Government in Action

Hey! Hey! How're you doing today? Taxes up to date? Thank goodness for that. The government needs every dollar it can get for its sometimes dubious spending. But before I get to that, pour yourself a refreshing mug of coffee; grab a strawberry shortcake doughnut and sit yourself down here. Now on to some government action policies...

1. Susan Coppinger, 47, was promoted by the city of Boston in January to a job paying $38,800 in the Inspectional Services Department -- even though a month earlier she had been arrested for bank robbery.Say what?

In fact, police said it was her second robbery of the same Santander Bank in nearby Quincy. Apparently, the city's human resources office does not monitor mugshots on MassMostWanted.com, but in April, the city finally secured Coppinger's resignation. [WCVB-TV (Boston), 4-1-2014] 

2. For panicking drivers headed in an emergency to University Hospital in Tamarac, Florida, ready to turn left into the ER because of bleeding, shortness of breath, etc., the city still requires patiently waiting for the traffic light to turn green -- no matter what -- and has a $158-per violation red-light camera perfectly aimed, according to a WPLG-TV investigation reported in March. The station noted that the traffic magistrate handling appeals serves at the pleasure of the city and so far has not relented on tickets involving even provable emergencies. [WPLG-TV (Miami), 3-2-2014] 

3. Alarmed that its internal rating system revealed that some employees actually perform better than others, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced in May that it was scrapping the system. Agency director Richard Cordray expressed dismay that the system failed to reveal worker disparities that matched up on the basis of age, race, union status and longevity with the agency, and said that until they find a system that proves, for example, that union members work just as well (or badly) as non-members, all employees will be paid as if they were doing excellent work. [American Banker, 5-19-2014] 

Thank goodness we don't get all the government we pay for, huh?

See ya, eh!

Bob