Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine...
Your Tax Dollars at Work
As concerns mount about the long-term solvency of social security it appears that many of the people reaping benefits right now have been dead for months if not years.
A recent audit by the Office of the Inspector General found that more than 1,500 dead people received $31 million in checks -- some continuing to get benefits for as long as 20 years after their death.
How did it happen?
Well, the audit found that the system to notify the administration when someone died failed 80 percent of the time.
And the problem is not fixed. The inspector general's report warns that if measures are not taken to correct the problem, another $15 million in mistaken payments will go out in the next year.
The social security administration says it is working on a fix.
Elite Group
Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Junior-- and Dennis Rodman?
The former NBA star says he deserves to join the ranks of Nobel Peace Prize winners.
The Worm says his unlikely friendship with oppressive North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has earned him the honor reserved for the greatest facilitators of world peace.
In an interview for Sports Illustrated's "Where are They Now" issue, the basketball great says he stepped up to ease tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, quote -- "Why it's been left to me to smooth things over, I don't know. Dennis Rodman, of all people. Keeping us safe is really not my job. But I'll tell you this -- if I don't finish in the top three for the next Nobel Peace Prize, something's seriously wrong."
Thanks for Nothing
And finally, a bitingly sarcastic letter from a disgruntled passenger to an airline captures the frustration many of us have felt while travelling.
Arthur Hicks' recent flight to the Caribbean clearly did not go as expected with many unplanned stops and delays along the way.
He wrote to Liat Airlines -- quote -- "Most other airlines...would simply wish to take me from point A to point B in rather a hurry. I was intrigued that we were allowed to stop at not a lowly one or two but a magnificent six airports. And who wants to fly on the same airplane the entire time? We got to change and refuel every step of the way!"
The letter ends -- quote -- "P.S. Keep the bag. I never liked it anyway."
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