DISABILITY COMPENSATION: Review of Concurrent Receipt of Department of Defense Retirement, Department of Veterans Affairs Disability Compensation, and Social Security Disability Insurance, GAO-14-854R: Published: Sep 30, 2014. Publicly Released: Oct 30, 2014. DOD BUSINESS SYSTEMS MODERNIZATION: Additional Enhancements Are Needed for Army Business System Schedule and Cost Estimates to Fully Meet Best Practices, GAO-14-470: Published: Sep 30, 2014. Publicly Released: Oct… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: October 2014
5.5 Million Americans Considering Renouncing US Citizenship
Forbes: “73% of Americans abroad are tempted to give up their U.S. passports, reveals a new survey by deVere Group, an independent financial advisory organization. There are an estimated 7.6 million Americans living overseas. At 73%, that’s approximately 5,548,000 Americans weighing handing in U.S. passports. If all those considering renouncing followed through, it would be the… Continue Reading
WSJ Database for consitutents to explore composition of Congressional representation
“The U.S. House of Representatives was envisioned as a house of the people, directly elected by voters and reflecting their will. But what if Congress also reflected its constituents’ demographics? Explore how members of the House compare with residents of each of the 435 congressional districts, based on the predominant characteristics within each. Then see… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Chemical Assessments, USDA Contracting
CHEMICAL ASSESSMENTS: Agencies Coordinate Activities, but Additional Action Could Enhance Efforts, GAO-14-763: Published: Sep 29, 2014. Publicly Released: Oct 29, 2014: “The chemical toxicity assessment activities at these five federal agencies are fragmented and overlapping, but GAO did not find evidence that these activities are duplicative. Their activities are fragmented because they address the same broad area of… Continue Reading
Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement – October 2014
“Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in September suggests that economic activity is expanding at a moderate pace. Labor market conditions improved somewhat further, with solid job gains and a lower unemployment rate. On balance, a range of labor market indicators suggests that underutilization of labor resources is gradually diminishing. Household spending… Continue Reading
Governors’ Salaries 2014
“The Council of State Governments has been collecting data on governors’ salaries for The Book of the States since 1937. The average governor’s salary has grown more slowly in recent years than in the past, with a number of states cutting their chief executive’s pay during and after the Great Recession. Governors’ salaries in 2014 range… Continue Reading
Fisheries of the United States 2013
“In its annual report, Fisheries of the United States 2013, released today, NOAA Fisheries announced that U.S. fishermen landed 9.9 billion pounds of fish and shellfish, an increase of 245 million pounds from 2012. Valued at $5.5 billion, these landings represent an increase of $388 million from 2012. “Commercial and recreational fishing are important contributors… Continue Reading
Business R&D Performance in the United States Tops $300 Billion in 2012
National Science Foundation – Raymond M. Wolfe: “Companies spent $302 billion on research and development performed in the United States during 2012, 2.8% more than the $294 billion spent during 2011 (table 1). Funding from the companies’ own sources was $239 billion during 2011 and $247 billion during 2012, a 3.6% increase; funding from other sources was… Continue Reading
Pew Report Finds Military Checking Account Practices Need Improvement
Checks and Balances, Stars and Stripes, Banking practices at financial institutions serving the military, October 28, 2014 “Service members, like all consumers, need access to concise, easy-to-understand documents that lay out the key terms, conditions, and fees associated with their checking accounts. Clarity and transparency are especially important for Americans and their families serving in the military,… Continue Reading
Pew Report – Cyber Attacks Likely to Increase
Cyber Attacks Likely to Increase BY LEE RAINIE, JANNA ANDERSON AND JENNIFER CONNOLLY “The Internet has become so integral to economic and national life that government, business, and individual users are targets for ever-more frequent and threatening attacks. In the 10 years since the Pew Research Center and Elon University’s Imagining the Internet Center first asked experts… Continue Reading
Combating a Flood of Early 401(k) Withdrawals – NYT
New York Times | Your Money – By Ron Lieber: “This week, the Internal Revenue Service announced that people under age 50 in 401(k) and similar workplace retirement plans will be able to deposit up to $18,000 in 2015, an increase of $500 from this year. Those 50 and over can toss in as much as… Continue Reading
California Data Breach Report
Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, California Department of Justice, October 2014 “California is the birthplace of the digital revolution that has transformed nearly every aspect of the world in which we live. Yet even as technological innovation and advances bring us greater convenience, efficiency, and productivity, they are also generating new vulnerabilities. The Internet has created a… Continue Reading
