Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Covid-19 Relief Fraud, Minnesota Organization Entangled in 250-Million-Dollar Scam

 Alarming signs of Covid-19 fraud have been cropping up by an unprecedented amount the past year, with scammers obtaining money off relief programs such as the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), non-existent small businesses requesting and receiving multi-million dollar grants, etc. Because of the desperate need for timely covid relief, federal relief systems have operated largely on an honor system, lacking general oversight and made it very easy to hack and exploit. One extreme example has taken place in Minnesota, where 47 individuals, through Feeding Our Future, an organization meant as a sponsor for underprivileged children, fraud scheme were accused of siphoning 250 million dollars off the government’s Federal Child Nutrition Program over the course of the pandemic. They used this to buy “jewelry, luxury cars, real estate” and more. 

Fraudulent activity exposes the multiple defects in various stages of the rashly stitched-up system, including outdated technology and a lack of enforcement. In regards to the Minnesota fraud, according to the first source, Republicans have criticized the handling of the situation by Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and company; they claim that he and other leading Democrats should have done more in preventing the fraud, such as pushing for FBI attention when they found out about the fraud. 

Meanwhile, the second source contains criticism of the federal government’s handling of the federal relief programs, asserting that the Department of Justice should have funded more watchdog groups and have smarter IT systems that used technology to prevent fraud. It makes the argument that the federal government should have done more to prevent the fraud in the first place, instead of planning on blindly dispersing money and then tracing illicit activity afterwards, because there aren’t enough resources to catch ‘em all, including the smaller-case scammers, whose defrauded payments really add up to the 100+ billion dollars stolen from the government.


The state responsibility and federal responsibility is contended in the sources. I believe this shows the dynamic of cooperative federalism and how it is difficult to balance the responsibilities between federal and state. Government grants may be hard to follow through on due to state and local cooperation. Along with this, the incompetency of the government’s prehistoric technology is obvious, and more investment in these systems would make systems more efficient and less prone to fraud.



https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/09/25/covid-pandemic-relief-fraud-response/


https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-09-26/gop-attacks-minnesota-governor-in-250m-food-fraud-case
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Monday, September 26, 2022

Near-total Abortion Ban, Dating Back to the 19th-Century, in Arizona is Reinstated

 

Protestants gather in Tucson, Arizona in 
opposition to abortion ban (Source: The Guardian)

    On Saturday, a new law that bans abortions past 15 weeks of pregnancy must now be enforced by all Arizonian residents. Judge Kellie Johnson of Pima County Superior Court released a ruling that now bans almost all abortions for women, including victims of rape and incest. The strict abortion ban dates back to reproductive policies in the 19th century-- setting the country, quite literally, over a century back. 

    After the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June of this year, legal abortion as a federal right was dismantled and threatened legal protection for women's reproductive rights. To what extent does the federal government actually care about the bodily autonomy of half the population of the country? Well, at this point, it seems like longstanding Constitutional rights are insignificant to the highest federal court in the judiciary of the U.S.

Dr. Jill Gibson, medical director for Planned Parenthood
Arizona, is legally obligated to stop performing abortions
after the Supreme Court Ruling (Source: NY Times)
    
    Undoubtedly, the overturn of Roe v. Wade is a green light for individual states to ban abortions entirely. It is no longer a fear, but now the horrid truth, that women would lose the freedom of their own reproductive rights.  As a result, governors hostile to abortion may advocate for the legislature to consider new abortion bans. 

    Quite frankly, it is appalling that federal policies no longer protect Constitutional rights. The abortion ban in Arizona is merely the tip of the iceberg because, to no one's surprise, the state is only 1 of 14 that have outlawed most abortions. Well, to put it simply, this really proves the fragility of the fundamental rights and freedoms of Americans; furthermore, the democracy of the country is now delegitimatized and the Supreme Court is acting in its own self-interest as opposed to public opinion. It is an assault on democracy and does not represent the ideology of the majority of Americans. 
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Moore v. Harper Will Determine The Fate For State-Conducted Elections

gerrymandering picture explanation

In 2021, the Republican-controlled North Carolina legislature passed a partisan gerrymander, which is an adjustment of district borders in order to intentionally benefit one political party over another in the context of the structure of the electoral college; in this case, the Republican party. 

In this case, it would essentially secure the Red win of North Carolina in the 2022 congressional elections, but it was overturned by the state court and has been taken on by SCOTUS in June 2022 because of its significance in the future of state-conducted elections. 


To illustrate the situation of gerrymandering, even if Democrats and Republicans got the same amount of votes, 10 out of the 14 congressional seats would still be given to Republicans. Gerrymandering has been used by political parties to secure partisan wins in the past, and is a big threat to democracy as it does not accurately reflect a state’s voter scene. 


This new map was debated in state courts among voters, since SCOTUS has ruled that federal courts cannot judge partisan gerrymandered maps. The North Carolina Supreme Court rejected the new map. The contention in the form of Supreme Court case Moore v. Harper (legislators vs the state court) is hinged in independent state legislature theory: referencing the Elections Clause, which basically renders federal elections a state power. In reference to the Elections Clause, the usage of the word “Legislature” is the core of the debate. Does it mean that state legislatures are fully in charge of elections? Does it mean, as the first source points out, that “When it comes to federal elections, legislators would be free to violate the state constitution and state courts couldn’t stop them?” 


If SCOTUS rules in favor of the legislators, it would be so. The first source (which seems more biased towards SCOTUS overturning independent state legislature theory) illustrates the outcome of adopting the idea of independent state legislature theory: state constitutional restrictions on how elections should be run, as well as rules set in place for fairness, would be rescinded. It would make it “nightmar[ishly]” possible that state legislatures could just ignore all the rules and pick the winner themselves, with barely a glance at the popular vote. This theory was one that Trump and his supporters rallied behind in an attempt to overturn the election, calling on states to determine the winner of the election themselves. According to former federal judge J. Michael Luttig in this first source, this theory is just the “Republican blueprint to steal the 2024 election.” It essentially diminishes the voting power of the people and gives more power to the people’s representatives, entrenched with the ideals of a republic versus a democracy: should the people’s opinions matter more, or their higher, mightier, and wiser reps, as the Framers meant it to be?


Another source illustrates the opposite perspective: conservative-run organization Honest Elections Project claims that the “2020 election was marred by… undemocratic efforts to use courts to weaken voting safeguards and skew the rules for partisan advantage.” PBS references the official statement from the executive director of this project, who claims that the opposing side “ignore[s] the history and text of the Constitution, sew[s] chaos and confusion, and put[s] faith in elections at risk.” I see this statement as relatively ironic and nebulous, as the problem that they are opposing reform to is gerrymandering, which is the glaringly clear culprit of the loss of election integrity. 


It essentially boils down to the interpretation of the Constitution. Though SCOTUS has had a history of turning down the independent state legislature theory, the stakes, of the balance in states’ election powers, are high this time, and three justices have historically supported this theory. The consequences of allowing state legislatures to have full control over federal elections, including inevitable manipulation of voter outcome in the form of widespread gerrymandering, seems detrimental to democracy, a core value of the country.


Source 1: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/moore-v-harper-explained 

ISLT explained: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/independent-state-legislature-theory-explained 


Source 2: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-the-outcome-of-moore-v-harper-could-impact-federal-elections
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Thursday, September 22, 2022

Former President Trump and DOJ Fight Over Power of Appeals Court in Access to Mar-A-Lago Classified Documents


                           

Department of Justice shows recovered documents labeled 
classified at Trump's Mar-A-Lago home (Source: WP)

    In further investigation of Trump's handling of classified documents after his presidency, the federal judge was tasked with reviewing the seized documents from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago residence as a result of Thursday's court filing. District Federal Judge Raymond Dearie states that the Department of Justice must provide unclassified documents for review. 

    Trump denies any fault, arguing the documents are declassified. ​​Trump claims “you can declassify just by saying ‘it’s declassified,’ even by thinking about it”. Yet, the former president has yet to provide any evidence concerning the classification of said documents-- raising the question of what power he currently holds to declassify such material.  

    District Judge Aileen Cannon, whom the former President had appointed himself, ordered the removal of the classified documents from the special master's review. As I see it, it is a legally baseless, privileged review. Undoubtedly, her ruling seems to be irregular since such review lies within the duties of the Department of Justice, a part of the Executive branch, all while Trump is no longer president. To what extent does corruption impede the government's efforts to maintain national security? As I see it, Trump's efforts look to be a painfully obvious attempt at cheating the legal process given the special privilege of once being president. 

Special Master Raymond Dearie
(Souce: WP)

    The power struggle between the Executive Branch, and the former president seems unprecedented since Trump is no longer in a position for a special master's review. I guess one may say that the distribution of powers in a federal government may never be perfect. Moreover, Trump's abuse of public power for personal gain screams political corruption and exposes the flaws of the U.S. federal government. 

    It appears to be our federalist government is prone to corruption due to the power struggle present among America's elected government officials. The additional layers of government which make up a federalist structure may impede the central government's efficiency and call into question the pros and cons of such government. 



Sources: 




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Monday, September 19, 2022

Will History Repeat as Hurricane Fiona Strikes Puerto Rico?

   

Fixing a downed power line on Sunday (source: NYT)

5 years after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, Hurricane Fiona threatens a similar rampage. Hurricane Maria caused $90 billion in damages, destroyed 80% of the country's electricity grid, and left more than 3,000 dead. 

    What responsibilities does the US owe to Puerto Rico as a territory? Surely, if a state like Hawaii was severely threatened by a natural disaster, the federal government would devote billions to ensuring the islands' safety (climate change notwithstanding). 

   Well, obligations aside, the US devoted $63 billion to help Puerto Rico in 2017 after Hurricane Maria. Seems generous, but humanitarian crises  require immediate and significant funding. Yet 4 years later, 71% of this aid hadn't been received by Puerto Rico, and the territory was still struggling to rebuild. Tens of thousands flocked to America. So, the question is: What can, and should, the US do to help avert a humanitarian crisis in our territory of Puerto Rico? 

As Hurricane Fiona begins its tear through Puerto Rico, the US territory, we are left to wonder if Puerto Rico and the US will implement a better response than before.

Without roads, transportation means are limited

    The US already has 300 emergency helpers in Puerto Rico, but with 70% of households and businesses lacking access to potable water and 2 people already reported dead (and almost certainly more to follow), is this enough?

    As a wealthy neighbor to Puerto Rico who benefits from their tourism industry, culture, and immigration, it's only rational for the US to step in and provide significant aid to our territory. 

Besides, if Florida can spare $12 million in plane costs to kidnap migrants, we can undoubtedly find room in the budget for an island which desperately needs support.

Sources:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/puerto-rico-four-years-hurricane-maria-far-recovery-rcna2073 

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/09/19/us/hurricane-fiona-puerto-rico?login=email&auth=login-email


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Thursday, September 15, 2022

Florida Governor Flies Immigrants to Massachusetts in Immoral, Corrupt Political Stunt


Immigrant Victims Taking Refuge in Martha's Vineyard Church - Credit: CBS

On September 14th, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis flew two planes filled with Venezuelan immigrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, a small island off the coast of Massachusetts. According to the migrants, a Spanish speaking member of DeSantis' staff, in the guise of a shelter worker, lured the migrants onto the planes with the promise of expedited work papers. Many of the migrants, including several families and small children, had no idea they were being flown to Martha's Vineyard. Some migrants later revealed to reporters that they had families remaining in Venezuela and now had no way to return to help them.

One might assume that at the very least, DeSantis would have given Martha's Vineyard advance warning to prepare for the migrants' arrival, but no, the Florida governor appeared content to surprise the island's officials and residents with the two planes full of migrants who needed food, water, and shelter.

Was this just a political stunt?  Was it a savvy attack on liberal immigration policies?  Was it more like a kidnapping of the migrants themselves?  However it might be characterized, this move by DeSantis is part of a pattern of Southern Republican states sending migrants to unknown destinations with no support. In particular, these past weeks we have seen busloads of migrants sent from Texas to northern "sanctuary cities," and even to the doorstep of Vice President Kamala Harris. Was DeSantis targeting former President Obama? The Obama's have a home on Martha's Vineyard, which might lead one to think that DeSantis' actions are not even for any rational cause, and are instead partisan attacks on the former Democrat President at the expense of migrant workers.

If the goal of DeSantis' stunt was to show that liberals, and particularly those in sanctuary cities, are not as compassionate towards immigrants as they publicly profess, he was immediately proven wrong. The members of the island acted quickly to come together and provide food, blankets, clothing, and even emergency shelter in a church. 

DeSantis' actions are an alarming indicator of his willingness to sacrifice humane morals in order to push a political point and leave many, like myself, wondering how his grand scheme was concocted...

Well, the recent stunt unfortunately echoes similar antics of politicians in the 1960's who transported Southern African Americans to northern cities under empty promises of jobs. The deception used against African Americans in the 60's had a similar goal to DeSantis' actions today: remove the people of color from Southern states and attack Northern liberal policy that welcomes minorities. When we take a step back and compare what DeSantis has done to what happened in the 60's, it's hard to ignore the pattern.

Finally, Florida plans to spend $12 million in taxpayer dollars on actions like the Wednesday kidnapping (let's call it what it is) of the Venezuelan migrants.

As DeSantis grows in popularity among the Republican Party and appears to be a leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election, we are left to wonder if disrupting the lives of dozens of immigrants to prove a political point is the best use of millions of taxpayer dollars. To many like myself, DeSantis' grossly corrupt use of government funds demonstrates his clear incapacity to govern his state, much less the US as a whole. Florida, which almost leads the nation in homelessness among an excess of other social, economic, and political problems, clearly has more pressing needs for millions of dollars in state funding. 

Despite the transparent use of state funds for a racially motivated political gimmick, the island of Martha's Vineyard leaves us with hope for humanity. It's fortunate that the migrant workers received such generous care from the residents of Martha's Vineyard - much more generous care than they would've received anywhere in Florida.

Sources: 



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