HUD Inspector General Can't Complete Audit. Talk About A Screwed Up System

Dr. Ben Carson Shocked 

as AUDIT of Obama’s 

HUD Dept. Finds

 BILLIONS of Dollars

 in Errors!

It has become clear this week that Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 

has been a black hole for taxpayer money.

Of course, HUD has always been known to be one of those departments where

 abuse runs rampant. As an example, the city of San Antonio, Texas which

 was run by an up and coming Democrat named Julian Castro, may have

 misappropriated over 1 million dollars in federal neighborhood stabilization

 funds. With that in mind, it was very surprising to most government watchdogs 

that Obama picked Castro to be the HUD secretary during his term.

So, apparently no one saw any potential problems with Castro. But now….

The Daily Caller reports:

Despite officials from the Department of Housing and Urban Development

 (HUD) correcting $520 billion in bookkeeping errors, the department’s financial 

records have been so poorly kept that HUD’s inspector general (IG) cannot

 complete an audit of them.

According to a new report from the IG, HUD officials cleaned up $3.4 billion in 

errors from its 2015 financial records and $516.4 billion in errors from 2016, 

after the IG was unable to issue an opinion on either year’s financial statements

 in December.

The level of incompetence is amazing to see here.  It’s no wonder the federal

 government has brought the country to the brink of financial ruin.  Imagine if the

 USA were a  private company…you can guarantee that most people running it 

would be going to fired or going to prison.

The IG remained unable to issue an opinion on HUD’s financial statements even

 after giving the department an extension and receiving a resubmission from HUD 

three months later with the reported issues unresolved.

The continued problems, the IG said, “were due to an inability to establish a

 compliant control environment, implement adequate financial accounting systems, 

retain key financial staff, and identify appropriate accounting principles and policies.”

So HUD practically ignored all financial accountability laws in practice.  So you’d

 imagine that Castro would be shamed by these revelations.  BUT…you would be 

very wrong!

In fact, he actually tried to counsel Ben Carson on how NOT to mess up the 

department.  How arrogant!

HUD is supposed to have a mission to help provide affordable housing for the

 needy, but as usual, Democrats have totally screwed it up with corruption.

Hopefully, Ben Carson can use some of the good sense he’s displayed in order

 to get this department back in shape.

One good idea would be to fire all Obama appointees, or anybody that has an

 Obama decal on their car in the parking lot.

If you haven’t checked out and liked our Facebook page, please go here and do so.It 

has become clear this week that Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has been a 

black hole for taxpayer money.

Of course, HUD has always been known to be one of those departments where abuse

 runs rampant. As an example, the city of San Antonio, Texas which was run by an up

 and coming Democrat named Julian Castro, may have misappropriated over 1 million

 dollars in federal neighborhood stabilization funds. With that in mind, it was very 

surprising to most government watchdogs that Obama picked Castro to be the HUD

 secretary during his term.

So, apparently no one saw any potential problems with Castro. But now….

The Daily Caller reports:

Despite officials from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

 correcting $520 billion in bookkeeping errors, the department’s financial records have

 been so poorly kept that HUD’s inspector general (IG) cannot complete an audit of 

them.

According to a new report from the IG, HUD officials cleaned up $3.4 billion in errors

 from its 2015 financial records and $516.4 billion in errors from 2016, after the IG 

was unable to issue an opinion on either year’s financial statements in December.

The level of incompetence is amazing to see here.  It’s no wonder the federal

 government has brought the country to the brink of financial ruin.  Imagine if the

 USA were a  private company…you can guarantee that most people running it

 would be going to fired or going to prison.

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The IG remained unable to issue an opinion on HUD’s financial statements even after giving the department an extension and receiving a resubmission from HUD three months later with the reported issues unresolved.

The continued problems, the IG said, “were due to an inability to establish a compliant control environment, implement adequate financial accounting systems,

 retain key financial staff, and identify appropriate accounting principles and policies.”

So HUD practically ignored all financial accountability laws in practice.  So you’d 

imagine that Castro would be shamed by these revelations.  BUT…you would be very

 wrong!

In fact, he actually tried to counsel Ben Carson on how NOT to mess up the

 department.  How arrogant!

HUD is supposed to have a mission to help provide affordable housing for the needy, 

but as usual, Democrats have totally screwed it up with corruption.

Hopefully, Ben Carson can use some of the good sense he’s displayed in order to get

 this department back in shape.

One good idea would be to fire all Obama appointees, or anybody that has an Obama

 decal on their car in the parking lot.

If you haven’t checked out and liked our Facebook page, please go here and do so.

National Association Of Social Workers Proves It Is A Left Leaning Organization Whose Only Objective Is Not To Help People But To Be A Political Action Organization

We usually do not post an article and include the comments that follow, however, this one 

is an exception to our rule.  Social workers do a very fine job working with those Americans

who need help in life. Those who are poor, those who have challenges and those who

need a "hand up."

However, their organization (by its own statement) shows they are a political organization,

not interested in helping those in their charge but to feather their own cap.

The one sentence from the NASW statement  tells it all is:

"It is crucial that HUD have a qualified leader. The agency oversees housing programs, policies and 

initiatives that are critical for clients who are low or moderate income, especially those who are persons of color."

If there was one person who meets this criteria is Dr. Ben Carson. Not only was he raised

 in the Detroit ghetto with little income but he rose up to be one of the most prestigious

 doctors in the US.  And let's not forget that he is an African American--which we

 believes qualifies him to be a "person of color."  

When organizations become involved in politics, rather than doing what is in the best interests

of those who belong to the organization, it destroys their credibility.

Check out the comments of Kathryn, Beth and Victor which tells us that this organziation's 

leaders do not speak for the membership as a whole.  Shame on NASW for forgetting for whom

they work. 

Conservative Tom

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Statement: NASW withholds support of confirmation of Dr. Ben Carson to lead U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Photo courtesy of CNBC.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) withholds its support of the Senate confirmation of Dr. Ben Carson to be the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) because he has no discernible qualifications to manage an agency of such magnitude and complexity.

It is crucial that HUD have a qualified leader. The agency oversees housing programs, policies and initiatives that are critical for clients who are low or moderate income, especially those who are persons of color.

The emergence of HUD as a cabinet-level agency has historical significance. Its creation was precipitated by civil rights advocacy and activism during the 1960s that brought attention to the deplorable state of some housing in cities and rural areas.

HUD was launched in 1965 after passage of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act. The Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968 to combat housing discrimination and the HUD secretary was deemed responsible for implementing and enforcing the directives of this law.

Both legislative actions effectively changed the nation’s approach to housing policy and creating housing opportunities for low and moderate income families and individuals.

For the last half century incoming Republican and Democratic presidents sought to appoint individuals that had either been elected officials who had direct experience with large-scale housing initiatives or those who were experts in housing policies and planning.

Indeed, the first HUD Secretary was Robert C. Weaver, an African American who had extensive academic and administrative experience in dealing with the nation’s housing problems. President John F. Kennedy in 1960 appointed Mr. Weaver to head the federal Housing and Home Finance Agency. President Lyndon B. Johnson named him head of newly created HUD in 1966.

Given the qualifications of many of his predecessors NASW finds it risky to appoint someone such as Dr. Carson who is so lacking in the credentials and commitment to head the department and uphold HUD’s housing mandate.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition perhaps said it best when it stated, “Carson’s lack of expertise in housing issues is a mockery of HUD and its far-reaching urban policy efforts—but for HUD, it’s also nothing new. Since the agency’s inception, the government has charged HUD with carrying out a litany of important tasks with very few resources. Carson’s appointment is unsettling, but it merely marks the latest chapter of a long history of limiting HUD’s capacity to tackle urban inequality and provide housing assistance to low-income residents.”

NASW finds Dr. Carson’s experience wanting and his stated positions on issues of fair housing and subsidized housing raise serious concerns.

The reality is that over the years HUD’s capacity to address the nation’s housing needs have been limited by politicians, which makes the appointment of Dr. Carson so significant.

By all reports, Dr. Carson has made public statements about low-income housing that suggest he is far less a champion of maintaining the fair housing standards and the housing safety-net than NASW would hope.

For example, in a 2015 written statement about disparate impact that was related to subsidized housing in wealthy areas and suburban segregation, Dr. Carson disparaged the current HUD Secretary Julian Castro’s fair housing position as being “a government engineered attempt to legislate racial equality.” Such a point of view is contrary to what NASW and others expect from HUD’s leadership.

We must not lose sight of the fact that HUD is responsible for funding and overseeing seminal and innovative programs including the Continuum of Care program that provides for comprehensive services to prevent and end homelessness.

HUD also provides funds to states for the Section 8 Housing Choice voucher program. Section 8 is HUD’s largest rental assistance program that serves people who are low income. Local Housing Authorities are responsible for administering Section 8 housing voucher allocations.  Approximately 3.3 million low-income families use either Housing Choice vouchers or Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance.

NASW finds Dr. Carson’s experience wanting and his stated positions on issues of fair housing and subsidized housing raise serious concerns.

However, should Dr. Carson become the next Secretary of HUD we believe he has a responsibility to become knowledgeable about the absolute necessity to maintain and even expand essential HUD programs such as homeless Continuum of Care, Section 8 Housing Choice and the many other housing programs targeted at rural, suburban and urban areas.

He must also recognize the historical importance of HUD’s mandate to ensure that low and moderate income Americans have access to safe affordable housing that meets high standards of livability.

For more information contact Mel Wilson, NASW manager of Social Justice and Human Rights, at mwilson.nasw@socialworkers.org.

Congratulations Ben Carson!

Trump nominates Ben Carson for a Cabinet position after all

Kaitlyn Schallhorn 2 hours

Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks after announcing he will endorse Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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President-elect Donald Trump has nominated retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson for secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Trump’s transition team confirmed the nomination early Monday morning.

“Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities,” Trump said in a statement. “We have talked at length about my urban renewal agenda and our message of economic revival, very much including inner cities.”

“He is a tough competitor and never gives up,” Trump added of his former campaign rival.

Trump teased Carson’s nomination last month in a tweet in which he said he was “seriously considering” Carson for the position.

“He’s a greatly talented person who loves people,” the president-elect said then.

Carson also teased the nomination on social media several days earlier, writing on Facebook that he felt he could “make a significant contribution” by “making our inner cities great again for everyone.”

“I am honored to accept the opportunity to serve our country in the Trump administration,” Carson, who has never held an elected office, said in a statement Monday. “I feel that I can make a significant contribution particularly by strengthening communities that are most in need. We have much work to do in enhancing every aspect of our nation and ensuring that our nation’s housing needs are met.”

Carson’s enthusiasm about the nomination is a turnaround from earlier in November when he said he was not seeking a Cabinet position. A top Caron aide contended then that Carson “didn’t want anything” that had been offered to him by Trump’s transition team because he lacked government experience.

More recently, however, Carson told Fox News in an interview that he would be prepared to lead HUD due to his upbringing in the “inner city.”

Carson has written multiple op-eds critical of HUD policies under the Obama administration, including a June 2015 piece for the Washington Times in which he slammed HUD policies intended to “desegregate” housing.

Also in June 2015, Carson compared HUD’s policies to communist rule during an interview with Des Moines-based talk radio host Jan Mickleson.