Friday, August 08, 2014

Inspectors general say Obama aides obstruct investigations: Examiner Editorial

Source: http://washingtonexaminer.com/inspectors-general-say-obama-aides-obstruct-investigations-examiner-editorial/article/2551805

August 7, 2014
Washington Examiner

Billions of tax dollars are being lost every day to waste, fraud and corruption in the federal government, but President Obama’s administration is blocking inspectors general — the officials who are most likely to find and expose such wrongdoing — from doing their jobs. That’s the disturbing message given to Congress and the American people this week from a majority of the federal government’s 78 IGs. The blocking occurs when agency lawyers deny the authority of IGs to gain access to relevant documents and officials.

The 47 IGs minced no words: “Each of us strongly supports the principle that an inspector general must have complete, unfiltered, and timely access to all information and materials available to the agency that relate to that IG’s oversight activities, without unreasonable administrative burdens. The importance of this principle, which was codified by Congress in Section 6(a)(1) of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended (the IG Act), cannot be overstated. Refusing, restricting, or delaying an IG's access to documents leads to incomplete, inaccurate, or significantly delayed findings or recommendations, which in turn may prevent the agency from promptly correcting serious problems and deprive Congress of timely information regarding the agency’s performance.”

Three specific examples were described in the IGs' letter, including blatant obstruction of important investigations at the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Justice and the Peace Corps. But many other IGs have “faced similar obstacles to their work, whether on a claim that some other law or principle trumped the clear mandate of the IG Act or by the agency’s imposition of unnecessarily burdensome administrative conditions on access. Even when we are ultimately able to resolve these issues with senior agency leadership, the process is often lengthy, delays our work, and diverts time and attention from substantive oversight activities.”

The experience of Justice Department IG Michael Horowitz is especially outrageous. In a Senate hearing in April, Horowitz said his office must go through Attorney General Eric Holder to gain access to DOJ documents and officials. Giving Holder the power to veto an IG’s access in that manner egregiously violates the 1978 law and other statutes. Obstruction like Holder’s risks “leaving the agencies insulated from scrutiny and unacceptably vulnerable to mismanagement and misconduct – the very problems that our offices were established to review and that the American people expect us to be able to address,” the IGs said in their letter to Congress.

It is impossible to know exactly how much the federal bureaucracy loses every year to waste, fraud and corruption. Credible estimates put the total at more than $200 billion, but in a $3.5 trillion budget it could easily far exceed that amount. Every time an IG is barred from gaining access to vital documents or officials, it encourages even more wrongdoing. Congress must get tough with people in the executive branch who obstruct IGs from doing their jobs. And when it’s the attorney general doing the obstructing, it’s time to bring back independent prosecutors.

Monday, August 04, 2014

Obituary - Blasucci


Daniel Thomas Blasucci
June 8, 1980 - August 1, 2014

Daniel Thomas Blasucci of Cinnaminson passed away suddenly Friday, Aug. 1, 2014. He was 34.

Daniel was the beloved son of Robert and Marjorie (Hahnan) Blasucci; loving brother of Adam Robert Blasucci; dear grandson of Harold Hahnan. He also is survived by many loving aunts, uncles and cousins.

Daniel attended the Githens Center and Burlington County Special Services.

He will be sadly missed by his family, friends, nurses, and fellow students.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend Daniel's life celebration and gathering from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, at Snover/Givnish of Cinnaminson, 1200 Route 130 North, and from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, at St. Charles Borromeo Church, where his funeral Mass will begin at 11 a.m. Interment will be held privately.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Daniel's name may be made to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, www.mda.org.

To share your fondest memories and condolences with Daniel's family, please visit the funeral home's Web site below. Snover/Givnish Funeral Home,

Cinnaminson

http://www.snovergivnish.com/obituaries/Daniel-Blasucci/#!/Obituary


Visitation

AUG 5. 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (EDT)

Givnish Funeral Home (Cinnaminson)
1200 Route 130 North
Cinnaminson, NJ 08077
info@givnish.com
https://www.givnish.com

Visitation

AUG 6. 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM (EDT)

St. Charles Borromeo Church
2500 Branch Pike & Pomona Road
Cinnaminson, NJ 08077

Mass

AUG 6. 11:00 AM (EDT)

St. Charles Borromeo Church
2500 Branch Pike & Pomona Road
Cinnaminson, NJ 08077

Source: http://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/obituaries/bct/daniel-thomas-blasucci/article_a9c03b13-e281-5760-b241-43662689a492.html

Adam Robert Blasucci
May 31, 1977 - December 26, 2020

Adam Robert Blasucci, of Cinnaminson, Nj, passed away suddenly on December 26, 2020. Loving son of Robert and Marjorie Blasucci (nee Hahnan). Dear brother to the late Daniel Thomas Blasucci. Survived by his grandfather Harold Hahnan.

A gathering of friends and family will be held on Tuesday, December 29th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at Givnish of Cinnaminson, 1200 Route 130 North, and again on Wednesday, December 30th from 9:00am to 10:00am. His funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Charles Borromeo in Cinnaminson at 10:30am. His funeral service will be live streamed. Masks and social distancing measures are in effect. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Adam’s name to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, MDA.org.


Visitation

DEC 29. 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (EST)

Givnish Funeral Home (Cinnaminson)
1200 Route 130 North
Cinnaminson, NJ 08077
info@givnish.com
https://www.givnish.com


Visitation

DEC 30. 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM (EST)

Givnish Funeral Home (Cinnaminson)
1200 Route 130 North
Cinnaminson, NJ 08077
info@givnish.com
https://www.givnish.com


Mass

DEC 30. 10:30 AM (EST)

St. Charles Borromeo Church
2500 Branch Pike & Pomona Road
Cinnaminson, NJ 08077

Source: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/burlingtoncountytimes/obituary.aspx?n=adam-robert-blasucci&pid=197366257