Posted by Tina
ABC has the AP report:
California’s chief utility regulator, under fire over emails showing secret dealings with the state’s largest utility, said Thursday that he will not seek reappointment when his term ends at the end of the year.
California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey made the announcement after a state lawmaker said he would bring legislation to block Peevey’s reappointment to a third term. Democratic state Sen. Jerry Hill applauded Peevey’s decision, saying it was “more than just a great first step.”
Peevy is tied to damaging emails:
In emails released by PG&E on Monday, a utility official described Peevey pressing the utility for more than $1 million in campaign donations and other gifts during a dinner in which the two also discussed at least five PG&E regulatory matters before the commission.
The emails were the latest released by the utility and others that show PG&E executives privately hashing out utility-rate cases, financial penalties and other regulation with California Public Utilities Commission officials.
What about the Governor?
As recently as August , California Gov. Jerry Brown publicly defended the regulator as a man who “gets things done,” especially on Brown’s priority of promoting renewable energy. Brown has been silent as three separate releases of emails showed Peevey privately negotiating utility fines with PG&E and pressing PG&E executives for donations. …
… Brown late last month vetoed ethics bills — regulating campaign donations and gifts — that lawmakers had presented in response to other political scandals.
His office says he has nothing to say right now.
It should also be noted Peevy is “married to Democratic state Sen. Carol Liu.”
Brown is a big green and this Peevy guy apparently favors doing the big green thing with our utilities. How much is it costing Californians for energy just so these green activist politicians and regulators can collude with and strong-arm utilities to push their fraudulent agenda?
Crap like this is going on all over. Whether Republican, Democrat, or Independent…toss the bums out! And then, cure the mess by downsizing government!
I’m for voter enforced term limits by not voting for any candidate who has been in office over 10 years. No more career politicians. Let them get private sector jobs and try living under the laws they passed.
We need legislators who will put a stop to this bonus award crap for public employees who don’t do anything to earn the bonus except do the job they were hired to do.
Is Washington Broken? Not if You Can Play the Game:
“Not surprisingly, companies that rely on massive contracts from the Department of Defense such as Northrup Grumman ($20.5 million), Boeing ($15.2 millon) and Lockheed Martin ($14.4 million) rank among the biggest spenders. While that may seem like a lot to spend on something that has no direct impact on their products, an Open the Books study discovered that Lockheed Martin cashed in on $392 billion in government contracts from 2000-2012.
But the money doesn’t just go to lobbyists. Members of Congress can get rich thanks to their influence as well through donations to their campaigns and their political action committees.
Comcast, which is currently fighting to win approval from the Federal Communications Committee for a $45 billion merger with Time Warner Cable, spent $18.8 million for “on the books” lobbying in 2013. The company employed a former FCC commissioner as a full-time lobbyist. However, it also had plenty of cash to hand out on Capitol Hill. Since 2009, Comcast’s PAC has given money to the campaigns or PACs of 17 of the 18 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee which held hearings on the merger. All told, Comcast’s PAC has written checks for more than $1.6 million so far in the 2014 election cycle, with similar slices of that pie going to Republicans and Democrats.
Those campaign contributions help fund the lavish lifestyles that many in Congress currently enjoy. Former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) famously spent more at steakhouses than his challenger spent on his entire campaign. On the other side of the aisle, the PAC for House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) spent $83,000 at a five-star resort in Puerto Rico.
It’s easy for these public servants to throw money around because there is so much of it. By the end of June 2014, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) had raised more than $90 million for the upcoming election. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has raised $80 million for this election cycle.
Most of that money then gets transferred to other members of Congress, spreading both the wealth and influence of party leaders, as Congress decides how and where to spend your tax dollars.”
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/10/07/is-washington-broken-not-if-you-can-play-the-game/
And this.
How Big Government Bonuses Rule the Beltway, Despite Systemic Bureaucratic Failures:
““Awards can be given for overall performance or for a substantial accomplishment that contributes to the quality, efficiency, or economy of IHS operations,” James said. “The award can be initiated by supervisors, team leaders, or co-workers and require supervisory approval.”
The agency did not provide the criteria used to issue the bonuses, which were listed on the Office of Personnel Management’s website.
Most of the 2012 bonuses were based on 2011 performance evaluation reports and selections. In 2013, many performance-based bonuses were reduced due to sequestration, but that still didn’t stop many agencies from doling out millions.
Schatz points to bonuses given to IRS employees as an example of how taxpayer dollars are being wasted. Citizens Against Government Waste noted that in 2011, while the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration was investigating the IRS, senior officials “handed out almost $92 million in cash — along with 520,000 hours of time off — to 70,500 of its approximately 104,400 employees.”
In 2012, the IRS awarded $86 million in cash and almost 490,000 hours of time off to 67,870 of its approximately 98,000 employees, despite a long list of ongoing investigations. The names of IRS employees under investigation are withheld by the agency, but the salary and bonus information is listed at the FedsDataCenter website.
“This pattern of widespread, serious, and chronic mismanagement related to the distribution of cash awards to federal employees demands a thoughtful, thorough and transparent congressional review of the whole bonus system,” Schatz said.”
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/10/09/how-big-government-bonuses-rule-the-beltway-despite-systemic-bureaucratic-failures/