself to hosting a nightly show. ‘Politics Nation’ is going to be an incredibly strong kick-off to our evening schedule.”

In response, Sharpton says he is “very happy and honored to join the MSNBC team as we collectively try to get America to ’Lean Forward.’ “It is a natural extension of my life work and growth. We all learn from our pain and stand up from our stumbling and one must either learn to lean forward or fall backwards. I'm glad they have given me the opportunity to continue my forward lean.”

Wait one minute…Is this not the same Al Sharpton, who since at least 1987 has used the media to actually embellish and or fabricate racist motivated civil unrest?

Looking Back On Sharptons Long Career In The The Media

In 1983 the television show HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel showed an FBI videotape in which Al Sharpton is seen talking about laundering drug money with former mobster Michael Franzese, a Mafioso-turned-undercover-FBI informant posing as a cocaine dealer. Sharpton said it was the government’s total “attempt to set up and criminalize black people.”

Most people do not remember the case of 15 year old Tawana Brawley in 1987 when Sharpton appointed himself her adviser and media spokesperson as she accused a gang of white men of raping her. Sharpton claimed he knew for a fact that officials, all the way up through state government, were trying to cover up for the defendants because they were white. A media blitz also focused on Sharptons unfounded truths that Ducthess County NY district attorney Steven Pagones was a white racist devil who was actually one of the rapists.

In the end, Brawley admitted she made it all up. Al Sharpton was nowhere to be found.

Then there was the Crown Heights riot of 1991 and a 1995 arson attack on a Jewish Harlem jeweler that resulted in 8 deaths after Sharpton called for the removal of “white interlopers” and “bloodsucking Jews” from Harlem. He also compared then state Attorney General Robert Abrams, a Jew, to Adolf Hitler. He also claimed that former Governor; Mario Cuomo was in organized crime and the Ku Klux Klan.

Not that long ago, Sharpton was again jumping to the forefront by racially uplifting the media coverage of the Duke University Lacrosse Team scandal and the Jena 6 story. In both cases, Sharpton was chief instigator in the media on how blacks were being the victims of white abuse and white injustice. He came straight out and incorrectly accused the Duke players of being racist and rapists of a black dancer during a party on campus. In the Duke story, his actions definitely caused racial tension and even death threats against the white athletes.

When the truth came out, the female accuser was lying. Once again, Sharpton was the main instigator of the racial tension. And again when it was found he was the wrongful accuser, he was nowhere to be found.

In 2007, Sharpton was the spotlighted spokesperson on yet another high profile case that allowed him to invoke his racist agenda. Megan Williams alleged that white men and women kidnapped, raped and brutalized her for days in the backwoods of West Virginia because she was black. Combined with claims of also being forced to eat feces, have sex with the females and held at knife point, had people across America stirred in a racial frenzy. The assailants were tried, convicted and sent to prison.

In July, 2009, Megan Williams admitted that there was no kidnapping, and no racially motivated crime. In fact, Megan admitted that all of the racial allegations were concocted by her mother in hopes of getting national media attention and money. According to her, Rev Al Sharpton also knew it was concocted, but still played the racial card for his own media agenda. Megan said she knew her alleged captors, and her mother had bought drugs from them in the past.

Once again, Al Sharpton disappeared to wherever it is he goes when the truth comes out.

Sharpton even managed to become one of the black spokesperson in the death of singer Michael Jackson. Most people are amazed that Sharpton hasn’t tried to blame Jackson’s death on the white man, saying it was a racist plot to stop the “king of pop” from making a comeback in his career. Ironically, it wasn’t that long ago that Sharpton chastised Jackson for “playing up to white folks” and accused him of wanting to be a “white man.” Now, he is singing Jackson’s praise as a black hero and the king of pop.

In Closing….

According to MSNBC President Phil Griffin, (pictured to the left) Al Sharpton is one of America’s most-renowned civil rights leaders. That his visible career began at the tender age of four when he preached his first sermon. A successful civil rights career soon followed, helping Sharpton hold such notable positions as the Youth Director of New York’s Operation Breadbasket.

He was Director of Ministers for National Rainbow Push coalition, and founder of his own broad-based progressive civil rights organization, the National Action Network (NAN), one of the leading civil rights organizations in the world.

In reality, Sharpton is NOT a civil rights leader or activist. What history does show us to be true about him is that whenever the opportunity arises, he is out there keeping racism alive by creating false accusations against every ethnic group in society. His only agenda is to insight unrest, violence and racial terror across the entire country just to get into the spotlight and promote his own agenda. And when the truth surfaces and his accusations of racism don’t exist, Sharpton disappears without comment.

Here is a FACT on Al Sharpton. He has never once apologized in the past 30 plus years for the numerous false accusations he has knowingly, willfully and intentionally made against anyone that he has falsely accused. He never apologized for his part in inciting the Crown Heights riots or the families who lost their loved ones in the 1995 arson attack on a Jewish Harlem jeweler that resulted in 8 deaths.

Giving this man a free microphone and platform on national TV will ultimately reverse the decades spent mending the issue of racism that all Americans have been trying to put behind us. This new opportunity for Sharpton from MSNBC will ultimately cause a backslide in our strides to keep going forward to get beyond the past.

End Of Story...

Jack Swint-Publisher

WV News 2011

(304) 982-7024

E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com

Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

Link To MSNBC News Release

Are Newspapers Knowingly Selling Questionable Ad Space To Accused Shady Advertisers

2011-08-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

Ads That Look Like Real Newspaper Stories Could Be Scamming Seniors by Jack Swint

“This is nothing but high pressure sales on the elderly by a false sense of endorsement from the appearance of the add being a true newspapers story, the sales pitch of the high crime factor, the free bag of money and only a few hours to act on it.” ...Sylvia Barnes

Like thousands of other businesses across the country, Newspapers are strapped for income; a huge part of that deficiency is derived from advertising revenues. Has this hardship caused mainstream media to take on advertisers with both bad reputations and questionable ads? It appears so in the case of Charleston WV Newspaper(s) and their advertiser “World Reserve Monetary Exchange.”

On page 14(A) of todays Charleston Gazette (morning) and Charleston Daily Mail (afternoon) Newspapers, ran a full page advertisement for a company called “World Reserve Monetary Exchange Inc.” This ad clearly gives the appearance that it is an actual news story by the newsroom and will fool some people into believing it to be true news-reporting journalism. But, if you have the time to look closer at the small print at the top or bottom header, you can see the name of the actual advertiser that lists an address in N. Canton Ohio.

So if it looks like age is finally going to put money in your pocket?… Not so fast!

This ad claims that if you are 52 or older you can buy their "AT 1 Armored Safe" for only $281.00 and also receive what Bart Carr of World Reserve Vaults claims is “the big surprise.” A bag with over 1,000 US Government issued coins inside every one of these Armored Safes. But, you only have 36 hours for this offer which ends Tuesday evening August 23, 2011 at 8pm...Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc.

Anyone under 52 can purchase a safe too, but for the full price of $436.00 plus $52.88 shipping and NO bag of money inside. No great offer there.

The real problem with this sales gimmick is not just the thousands of complaints already filed against this company across the US for false advertising tactics since at least 2005, it’s the appearance of these advertisements that look like actual newspaper stories written by the newsroom staff. This specific offer now is the exact opposite of the last one where the company was offering customers a free armored safe if you purchased their bag of alleged rare coins and or paper money. When customer complaints started, they switched the sales pitch to this new one where you buy the safe and get the bag of money for free.

Several State Attorney Generals Offices from the east to west coast already have ongoing investigations against this company because of public outcry and complaints from people who have been suckered into similar sales advertisements like the one published in the Charleston Newspapers.

This company and their advertising tactics are not new to newspaper media. Back in 2005, Roanoke Times reporter Andrew Kantor in Roanoke Virginia called the advertisement they ran in that paper as being “full of breathless prose and questionable tactics.” He went on to say how the deceiving ads are designed to look like a full page news article and appear to be news stories, except for the tiny word "Advertisement" at the top. He writes also that another deceiving tactic used is the official-sounding "World Reserve Monetary Exchange."

World Reserve Monetary Exchange is also well known for sales of alleged “rare coins” all across the US. And they have the complaints across the nation to prove it.

With one quick internet search, we found 127 complaints from people who took the trouble to go online and write out their grievances. The most common complaints range from never receiving the coins, to WRME only sending certificates instead of coins. Complaints that the company is offering coins and paper money that do not even exist or they have affixed decals to.

A February 2010 Newsweek article advised readers that these Two Dollar collectible bills were no more than official US currency with stickers placed on them to convert them into a State Specific version of the Bills. Other serious allegations include customer credit cards were not only overcharged, but still receive monthly billings for additional products that they never authorized. (See links below)

We spoke to Sylvia Barnes whose elderly mother purchased one of these safes in Oregon, she has since learned from other victims in the “bag of money” scam that even the pictures used in the paid newspaper advertisements that are suppose to depict real families and their testimonies about the safes. But, in reality they are actually staged local actors and or employees of World Reserve Monetary Exchange.

“This is nothing but high pressure sales on the elderly by a false sense of endorsement from the appearance of the add being a true newspapers story, the sales pitch of the high crime factor, the free bag of money and only a few hours to act on it.”

In Closing….

Complaints and ethical questions against this company are not new. World Reserve Monetary Exchange has been around for years. You can Google them and find all of the alarming stories and complaints against them. This World Reserve Monetary Exchange “scampaign” is definitely targeting older people 52 and over with this latest advertisement guaranteeing a free bag of money when you buy one of their safes at a discounted rate if you act in 36 hours. If your under 52 years of age, you can buy it at full price and pay shipping.

Many newspapers have rules requiring the prominent labeling of ads so that readers can clearly tell the material doesn't come from the newsroom. Journalists work hard to be seen as free from conflicts of interest in their reporting on businesses, and if readers can't easily tell the ads from the news, the news itself may be seen as less trustworthy.

Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. Advertisers often press news media to present retail pitches as objective reporting because it enhances an ad's persuasive power, but journalism ethics require clear separation of the two functions.

Kelly McBride, who teaches journalism ethics to reporters and editors at the Poynter Institute, a journalism training center in St. Petersburg, Fla., put it this way in a recent conversation with Grade the News: "If one reader ends up feeling duped, the newspaper’s credibility is diminished."

This ad is at least deceiving insomuch as it appears as an actual journalistic story written by newsroom staff. If your lucky enough to see the fine print at the top and or bottom you may figure it out that its just a paid advertisement.

Why would mainstream media run these questionable looking ads by companies with bad reputations?? Try hundreds of thousands a year in advertisement revenues.

The full page ad that ran in both Charleston Newspapers cost an estimated $11,000.

End of Story

Jack Swint-Publisher
WV News 2011
WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
(304) 356-9790

Example Of Complaints Against World Reserve Monetary Exchange

http://www.gradethenews.org/2005/microads.htm
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/world-reserve-monetary-exchange-c108961.html
https://www.theworldreserve.com/index.cfm
http://world-reserve-monetary-exchange.pissedconsumer.com/complete-and-total-ripoff-scam-20080609123561.html
http://www.roanoke.com/business/wb/wb/xp-43742
http://www.cointalk.com/t43953/
http://greatamerican.hubpages.com/hub/World-Monetary-Reserve-Exchange-phoney-as-a-Three-Dollar-Bill
http://world-reserve-monetary-exchange.pissedconsumer.com/

https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

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Hearings Office Director Resigns Amidst WV Social Security Appeals Scandal

2011-08-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

Inside Sources Also Reveal That ALJ Charley Andrus Is Considering Retirement Too by Jack Swint

What began back in 2005 as unanswered complaints filed by office staff against one ALJ’s high approval ratings on disability claims, has now turned into one of the largest SSA federal investigations that has everyone from the Inspector General’s Office to several US Senators and the US Attorney’s Office jumping in with both feet.

And, its reported that previously named higher ups in the Huntington Office are just one step on a ladder that's going all the way up to Philadelphia Regional Chief Administrative Judge Jasper Bede’s office.

Recent Chain Of Stepping Down And Resignations

Within a month after ALJ David Daugherty found himself on indefinite leave of absence while being investigated for his role in this alleged “case-fixing” scandal, Chief ALJ Charley Andrus stepped down from his top position and assumed the role of an ALJ. Then a few weeks later, Daugherty retired altogether.

Now, less than a month after Daugherty resigned, Hearing Office Director Greg Hall announced this past Thursday that his resignation is effective at the end of August 2011. His explanation to office staff is that he wants to spend time with his daughter who is moving from Atlanta Georgia to Cincinnati Ohio.

According to our confidential source inside this same SSA office, ALJ Charley Andrus was recently overheard saying that he too is eligibility for retirement and is most likely going to be leaving the SSA in the near future. His reasoning is the same poor health concerns that he used for recently stepping down as the Chief Judge in the Huntington WV Office.

Our same source (who has been right 100% to date) also confided Thursday that “the federal investigation trail is leading all the way up to Chief Jasper J. Bede himself.” Bede is currently the Philadelphia Regional Chief Administrative Law Judge. Reportedly, his alleged role in the scandal is having direct knowledge of the existing illegal and ethical problems in the Huntington office and failed to act on them.

Former Master Docket Clerk Jennifer Griffith stated in an earlier interview that her superiors, all the way up to the Philadelphia Region office, knew since at least 2006 of the problems but never would address them. Griffith told this author that it was former ALJ Daugherty’s manipulating of cases that was causing the worst of the problems in the office. “Judge Daugherty was circumventing the system and assigning himself to disability cases that were being represented by Attorney Eric Conn. He even re-assigned himself to cases that had been assigned to other Judges in rotation.”

Office staff attributes public knowledge of the scandal as being the actual catalyst that launched multiple investigations by both the Inspector General’s Office and at least two probes began and or expanded by US Senators Orin Hatch and Tom Coburn.

The presence of Senator Coburn’s investigative powers is still being felt in West Virginia after his involvement and report addressing waste, fraud and mismanagement in federal employment training programs that directly cited the Workforce West Virginia grant scandal as one of the nation's most egregious examples of job training fraud in recent years.

This current investigation by the inspector general's office is being monitored by top Social Security Administration officials who told the Wall Street Journal in May 2011 that… “Investigators are examining a number of issues, including the high percentage of cases Mr. Daugherty approved for a Kentucky lawyer named Eric C. Conn.” Just this past week we learned that the federal investigation is following a money trail based on the back pay awards that were paid including attorney fees and other expenses related to the 97% overall approval rate by former ALJ David Daugherty.

In Closing,

It appears that these latest resignations by ALJ David Daugherty and now Hearings Office Director Greg Hall demonstrates the actual depth of the reported problems in the Huntington Office that include allegations from collusion to discrimination and mismanagement that date back to at least 2005. Daugherty and Hall are two of the named upper management employees under investigation since the scandal broke.

According to our source, just because these employees are resigning or retiring will not bar them from further investigations and or prosecution if warranted. They also say that the federal investigation has taken officials outside of the SSA Appeals Office and into the private sector. "its a money trail"...

End Of Story...

Jack Swint-Publisher
WV News 2011
(304) 982-7024
E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Twitter: @WVNewsOnline
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There Are No Insoluble Government Problems

2011-08-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

The Last I Told You So By Syndicated Journalist Charley Reese
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One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country... Journalist Charley Reese March 7, 1985

One of retired Syndicated Journalist Charley Reese's final columns for the Orlando Sentinel is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. His article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican nor democrat. He has hit the nail directly on the head by defining clearly who must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day. And even though this story was first published in 1985, it resurfaced again in the 2008 presidential campaign and again recently.

You and I don't propose a federal budget, the President does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations, the House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

Five Hundred Forty Five -vs- Three Hundred Million People (verbatim)

"Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits? WHY do we have deficits? Have you ever wondered if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes? WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House now? He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Army and Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan. If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people and they alone are responsible. They and they alone have the power. They and they alone should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses. Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees... We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!"... This article was originally published on March 7, 1985.

In Closing…..

Not one of the below taxes existed 100 years ago and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom, if agreed, stayed home to raise the kids.

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

End Of Story...

Jack Swint - Publisher
WV News 2011
(304) 982-7024
WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Twitter: @WVNewsOnline
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Americas Debt Ceiling Has Been Raised Sixty Nine Times Since Eisenhower

2011-08-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

Enough Is Enough From Our Federal Politicians And President by Jack Swint

"The fact that our federal lawmakers and politicians are raising America’s debt limit again is just another clear sign of their leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign how heavily we depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our government’s reckless fiscal policies."

Here’s Our Sign

Some of us do not totally understand the complexity of our federal politicians handling of the debt ceiling and other financial debacles they get us into. But, we do know that if any one of us conducted business the same way our leaders do, we would be out on the pavement looking for a new job and or facing civil - criminal charges.

The fact that our federal lawmakers and politicians are raising America’s debt limit again is just another clear sign of their leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign how heavily we depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our government’s reckless fiscal policies.

And keep focused, it’s been a lot of the same politicians year after year after year raising the limit!

Same Old Song And Dance

From Eisenhower to Obama (except for Harry Truman) the debt ceiling has been raised during every presidency for a total of 69 times. Obama has raised it 4 times counting this one. Reagan rings the bell for the most times that the debt ceiling was raised during a Presidents term. He signed legislation to do so 18 times in 8 years!

Here’s a breakdown of debt ceiling increases before Obama by presidency:

￭ Dwight D. Eisenhower (R): 4
￭ John F. Kennedy (D): 5
￭ Lyndon B. Johnson (D): 7
￭ Richard M. Nixon (R): 7
￭ Gerald R. Ford (R): 6
￭ Jimmy Carter (D): 6
￭ Ronald Reagan (R): 18
￭ George H. W. Bush (R): 5
￭ Bill Clinton (D): 4
￭ George W. Bush (R): 7

Note: The total of 69 times fails to include where the debt limit was temporarily increased or the expiration dates for temporary increases were extended. Factoring in those other instances, the debt ceiling was increased 86 times between the presidencies of Eisenhower and George W. Bush.

This increase is reportedly the largest in history in inflation-adjusted dollars. There was a $1.6 trillion increase in inflation adjusted dollars under President George H.W. Bush. A $1.2 trillion increase under President George W. Bush. During President Jimmy Carter's term, the limit was raised by nearly $1.4 trillion and $1.3 trillion in two separate instances.

Government officials and the media are saying that the US has never come closer to default than now. False, the U.S. was in danger of default three previous times under President George W. Bush, according to a Congressional Research Service report. Treasury used accounting measures to avoid default when the government was just millions away from hitting the debt limit in 2002 and 2003.

In 2002, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill threatened to resign telling Congress: “You're going to have to raise the debt ceiling or you're going to have to find a new Treasury secretary, because I'm not going to go to jail because you failed to act and I have to take some extraordinary action that is unconstitutional. I'm not going to do that.”

Where Does The Money Go?

Major components of our trillions in deficit are broken out as follows:

Social Security 20.40%
National Defense 20.10%
Medicare 13.10%
Medicaid/CHIP 8.10%
Interest 5.70%
Low-Income Assistance 5.30%
Unemployment Comp 4.60%
Education & Training 3.70%
Federal Empl Retirement 3.50%
Veterans 3.10%
Transportation 2.70%
Other health care 2.60%
Parks & natural resources 1.30%
Space/Science 0.90%
Foreign aid 0.90%
Agriculture 0.60%

In Closing

America has a complete failure of leadership, and the debt to prove it. Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. If this was the first or even second time in history that the ceiling debt had to be raised it would not be so crucial a sign that something is very very wrong with our government leader’s ability in Washington. It’s been 69 times. And 4 just since Obama took office.

According to a report from PolitiFact, when Eisenhower left office the debt limit was $293 billion. After Bush left office following seven increases, the limit was about $11.3 trillion. Unless federal policies change, Congress will always face demands to raise the debt limit to accommodate the growing federal debt in order to provide the government with the means to meet its financial obligations.

So while they are all standing around high fiving and patting each other on the back, (again) keep in mind that one of the the saddest parts of this entire debacle is that our leaders have allowed so many Americans to be living in constant fear these past few months because their benefits could have been stopped if this debt limit was increased.

A debt that these very same leaders (we elected) routinely increase because of their own failure to run our government efficiently.

End of Story

Jack Swint-Publisher
WV News 2011
(304) 982-7024
E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

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New Document Shredders For Huntington SSA As Judge Daugherty Resigns

2011-07-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

Why Would You Give Shredders To The Very Same Managers The Feds Are Actively Investigating? by WVNews Staff

“Management has all but accused staff of dumpster diving” according to one office employee who says supervisors appear to be blaming them for telling the feds and or news media about the ongoing problems. And that staff rummaged through the containers searching for documents to get evidence.

Shredding The Shredded

As the Office of Inspector General and Congressional hearings continue to investigate the scandals inside the SSI Appeals Office in Huntington WV, new document shredders (pictured to the left) were found sitting in the appeals office 2^nd floor doorway. This was the same day news broke that ALJ David Daugherty resigned. He had been on indefinite administrative leave while the feds investigate allegations of misconduct that includes collusion between Daugherty and attorney Eric C Conn.

Are new shredders for management just a coincidence with the departure of Judge Daugherty? People can only speculate, but the same source who throughout this case has been very accurate, now says that it’s all tied together and that more resignations or even transfers are possible. When asked the circumstances behind ALJ Daugherty resigning? “Daugherty resigned right after refusing to co-operate with the OIG investigation.”

Employees do not understand how the very same managers and supervisors who are currently under investigation by the feds are permitted to shred anything? They also want to know why these same individuals have not been placed on administration leave during the investigation. Instead, “they are given there own personal paper shredders to destroy any further evidence. And it is also giving them the opportunity to retaliate against staff whom they may feel have blown the whistle on them.”

“Management has all but accused staff of dumpster diving” according to one office employee who says supervisors appear to be blaming them for telling the feds and or news media about the ongoing problems. And that “we allegedly rummaged through the containers searching for documents to get evidence.”

Ironically, the office already has a longstanding contract with a company who has always shredded all of their trashed documents every month. Our source says there are 5 large containers with locks on them and slots to place discarded paperwork into that keep anyone from retrieving them.

Sources also say that it has been their understanding that no shredding was to be conducted by people under investigation unless OIG and or members of the Congressional Committee were made aware of it. As of this past Friday, neither office says they knew Huntington’s management received their own shredders or why.

These new cross-cutting shredders will essentially allow management to shred twice. “What else could now be so important that management needs to shred their documents before they go to the commercial shredder?”

According to policy, Region would have to approve the purchase of these Ativa Cross-Cut Shredders (retail $179) that went to Huntington’s upper management and supervising staff that include: John Patterson, Steve Hayes, Cary Roland and Greg Hall.

Policy And Accountability After The Scandal Headlines

Anytime an investigation of this magnitude happens, there is usually low morale, changes in staff - policy and some people left running for cover. The Huntington SSA office is currently experiencing all of the above.

Management is reportedly going back into employee files and placing employees on “AWOL STATUS” for any absence from work previously excused by supervisors. This includes being out of work for sickness or injury without proper documentation from the doctor. Also, filling out SSA 71 forms for leave are now being denied even though the need to be off work is evident.

Office staff are no longer allowed to remain after 6pm daily for any reason and not allowed in the office at all on the weekends. Some attorneys and staff have been staying late and coming in on weekends for the past 20 years. This change may be due to the time and attendance problems reported by then Chief Judge Charlie Andrus against ALJ Daugherty and former ALJ Tinsley who were both either unaccountable at times or claimed they were coming in early, staying late and working weekends.

According to records, overall time off and attendance requests are soaring since the scandal. Complaints against management and supervisors are also up, enough so that we were told employees may consider their policy right and ask all 3 union representatives to file what is called a “union management grievance” that allows by-passing local management and going straight to the top.

One employee in another SSA office who spoke off the record said his office management does not have their own personal shredders and that personnel are not being scrutinized like people in the Huntington office are claiming. “It sounds like management there is so under the microscope by investigators that they are either intentionally or unintentionally over enforcing policies that weren’t before to make themselves appear better.”

He went on to say, “in my opinion, going back now on alleged past infractions compiled with over enforcing policy previously ignored, is a form of retaliation considering the current circumstances.”

In Closing:

Management having their own personal shredders is not that unheard of in the business world. It’s the timing and who the people are receiving them that are raising eyebrows.

The words “Shredder” and “Huntington WV Appeals Office” used in the same sentence makes people’s expressions perk up while picturing employees scrambling and bosses screaming to hurry up and shred every document right before the feds swoop in and collect damaging evidence on paper.

In this specific story, you have management and supervisors who are currently under federal investigation and they are provided their own shredders. Keep in mind, there is already a long standing document shredding company who has been doing all of the offices shredding for many years.

The feds have already been in the Huntington office and seized computers and documents they feel will support their beliefs at this time. But, according to staff we spoke to, it’s not what investigators already found; these specific individuals having their own shredder is insurance that nothing else in the future gets to federal investigators.

“If anyone was looking through the trash for any documents showing wrongdoing, this will stop that.” That is a possibility, no other Social Security office we could find recently implemented shredders just for management. It’s pretty much SSA’s policy to hire contracted companies to do all of the shredding and has been for years.

Is it retaliation that management is going back on staff for work related infractions that have already been excused or overlooked? Are supervisors retaliating by denying time off requests that include medical leave when they OK’d it before the scandal? As one person from another SSA office stated…

“It sounds like management there is so under the microscope by investigators that they are either intentionally or unintentionally over enforcing policies that weren’t before to make themselves appear better.” Management and Supervisors will deny it of course and some people will say employees are overacting. If it could be proven, there are “Whistle Blower” laws to pursue.

Before the scandal broke, management enjoyed the comfort and security from being recognized as one of the top statistic achievers in both the region and nationally for cases settled and goals met. They were hitting their bonuses and it probably felt like Shangri-La with all of the pats on the back from above.

How quickly that can change, and how quickly everyone feels the fallout.

Note: As for Attorney Eric Conn, who is reported to also be under the same investigation by federal authorities, is in the midst of a media advertising campaign in the Huntington – Ashland viewing area claiming he is the victim of false accusations.
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One TV advertisement on WSAZ TV (linked below) shows Conn bolstering his wealth by driving a luxurious Rolls Royce up to the gates of his office and ends with a female model beckoning him to “come back.” In which Conn replies that he has never been gone.

As one viewer told this author, “in a time when the people of West Virginia and Kentucky are struggling so badly financially, Eric Conn continues to rub his money in their face, and the feds too.”
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End Of Story…. for now

Jack Swint-Publisher

WV News 2011

(304) 982-7024

E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com

Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

Link

Trac Report On SSA
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TV News Story On ALJ Daugherty Retirement
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Eric Conn Advertisement On YouTube

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.Related Stories

Is The Social Security Appeals Process Beyond Repair

Huntington’s Chief ALJ Named in Federal Lawsuit Alleging Racial Discrimination and Whistleblower Retaliation

Attorney Accused In WV Social Security Scandal Was Disbarred From Veterans Appeals Court In 2002

Evidence Reveals Your Tax Dollars Purchased Weapons Smuggled To Mexican Cartels

2011-07-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

Did Operation Fast And Furious Allow Paid Gov Informants To Purchase And Smuggle Weapons To Mexican Cartels? by Jack Swint

The evidence we have gathered raises the disturbing possibility that the Justice Department allowed criminals to purchase and smuggle weapons using taxpayer dollars from other agencies to finance those engaging in such activities.… Representative Darrell Issa (R-Vista) and Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa).

Mexican authorities have long complained that most of the guns that fuel the drug wars there are purchased in the U.S. Now it appears that the guns are not only coming from America, but the US Department of Justice is footing the bill to purchase these weapons with your federal taxpayer dollars.

With a storyline plot that will someday be made into an action movie, the Los Angeles Times reports that Kenneth E. Melson, head of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol- Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has told congressional investigators that some Mexican drug cartel figures targeted by his agency in a gun-trafficking investigation were actually paid informants for the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration.

An Arizona-based ATF operation called “Fast & Furious” reportedly allowed straw purchasers to transfer weapons from gun shops in Arizona to Mexican drug cartels to trace and halt cross-border arms-trafficking. That's the official version, but its crumbling fast.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the ATF allowed 2,000 plus guns to be purchased in the United States in hopes that they would eventually be traced back to cartel leaders in Mexico. However, the ATF lost track of the sold guns and as a result many were found at crime scenes in Mexico.

One such weapon was recovered and found to have been used to shoot and kill Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry (pictured to the left). He was killed in December 2010 at the hands of an illegal immigrant working for the Sinaloa Cartel while patrolling an area near Tucson known as Rio Rico. Officials traced the gun found at the scene to Operation Fast and Furious.

When agent Terry was murdered, no one knew the gun used to kill him came from the ATF operation or that the feds were behind these weapons being smuggled into Mexico. Now, Terry’s family wants justice and that may include suing the federal government. According to former Arizona US Attorney Paul Charlton, “Anyone who put these weapons in the killers’ hands may be liable.” Charlton headed up that office for 7 years and says he fully understands an operation the size of Fast and Furious.

“I have never seen an investigation in which guns were intentionally allowed to walk. That sort of thing does not happen, ought not to happen.”

Congressman Darrell Issa, chair of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee initiated hearings on the Hill after learning the ATF helped sell thousands of guns to known criminals. His hearings opened a floodgate of evidence against the agency, and provided a forum for whistleblower agents to air their concerns, which included multiple warnings to supervisors that the program was going to kill people.

Those warnings were ignored, despite reports showing Mexican federal police were recovering “Fast and Furious” guns at crime scenes throughout that country.

They also released a videotaped interrogation with recently captured Jesus Rejon Aguilar, an alleged founder of the Zetas gang who is wanted in the slaying of a U.S. immigration agent in Mexico. He brazenly told them that “all the weapons are bought in the United States” and that “even the American government itself was selling the weapons.”

He added, “Whatever you want, you can get.” One official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the inquiry is ongoing, “We know now it was not something limited to just a small group of ATF agents in Arizona.”

The same LA Times news story said that ATF' director Kenneth Melson has been “singing like a canary” to congressional investigators as he pushes back against administration pressure for him to now resign and take the fall for something that, at the very least, had to include the US Attorney's Office, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and possibly the Homeland Security Department.

In Closing

Federal agents can’t account for more than 1,400 of the 2,020 guns involved “Operation Fast and Furious,” To date, 363 have been recovered in the United States and 227 have been recovered in Mexico. That leaves 1,430 guns unaccounted for, the sources said.

The ATF claim the operation was intended to build cases against Mexican drug cartels by allowing firearms to go from the United States into Mexico. The hope was by tracing the guns in Mexico, agents would be able to determine the structure of various cartels and then bring them down. One of the guns they were able to trace back was used to kill US Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry while he was on duty protecting our border.

The problem was that once the guns were allowed to “walk,” there was no way to recover them until they turned up at crime scenes. The operation is being widely criticized in Congress, with the chairman of a House committee calling it “felony stupid.”

End Of Story

Jack Swint-Publisher

WV News 2011

(304) 982-7024

E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com

Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

Link
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Operation “Fast & Furious” Fallout

West Virginia Governor Wont Be Stopping Greyhound Dog Racing

2011-07-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

Earl Ray Tomblins Family Business Keeps The Money Flowing And Dogs Dying by WV News Staff

“Of all the creatures, man is the most detestable. He is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain. The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot” Mark Twain

West Virginia is only one of seven remaining states that allow greyhound dog racing in the entire US. The other states have since banned the brutal sport due to public outcry and groups like GREY2K who kept the pressure on state governments until they banned it. Unlike those states that have closed down this industry, WV has a form of insurance that will keep the dogs racing and money flowing in.

Our Governor, Earl Ray Tomblin grew up inside the families ongoing greyhound racing business which has made his parents and brother one of the top winning owner-breeders and trainers in this state. And according to state records, their greyhound dog operation is the primary source of income for Freda and Earl Tomblin Sr. Tomblin also has many friends and political support from members of the greyhound industry and the casino’s too.

WV Senator Mike Green has been associated with dog racing since at least 1998 and was partners in “Green-Maupin Kennel” until 2008. Campaign reports show he has taken in thousands of dollars over the years from donations to his election from greyhound members.

Let’s be completely honest and practical. Taking into account that Tomblin is the most powerful and influential man in state politics and his parents, friends and associates primary source of income is derived from this industry, it’s a safe bet that as long as Tomblin is governor greyhound racing is here to stay.

Acceptable Casualty Rate

How serious of an injury does it take for a dog to be euthanized? Dogs like Freda Design, a 1-year-old black greyhound owned by the Tomblins was put down on Halloween 2010 after she was simply bumped by another dog and suffered a broken leg during a race.

Is there an acceptable greyhound dog casualty rate at dog tracks in WV? It appears that Dan Adkins; Executive Owner at the Tri-State Track in Cross Lanes WV thinks so. In a February 2011 news article he proudly stated that the number of injuries has dropped the past two years and is now near the national average.

He said there were only 25 deaths in more than 43,000 racing starts last year. Shouldn’t the stats be 0 deaths in the past 43,000 race starts?

According to Adkins, “If you compared these numbers to the NFL or even horse racing, this would be a very low percentage.” Several devout pet owners we spoke to said that’s about as silly as down playing it if there were only 5 NASCAR driver deaths in the past 100 race starts or 12 athletes killed in the last 40 Olympics.

According to the most recent state records available, at least 3,208 greyhound injuries have been reported at Adkins track since 2005, and nearly 200 dogs have died. Further, it’s likely that the actual number of injuries and deaths is even higher because we learned during our investigations back in 2008 that the majority of off the track incidents go un-reported. (Stories linked below)

At the Wheeling WV dog track, 707 greyhounds were reported injured between January 2008 and September 2009. More than one hundred of these injuries involved broken legs, and other reported injuries included dislocations, broken ankles, lacerations, fractured skulls and spinal injuries. Additionally, 62 dogs died or were euthanized during this period.

“Greyhound racing is cruel and inhumane and should end,” said GREY2K USA Executive Director Carey Theil in a 2011 interview with the Charleston Newspaper. “Dogs play an important role in our lives, and deserve to be protected from individuals and industries that would do them harm.” Besides the injuries and deaths that occur, racing greyhounds endure lives of terrible confinement. They live inside warehouse-style kennels in rows of stacked cages that are barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around. They are confined for long hours each day, with shredded paper or carpet remnants as bedding.

In Closing

Once again, let’s be honest and call it what it is. Does Governor Earl Ray Tomblin have a close-vested interest in keeping greyhound racing in WV? It’s not a political decision; it’s about family and friends who depend on dog racing to live. Bottom line, to ban racing would take away his parents primary source of livelihood. What sibling wouldn’t want to protect his family and business if they could?

During the recent governors race, one of Tomblins opponents brought out Earl Ray's personal and family involvement in the greyhound dog racing industry. Even though the information was all true, the media actually called it an attack against Tomblin. His campaign called it "cheap politics" and goes on to say that this was an attempt to smear not only all of the good things the governor had accomplished but the allegations were lies. It's possible that the truth can be mistaken for cheap politics. (article linked below)

Most people you speak to detest greyhound racing and or any form of animal cruelty. There are specific laws in WV dealing with cruelty to any animal. Over the past several years more and more people are convicted and sentenced to jail for injuring and or killing animals.

Why hasn't there been one person arrested, fined or even cited for any of the reported injuries-deaths at either greyhound track? Officials at the Humane Society say they detest the deaths and injuries that occur because of racing. But, they don't do anything about it!

Speaking about this injustice is not the same as doing something about it. Yes, it is a huge industry that many people depend on for their livelihood. From the trainers to the owners all the way down to the local business economy who sell the food, supplies and medicine for the dogs. The list goes on and on.

Does that make it right?

End Of Story...

Jack Swint-Publisher

WV News 2011

(304) 982-7024

E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com

Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

Related Stories By WVNews

The Killing Fields Of Chapmanville WV (Tomblins Greyhound Training Facility)

The Bucks Stop Here For Greyhound Abuse And Slaughter

Documents Expose Slaughter Of Greyhound Dogs By Their Owners In 2008

Former Lobbyist Owns Bragging Rights On Senator Earl Ray Tomblin

Charleston Daily Mail Article Accusing Attack Against Tomblin

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Sign Online Petition To Stop Greyhound Racing In WV
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Most People Dont Understand Our Governments Debt Ceiling

2011-07-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

Large Percentage Of Americans Do Not Understand What The Debt Ceiling Is by WV News Staff

The government now borrows more than 40 cents of each dollar it spends. If the debt ceiling does not rise, the government would need to choose what to pay and what not, including benefits like Social Security, wages for the military or other bills. It also might delay interest payments on Treasury bonds.

The Who-What- Where And When Of The Debt Ceiling

Here is one laymen term to sum up what the National Debt Ceiling is... “It's a legal limit on how much debt the government can accumulate.”

Article I Section 8 of the United States Constitution gives the Congress the sole power to borrow money on the credit of the United States. From the founding of the United States through 1917 Congress authorized each individual debt issuance separately.
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In order to provide more flexibility to finance the United States' involvement in World War I, Congress modified the method by which it authorizes debt in the Second Liberty Bond Act of 1917.Under this act Congress established an aggregate limit, or "ceiling," on the total amount of bonds that could be issued.

The modern debt limit, in which an aggregate limit was applied to nearly all federal debt, was established in 1939. The Treasury has been authorized by Congress to issue such debt as was needed to fund government operations (as authorized by each federal budget) as long as the total debt (excepting some small special classes) does not exceed a stated ceiling.

The United States is one of the few countries where Congress sets a ceiling on government debt, which creates “periodic uncertainty” over the government's ability to meet its obligations. Most countries let their debts rise automatically when government spending outpaces tax revenue. Congress has increased the debt limit 10 times since 2001.

Our government now borrows more than 40 cents of each dollar it spends. If the debt ceiling does not rise, the government would need to choose what to pay and what not, including benefits like Social Security, wages for the military or other bills. It also might delay interest payments on Treasury bonds. Any default could lead to financial panic weakening the country's credit rating, the dollar and the already hobbled economy. Interest rates would likely rise, increasing the cost of borrowing for the government and ordinary Americans.

How Does The Debt Ceiling Differ From The Federal Deficit?

The deficit is how much government spending exceeds tax revenue during a year. Last year, the deficit was $1.29 trillion. The debt is the sum of deficits past and present. Right now, the national debt totals $14.3 trillion set in 2010.

Currently, the U.S. government owes itself $4.6 trillion, mostly borrowed from our Social Security revenues. The remaining $9.7 trillion is owed to investors in Treasury securities, banks, pension funds, individual investors, state and local governments and foreign investors and governments. Nearly half of that - $4.5 trillion is held by foreigners including China with $1.15 trillion and Japan with $907 billion.

The biggest contributors to the nearly $9 trillion increases over a decade were in the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts under President George W. Bush: $1.6 trillion.

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost approx. $1.3 trillion. The economic stimulus package under Obama is $800 billion. In 2010, there was the tax cuts compromise by Obama and Republicans that extended jobless benefits and cut payroll taxes added $400 billion. Medicare's prescription drug benefit creation in 2003 cost $300 billion. In 2008, the financial industry bailout cost $200 billion.

And, there are the hundreds of billions less in revenue than expected since the latest recession began in December 2007.

In Closing…

Congress has until Aug. 2, 2011 to raise the federal borrowing limit or the government will run out of money and possibly default on its debt. House Republicans say they won't raise the debt limit without equal spending cuts. President Obama and Democrats insist that higher revenues must be included.

As one reader puts his views of the Debt Ceiling into perspective... "it's like an artificial limit on how much the country can gamble, similar to a Las Vegas casino. Unfortunately the congress has already appropriated funds to run the country but neglected to make certain that enough revenue is coming in to pay for the debt service on the national debt that previous congresses have approved for the citizens to subsidize.”

End Of Story….

Jack Swint-Publisher

WV News 2011

(304) 982-7024

E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com

Twitter: @WVNewsOnline

Are State Officials Considering Elimination Of The WV Secretary of States Office

2011-07-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

How One Op-Ed Column May Have Given Some State Officials A Cutting Edge Idea... by Sam Webber-News Staff

"The state Attorney General office proved far and away more competent in addressing legal opinion and if it weren't for the West Virginia Supreme Court the state would still be foundering. Let's face it; the Secretary of State Office has historically served as little more than a taxpayer- funded campaign headquarters for whom are in essence legal figureheads." Howard Swint - February 2011 Charleston Gazette Op-Ed Column

In February 2011, Charleston Real Estate Broker Howard Swint authored an op-ed column to the Charleston Gazette calling for the elimination of the West Virginia Secretary of States Office. Swint cited that, “nowhere in state government is there a greater waste of money through duplication than in this office.” He strategically dissected each division of the SOS and their responsibility (full article below) and points out how other state agencies either could or already handle those same duties.

Back in February, the op-ed piece left some readers shaking their heads at even the thought of eliminating one of the top agencies inside WV’s state government. Now, our source at the statehouse says the idea of either taking away some of the duties of the SOS (by assigning them to other state agencies) or completely dissolving the Secretary of States Office altogether, is being discussed behind statehouse closed doors.

Who could be in support of this reorganization? It’s reported that Howard Swints business associate and long-time friend, WV State Senate President (Pro-Temp) Brooks McCabe is one of the concerted efforts behind it all. Swint has worked closely alongside McCabe for years at West Virginia Commercial LLC (formerly McCabe-Henley LLC) and has been a staunch supporter of the senator in his political career. Swint worked with McCabe at the time of the op-ed and McCabe reportedly knew of its contents and supported the article.

Our source said that if McCabe does run as planned for the 2012 race for governor and is successful, he will be in a better position to implement such a plan. But, he has not given up on the idea either way. McCabe, a 12 year veteran in the state senate is also Chair of the Finance Committee and also a member on the Economic, Judiciary and Government Operation - Organization Committees.

Is McCabe the visionary to ramrod such an historic change in state government operation? Possibly, he has been the leading supporter of one other very controversial government consolidation known as “Metro Government.” He makes no qualms in his vocal push for cities and counties to move toward a consolidation of government and government services.

“We have too many counties, too many schools and school systems and they are too costly to fund,” according to the senator in a May 20, 2011 interview in Parkersburg WV. McCabe said many towns, cities and counties in West Virginia are coming under the gun financially to provide services to citizens and rather than bite the bullet and step toward consolidation, they are coming to the state for help.

“We in the Legislature need to get our act together. And show some tough love,” he said. “Rather than subsidize, we have to say enough is enough.” Would that “tough love” belief also include state government too?

Even though the theory of consolidation in Metro Government is a far cry from stripping away or dissolving the entire states Secretary of States Office, this idea may be in the hands of someone (McCabe) who could be in a position to do so if the ends justify the means.

“The fact that he is such a staunch supporter of the highly controversial county government consolidation and holding state government accountable for expenses; almost takes away some of the craziness of this whole concept of overhauling the Secretary of States Office altogether.”

Howard Swints February 2011 Article In The Charleston Gazette Reads As Follows:

“The time has come to eliminate the West Virginia Secretary of State Office. Nowhere in state government is there a greater waste of money through duplication than in this office. Consider first the Business Division where new and existing businesses register with the state as do corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships.

Virtually every bit of information collected here is also housed at the Tax Department where it should be collected in the first place. With the advent of the Business4WV.com website that integrates other business registration and licensing processes between state agencies, what little that remains with the Business Division could easily be consolidated with the Department of Commerce.

For business organization searches, the essence of why there is a Business Division in the office in the first place, you find the following disclosure, "The West Virginia Secretary of State's Office makes every reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy of information. However, we make no representation or warranty as to the correctness or completeness of the information."

Not exactly the solid foundation from which a legal process can be built. Same for the Database Searches and Online Services section where just about everything indexed in this division links over to another government agency whether the state tax department, 55 county clerks' offices or even the U.S. Postal Service.

There is also the Administrative Law Division that "serves as both archives and official clearinghouse for agency rules, notices, orders, decisions and other procedural documents." While ensuring that governmental subdivisions post open meeting notices in a timely fashion is important, this division is in essence a law library that could be consolidated at Legislative Services or even the Library Commission.

While there is an election Investigation Unit within the office, the burden for assuming legal action for voter fraud ultimately falls on county prosecutors where the activity took place. The absence of any meaningful actionable cases where the Investigation Unit uncovered voter fraud has resulted in the division being reduced to overseeing notary publics and private investigators.

But most importantly, the Secretary of State Office houses the Elections Division where in the first modern test of election laws stemming from the passing of U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, we learned that the office in effect does nothing other than render legally-irrelevant opinion. In fact, after all of the wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth over filling Byrd's unexpired term we found that the laws governing gubernatorial secession have also been neglected resulting in little more than political posturing from the state's "Chief Elections Officer."

The state Attorney General office proved far and away more competent in addressing legal opinion and if it weren't for the West Virginia Supreme Court the state would still be foundering. Let's face it; the Secretary of State Office has historically served as little more than a taxpayer- funded campaign headquarters for whom are in essence legal figureheads.” by Howard Swint-February 2011 Charleston Gazette.

In Closing,

When first reading that someone feels the need to eliminate a state agency altogether, it seems a bit much. But, after carefully considering the above op-ed column you may find yourself walking away thinking… “This makes sense.” In the same way that many people who first read this story will call it ridiculous, and then find themselves re-reading it and coming away saying it makes sense to transferring some duties of the SOS to other state agencies or eliminating the office altogether.

No one at the statehouse wants to go on record that there is consideration by some state government officials to actually restructure or eliminate the WV Secretary of States Office. Howard Swint, by himself is politically controversial and even considered a revisionary in his beliefs that changes are needed in government to correct, adapt and or improve its operation. Over the years he has taken a strong stance on government shortfalls, reckless spending and miss-management that a lot of people disagree with.

In this specific op-ed article, Swints college studies, political involvement, private and state government employment in Economic Development (bio linked below) tend to support his ideas and give credibility to the column. And, it appears that some influential lawmakers and other government officials are actually digesting his ideas enough so that our sources say there are “closed door meetings” going on and even a “feasibility study” being created.

This news-blog website has written several related stories about internal problems within the WV Secretary of States Office including candidate filing complaints, errors in their online business registration system, mis-managed public documents, voter problems, complaints against employees, and questions concerning the professionalism of SOS Natalie Tennant. It has been our contention that the responsibilities and duties of the SOS is far to encompassing for the office.

Note: Howard Swint is the brother of Jack Swint, publisher of this news-blog website. We did not contact HS for this story, but did contact McCabes office for a comment, but received no reply.

End Of Story... for now

Jack Swint-Publisher
WV News 2011
(304) 982-7024
E-Mail WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com

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Links

February 2011 Gazette Op-Ed Column

Howard Swint Bio

WV Senator Brooks McCabe

McCabe Support Of Metro Government

Brooks McCabes Blog

WV 2012 Budget

To Purchase Books Written By Jack Swint (click on link)

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Dumbing Down Our Children’s Education And Everyone’s Future

2011-07-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

Schools Are Phasing Out Basic Studies From Writing To Social Studies And History by Jack Swint

“The benefits of gripping and moving a pen or pencil reach beyond communication. Emerging research shows that handwriting increases brain activity, hones fine motor skills, and can predict a child's academic success in ways that keyboarding can't.” Asst Professor Karen Harman James, Indiana University Psychology and Brain Sciences

Wikipedia defines ‘Dumbing Down’ as…“a term of criticism or disapproval for a perceived trend to lower the intellectual content of literature, education and other aspects of culture. In this case, it is a decline in creativity and innovation; a degradation of artistic, cultural and intellectual standards.” Or in simple terms, this is what will happen to our children when schools quit teaching basic education skills like writing, social studies and history.

Teaching Handwriting Skills Is Fading Fast

Has teaching handwriting really exited the classroom? The Associated Press reported that, yes, cursive writing is being replaced by typing. More than 40 states are following the new “Common Core State Standards” which left out the teaching of cursive handwriting. Are we quickly forgetting how the benefit of gripping and moving a pen or pencil far reaches beyond communication?

Emerging research now shows that handwriting increases brain activity, hones fine motor skills, and can predict a child's academic success in ways that keyboarding can't. “For children, handwriting is extremely important. Not how well they do it, but that they do it and practice it,” said Karin Harman James, an assistant professor in the department of psychological and brain sciences at Indiana University. “Typing does not do the same thing.”

Handwriting can change how children learn and their brains develop. IU researchers used neuroimaging scans to measure brain activation in preliterate preschool children who were shown letters. One group of children then practiced printing letters; the other children practiced seeing and saying the letters. After four weeks of training, the kids who practiced writing showed brain activation similar to an adult's. The printing practice also improved letter recognition, which is the No. 1 predictor of reading ability at age 5.

In WV, Jane Roberts, assistant superintendent for elementary educations largest school system, stated in a 2009 news media interview that cursive writing is still instructed, but only in the 3rd grade. “It doesn't get quite the emphasis it did years ago, primarily because of all the technology skills we now teach.” Hours formerly spent practicing the loops and curves of cursive writing in what used to be called “penmanship” classes have given way to developing technology skills perceived more necessary for the 21st century.

Researchers who tested second, fourth and sixth-graders found that children compose essays more prolifically and faster when using a pen rather than a keyboard. In addition, fourth and sixth graders wrote more complete sentences when they used a pen according to the study led by Virginia Berninger, a University of Washington professor of educational psychology who studies normal writing development and writing disabilities. Her research has also shown that forming letters by hand may engage our thinking brains differently than pressing down on a key.

Cheryl Jeffers, a professor at Marshall University's College of Education and Human Services says that text messaging, e-mail, and word processing have replaced handwriting outside the classroom. She worries they'll replace it entirely before long. “I am not sure students have a sense of any reason why they should vest their time and effort in writing a message out manually when it can be sent electronically in seconds.” Perry Klein, a professor of literacy education at the University of Western Ontario, said a child’s ability to compose depends on whether they can form letters clearly and accurately.

“If students can form letters fluently, then that frees up their attention to focus on the content and language of what they’re writing.” And, “The important thing is that for kids to learn printing and cursive accurately and fluently, and if they have that, then they’ll be able to do written composition in a whole variety of situations.”

Are children still interested in learning and practicing cursive writing skills? We found at least 220,000 that do. According to Cindy Firestone, Marketing Coordinator with Columbus Ohio based Zaner-Bloser Inc, “Our most recent National Handwriting Contest for the 2010-2011 school year, received over 220,000 student entries from around the country. That’s 20,000 more than the previous year.” Zaner-Bloser is the premier publishers of research-based reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary, and handwriting programs. They have sponsored this writing skills contest for the past twenty years.

Public and private schools hold their own handwriting contests first, and than enter the winning student for each grade level to the National Handwriting Contest. Judges select one student from each grade level ranging from first to eighth grade to represent the finest penmanship from across the country. The contest entries are judged according to the Zaner-Bloser Keys to Legibility for Size, Shape, Spacing and Slant.

“Writing skills are still a necessary part of each child’s education and for their future.” says Firestone. Schools across the country don’t have one computer for each student. “Kids are sitting at their school desks with pencils or pens, not computers… There are computers in school labs, but not for each student to use at the same time.” She also said that without handwriting skills now and in the future, “people will go back to signing their name with an X”

It’s Not Just Writing Skills That Are Being Phased Out Of Schools

Besides cursive writing skills being phased out, some school systems across the US have already started cutting out Social Studies from their curriculum. Stating that it is an add-on, rather than essential need to developing a well-rounded citizen prepared for life and work in the 21st century.

Since the implementation of “No Child Left Behind,” (NCLB) the amount of time spent teaching social studies has steadily declined, most notably in elementary schools. According to a 2007 statement from the National Council for Social Studies who blame the erosion of the importance of social studies in large, as a direct consequence of the implementation of No Child Left Behind. (NCLB)

The council also believes the decreasing role of social studies in school will cause students to place less value on the subject and its important concepts such as democracy, rights, voting, leadership and government. There is even an effort in some public school systems across the country to phase out teaching US History earlier than the civil war, and teaching on the civil war only because of the slavery issue.

Ignorance of United States history and the functioning of the our government has apparently become more acceptable in schools. Find that statement hard to believe??

Recently, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) civics exam showed that among other academic weaknesses, “Fewer than half of American eighth graders knew the purpose of the Bill of Rights.” And “only one in 10 demonstrated acceptable knowledge of the checks and balances among the legislative, executive and judicial branches.”

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who heads a group that promotes civics education, declared “Today's NAEP results confirm that we have a crisis on our hands when it comes to civics education.”

In Closing

As a society, we are becoming lazier as each day passes us by. We depend more and more on some form of computers and web service to do our thinking and talking for us through e-mail and or texting. People’s social skills have become embedded in Facebook accounts and personal relationships begin on internet dating services and end with an impersonal text message.

Today, most everyone above the 6^th grade has their own laptops up and running, typing notes down quickly and then returning to their game of Scrabble on Facebook against the person sitting right behind them in class. Yes, it’s the wave of the future, but, are we also going to wave goodbye to who we are, were we come from and how we got here.

End Of Story....

Jack Swint - Publisher

WV News 2011

(304) 982-7024

WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com

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Links

National Assessment of Educational Progress

National Council For Social Studies

Zaner-Bloser Inc

Archive Stories 2008-2011

To Purchase Books Written By Jack Swint (click on link)

Chaos Inside Dismas Pre-Release Halfway House Program For Prisoners

2011-06-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

Are Problems Within Dismas Charities In St. Albans WV Isolated -Or Part Of A Corporate Level Meltdown? by Sam Webber - WV News Staff

“It’s our responsibility to keep them (prisoners) from running around and we do a very good job of that. We have strict rules and regulations and we are vigilant about monitoring them… These are the lowest security level prisoners, some who wrote bad checks to some who sold crack cocaine.” Jan Kempf, Dismas Charities Inc 2001

Dismas Charities is a non-profit organization headquartered in Louisville Ky. The original concept for their prisoner halfway house programs began back in 1964 by Father William Diersen, a Catholic priest, who at the time was chaplain at the Kentucky reformatory. According to the Dismas website, Father Diersen was frustrated by the seemingly revolving door of people returned to prison for violating conditions of their release.

The name Dismas; was decided on because he is the repenting thief hung on the cross beside Jesus. Who, until that day, lived in the desert, robbed and or murdered anyone unlucky enough to cross his path.

Today, Dismas Charities Inc. has emerged into one of the largest state and federal corrections industry pre-release programs, with 27 facilities and 9 support offices in 12 states. Their claim is to allow prisoners the opportunity to reintegrate back into society, find suitable employment and strengthen family ties.

But, what else is occurring inside these pre-release prisoner facilities and within corporate headquarters that they don’t want the public or the Bureau of Prisons to know about? Illegal Drugs, Sex, Escape and Mismanagement top a reported list that one staff source inside the Dismas facility located in St Albans WV claims is occurring.

Reports in other Dismas locations across the country name the same type problems, but, also include murder, bribery, abuse and more. And, there are the problems within Dismas Charities Headquarters in Louisville KY.

Dismas Federal Halfway House St. Albans WV

In 2008, Dismas purchased property at 113 Edgar Street, located in an area notoriously nicknamed the “badlands,” US Route 60, in St. Albans WV. They built this new facility amongst strip bars, churches and family neighborhoods after being denied to buy the former Tyler Mountain School back in 2001, because of resident’s complaints of bringing federal prisoners, potential crime and drugs into their neighborhood.

Were those residents’ fears and concerns at the time legitimate?

At any given time, there are approximately eight female and thirty five males residing in this Dismas facility. Another 15 or so offenders live on home confinement and monitored by staff. According to one inmate’s pre-sentence investigation report, the estimated fees paid by the bureau of prisons to Dismas are $1,800 a month for each person under their direct supervision.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) 2010 contract shows the St. Albans facility receives $954,139.20 a year through November 2014. Residents, who are physically able, are required to work in the community to save money for their release. They are also required to pay 25% of their gross wages to Dismas each payday to help defray costs.

Staff assist in job placement opportunities through numerous contacts in the area with local businesses.

Those who work and participate in programs are allowed to leave the center daily. They are also afforded 12, 24 and 48 hour community and or home passes by themselves or with family and friends. Residents are allowed out of the facility during any scheduled work hours. (24 hr period) And, until 9pm for doctor’s visits, church, shopping, or recreation. Upon approval and a valid driver’s license and insurances, they can also have a vehicle to drive.

Back in 2001, Dismas Corporate also made assurances to Tyler Mountain residents that no convicted violent and or sex offenders would be housed in their WV programs. In the past 6 months, resident criminal records include federal drug crimes, white color, child sex offenses, racketeering, murder and bank robbery.

In-House Drug Problems from Marijuana To Cocaine And K-2 To Bath Salts

The majority of men and women who pass through Dismas St Albans (all pre-release programs) abide by the rules and benefit greatly from a re-entry program back into society. But, some don't...

Inmate’s use of pills, marijuana and cocaine has been an ongoing problem at the center since opening. Each person is reportedly drug tested at least once a week. But, approximately 3 to 5 residents fail these tests each month and most are returned back to jail and or prison.

Over the past 6 months, the halfway house has become engulfed in both the illegal contraband synthetic drug “K-2” and “Bath Salts.” These drugs have been used almost nightly in the bathrooms where residents light up joints of marijuana or K-2 and blow the smoke into the ceiling vent fans to help keep staff from smelling it. Staff became aware of this ongoing problem early on, but, unable to conduct urine screenings for the K-2 substance until April 2011.

Within 3 weeks, eight of ten inmates tested positive for K-2 and were sent back to federal lockup. Four of them were in the prison drug abuse and treatment program (RDAP) and had received a year off their sentence for successfully completing that course. According to policy, the year off will automatically be reinstated, along with any new charges and or loss of time off for good behavior if returned to jail from the halfway-house. (Dismas programs do include contracted drug, alcohol and psychological services.)

At least one female was reportedly returned to jail for admitting using “Bath Salts” over a 3 day period. She requested medical attention from staff after becoming mentally distraught from the side effects. In June 2011, five people were returned to jail for drug use and one male resident was said to have been arrested at his job by US Marshall's for actually selling drugs after only being out of prison for 2 weeks.

According to our inside employee source, alcohol has always been snuck into the facility, mostly on weekends when only two officers work per shift. Inmates are drinking in the evening after the 10 pm curfew in the dorm sleeping areas and bathrooms where camera’s can not monitor.

Reportedly, staff members are doing their best in trying to eliminate the problems. “Its not that the staff isn’t trying to stop the contraband from coming in. Each time a resident returns to the center from a pass or work, they are searched. A breathalyzer and metal detector are also used to deter contraband from entering the facility.”

Two to three people a month fail breathalyzer tests upon reentering the facility after being out in the community. Staff also conduct random searches of resident’s lockers and perform pat-downs.

Sources say that, the lack of adequate staffing, poor morale and miss-management is the contributing factor to not being able to stop the influx of contraband and its use. Lack of staff also reflects prisoners not being held totally accountable for their whereabouts while out in the public. Employees do make daily phone calls and periodic unannounced visits at resident’s workplaces and or homes to verify that they are were they are supposed to be.

“We know that some people here are not going where they claim they will be. It’s a cat and mouse game, and they know if we catch them out of bounds, they face going back to prison or in-house restrictions.” Residents have to fill out staff pre-approved agendas each time they leave the facility that includes where, when and a phone number.

One veteran staff member explained that Dismas Corporate has an unusual philosophy on how they justify sending so many residents back to prison on violations. “The more people we send back to prison, makes us look like we are doing our job.” In reality, one would think that the least number of people who were sent back to prison would show that the Dismas halfway house program is working?

Child Sex Offenders At St. Albans Dismas

Even though Dismas Execs claimed to have a policy that excludes child sex offenders in their program, there have been at least 18 since January 2010. Our source for this story provided the names of four child sex offenders either currently at Dismas or recently released. John K. Mitchell, (Preston County) James W. George, (Berkley County) Richard Andrew Bonyak, (Evans City PA) and David Cremeans. (Cabell County)

Cremeans (AKA Kicker), is a Former Pagan motorcycle member and child sex abuser, who currently resides at Dismas St Albans and works at a local restaurant in Charleston. He was part of the huge federal indictment back in 2009 that netted 55 motorcycle gang members. Charged with numerous federal charges ranging from attempted murder, drugs, firearms and involvement in an ongoing criminal enterprise, (RICO) he was allowed to plead guilty to just racketeering. Cremeans received 24 months in prison and will serve 3 years supervised release. His projected release date from Dismas is July 2011.

The sexual molestation conviction dates back to 1998 where he pled guilty in State Court (Cabell County) to sexual abuse of a minor by a parent or guardian. He received a 1 to 5 year prison sentence, but, that was suspended to 5 years probation and a court order prohibiting him from living anywhere where there are children.

According to Terry Swaggert and Emily Roberts with the WV State Police Sex Offender Registry, sex offenders living in either federal or state community release centers, who are court ordered to register, must do so while there because they are, “out walking in the community.” To date, only two of these four men named above have appeared on the sex registry. Cremeans was recently added after our inquiry to the WVSP registry.

Sex offenders are also allowed out of the center to work and for community passes etc.

We also spoke to an officer at the WV State Corrections work release center in Charleston who said that there are no violent or sex offenders currently at that center, and he was not aware of any who will be.

Rape Accusations To Consensual Sex Between Staff And Residents

In June and July of 2010, mainstream media across the US was quick to jump when 30 year old David L. Bennett, who was residing at the halfway house in St. Albans, was arrested for allegedly raping Dismas female counselor, Kathleen I. Angell.

According to her affidavit, Angell claimed he grouped and fondled her, forcibly raped and then performed oral sex on her. He was immediately arrested, jailed and charged with several felony counts from sexual abuse to rape.

But, shortly after his arrest, her story began to lose credibility. Prosecutors dismissed the charges within 60 days according to Kanawha County Circuit Court records, case # 10-CRM-454, which shows all charges dismissed in September 2010. Assistant county prosecutor Daniel Holstein motioned the court to do so because of “insufficient evidence.” Authorities had obtained DNA samples of both Angell and Bennett, but, it’s not known what the results were.

According to our staff source, Bennett was believed to have been having an ongoing relationship with Angell, “Something didn’t seem right from the beginning when she reported the rape. The proximity of her office to other staff and residents was only a few feet away. Someone would have heard her resisting him and struggling.” One piece of exonerating evidence may have been the reported text messages that were discovered between Angell and Bennett.

Media never reported that all charges had been dropped against Bennett, or why. This is not the only alleged staff / inmate relationship that has occurred at this Dismas location.

Former staff supervisor, Scott Hively, (married at the time) reportedly became involved with a female resident (Kim) and ended up having to resign in early 2011 after evidence surfaced of their ongoing affair. Senior staff allege that he also was accused of harassment and submitting false reports against residents to boost his work performance record. Hively was also accused of bringing in alcohol to the females, and had attempted to plant drug paraphernalia (K-2) on at least one resident at the center to cause their return back to jail and enhance his work performance record.

Recent Increase In Escapes

In 2001, Dismas executive Jan Kempf bragged in a town hall meeting that in 2000, a total of only 5 people had escaped from all of their facilities across the country. Over the past forty-five days, 6 people have walked away from Dismas St. Albans WV. Whenever someone escapes, staff notify local authorities, US Marshall's, US Bureau of Prisons and the US Probation Department.

Three Facility Directors In The Past Year

As of May 1, 2011 a new facility director inherited all of the ongoing problems at the federal facility. Former 17 year Charleston Police Captain, James A. Sands, is the 3rd one in the past 10 months. Former director, Pernel McCoy, resigned as director after only 6 months and the one before him, Wendy Easton, was terminated and escorted out of the complex sometime in August 2010.

Director James Sands actually has a 2007 Kanawha County conviction for “obtaining money under false pretenses” stemming from his admitted moonlighting for extra money while on duty as a police officer. He had been suspended and placed on leave from police duties during an investigation and later resigned.

Problems On The Corporate Level Include Lavish Parties And Reckless Spending.

Lavish parties and luxury suites at sports venues are just some of the issues revealed in the most recent corporate financial audit alleging misuses of state money and violating their not for profit tax status. (Audit is linked below) Dismas Headquarters in Louisville Kentucky was openly criticized by state officials last year for spending more than $155,000 for suites at the KFC Yum Center and at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.

Also, $15,000 to $20,000 annually on a hospitality train car for University of Louisville basketball games. Dismas have also been the financial support behind the Bellarmine University’s basketball team and hosting various social events. Golf outings for the executive staff, expensive Kentucky Derby Gala’s, extravagant dinners and parties for the Board and Executive staff were routine.

The state auditor also questioned the enormous salary paid to top executives. In 2009, Dismas Inc paid its president a salary of $602,000 and its executive vice president $469,955, which ranks above the 90th percentile nationally for transitional care organizations.

In 2009, Dismas received “Signature Sponsorships” on behalf of the law firm Stites & Harbison and software provider KiZAN technologies rewarded them with payments of $247,413 and $400,931, respectively. Keep in mind, Dismas Inc. is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code, which is administered by the Internal Revenue Service.

Dismas Facility Scandals On The National Level Include Bribery, Sex Abuse, Lying And Murder

These are but a few examples of the growing problems just within Dismas Charities.

March 2011, a 61-year-old licensed chemical dependency counselor was indicted and arrested for allegedly billing the government for counseling services he never provided to inmates at Dismas Charities in Midland TX. He is being charged with six counts of making false claims to the United States.

March 2011, former Dismas Charities Manager, Richard Lynch pled guilty to using the company credit card for his own personal use.

On May 23, 2011 Richard Thyberg, one of the Marshals Service New Mexico’s Most Wanted Gang Offenders was arrested carrying a loaded 9mm pistol. Thyberg had been living at the Dismas Charities Residential Reentry Center in Las Cruces as part of his sentence with the Bureau of Prisons for Felon in Possession of a Firearm charges.

Thyberg escaped from Dismas after he walked away on March 18, 2011 and will now be charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm for the loaded handgun and escape from custody for walking away from Dismas. Thyberg’s extensive criminal history, gang affiliation and continued propensity for violence is why he was placed on the Marshals Services New Mexico’s Most Wanted List.

The Louisville KY Dismas work release program has had its share of embarrassing problems. One scandal stood out in the media involved a contract between Dismas and the Metro Animal Shelter between 2009-2010. According to Jason Gunnoe, with MAS, there were numerous occasions of…

“Dismas workers fornicating with employees and volunteers, using drugs and accused of misappropriation of city property.” Reports state that this was on such a large scale that the animals in the shelter were being neglected. Gunnoe went as far as to describe one instance involving an impromptu love shack constructed out of donated boxes of cat food, a makeshift red heat lamp and a radio. “He had arranged the boxes in a walled-off area with a couch and a heat lamp…I couldn’t believe it.” Dismas tried to say they had no knowledge of the ongoing problems until a June 2, 2009 e-mail proved they did.

In Atlanta Georgia, former Dismas Charities employee Terrence Clay received a sentence of one year and one day in prison and a $1,000 fine for soliciting and taking bribes. At least twice in 2007, Clay solicited and received $1,000 from a prisoner in exchange for certain favors.

Mose Lewis, a Dismas Lubbock Texas halfway house staffer admitted he lied to federal investigators about his sexual activities with residents. He was originally indicted for Sexual Abuse of a Ward, Abusive Sexual Contact, and False Statement. Lewis decided to take a plea bargain and told how he engaged in certain sexual activities with at least one of the residents of the Dismas.

In June 2008, federal inmate Randy Bowman was living at the Louisville KY Dismas Charities Halfway House and killed a fellow female resident. He stabbed her with an ice pick and then ran. Bowman, 54, had been in and out of prison since he was 18. He has been convicted of rape, arson and most recently was in prison for not reporting the death of the woman he lived with in Texas.

In 2009, Rafael Vega was a resident at a Texas Dismas halfway house when he and another man were convicted of abducting a known drug dealer and transported him to a Juarez Mexico drug cartel. According to reports, they first chopped off his hands then brutally murdered him. Prosecutors said the kidnapping was in retaliation for a marijuana load linked to the Sinaloa drug cartel that was seized at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint at Sierra Blanca.

In Closing…

State and Federal halfway house programs serve a very important role to prisoners being released who need stability and resources to get adjusted back into society and to help ensure their success.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) contracts with halfway private companies like Dismas to provide assistance to inmates who are nearing release. They are to provide a safe, structured, supervised environment, as well as employment counseling, job placement, financial management assistance, and other programs and services. Halfway House programs help inmates gradually rebuild their ties to the community and facilitate supervising ex-offenders' activities during this readjustment phase.

According to now Georgia Supreme Court Justice and former US Attorney, David Nahmias… “Corruption by those who administer our prisons and other correctional institutions undermines the safety of everyone in those institutions, and further undermines the critical role they play in deterring and rehabilitating criminals.”

The business of operating state or federal community re-entry programs for prisoners has fast become one of the most profiting businesses in the country. The recent audit (linked below) and news reports on Dismas Charities outline the mega -millions of dollars each year Dismas earns in the community corrections industry.

In fact, in 2009, Dismas Charities reported a total of $38,924,654 in revenues from their combined federal and state contracts, donations, public contributions, grants and membership fee’s. Out of that, $27,376.067 came from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and $2,539,050 came from prisoner’s subsistence payments.

Dismas's Mission Statement claims that they… “Provide quality, cost-effective, community–based supervision, treatment services, and programs to individuals within the criminal justice system and assist them in becoming positive, productive members of their community.” In reality, their programs sound great on paper and in sales pitches to the public.

In fact, just in 2009, Dismas official Bob Yates told citizens in Martinsburg WV, that if allowed to open a pre-release facility in their neighborhood, that location would only house "low-risk offenders." Which is the same mistruth given to Tyler Mountain residents in 2001.
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Bottom line...It appears on the surface that, Dismas Executives and Board members may be to busy enjoying life on the taxpayer’s dollars, instead of operating community based corrections facilities. It also appears some local level employees and residents are enjoying themselves too.

End Of Story…

Jack Swint - Publisher
WV News 2011
(304) 982-7024
WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
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Links

Dismas Charities Website

Bureau Of Prisons List Of Halfway House Locations

BOP Community Programs

Dismas Audit By Kentucky State Auditor

To Purchase Books Written By Jack Swint (click on link)

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