Social Security spends $700,000 on Phoenix conference (solution, layoff, rating, rates)

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by Chatteress

Isn't our government in deficit and in danger of failing? How can SSA actually justify this meeting on the tax payer dime?

They didn't return calls from what I read in the article.

When it's not your money, you don't care how it's spent.

[chielgirl]

Originally Posted by Chatteress

That's fine that they used a competitive bidding process but was this conference really necessary to begin with? Why wasn't teleconferencing an option? It would be nice if one liberal on this forum could actually think critically about this instead of just blindly accepting this wasteful government expense.

A little hard to get hundreds of people teleconferencing for 3 days, wouldn't you think? And the expense?

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by delusianne

He and they rightly didnt step in and put a stop to the publicly traded civilian TARP companies' spending.

I have the feeling SSA's budget -- since they were allotted $400/night for hotels,(yet only spent $85/night) -- is still pretty large.

Social Security Budget-Budget Estimates and Related Information

Why are they allotted 400 per night for hotels????? That is excessive!

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by chielgirl

I stand corrected. Unfortunate choice of words, DOD probably ultimately pays my salary.



I don't recall it ever being an issue during the bush years.
Why would it have been then, and why is it now?

Why did a conservative like me did not have any issues with this under Bush? Because I was uninformed about this and did not realize until today that the SSA would even hold a meeting for 700,000! This is wrong regardless of who's president!

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by delusianne

No, and I wouldnt say this is an egregious example of government wasting tax dollars. I would guess Soc Sec spends many millions of tax dollars per day... per hour.

And you are ok with this?????

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by chielgirl

A little hard to get hundreds of people teleconferencing for 3 days, wouldn't you think? And the expense?

It was a motivational conference. One that could have easily not happened at all. When times are tough you tighten the belt and make do without.

They are no better than AIG hosting parties on the government's dime.

Meanwhile on Main Street, layoffs continue, hours are cut and so are benefits.

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by chielgirl

What part of "after hours" did you miss?

Should tax payers be funding after hours stuff such as dancing and entertainment, etc?

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by delusianne

they *did* dare save some of our money on this trip. This came out of the maintenance budget for the office of Soc Sec, not our soc sec funds.

The "maintenance" budget is still tax payer dollars.

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by delusianne

If the annual budget couldnt accommodate this trip, Im sure they wouldnt have taken it.

The point is why was this wasteful conference even IN the budget to begin with.

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by delusianne

why were they cutting her allotment? that's insane. can you all appeal it?

(this "junket" comes from an entirely different pool of money.)

Then the SSA needs to shift some things around if they can spend 700,000 on a conference while cutting senior benefits.