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Half Million dollar TSA award party. Who pays?

AlaskaAV

GONE WEST
Mission, TX
Please, no political comments, take them to R&R. Please feel free to comment though as long as it is not political.

With spending like this by TSA, GA airport security requirements just might get set aside for a while. A half million dollars for just one party? There are many more scheduled as I understand it.

<<<<
Updated: 02:18 PM EDT
Report Finds Lavish Spending at TSA
By LESLIE MILLER, AP
WASHINGTON (Oct. 14) - The government agency in charge of airport security spent nearly a half-million dollars on an awards ceremony at a lavish hotel, including $81,000 for plaques and $500 for cheese displays, according to an internal report obtained by The Associated Press.

$461,745
Total cost of the TSA awards banquet in Washington D.C.

$85,552
Paid to event planner MarCom Group Inc.

$81,767
Cost of plaques

$5,196
Spent on official photographs

$1,500
Cost of three cheese displays

$1,486
Bill for three balloon arches


Source: AP



Awards were presented to 543 Transportation Security Administration employees and 30 organizations, including a ''lifetime achievement award'' for one worker with the 2-year-old agency. Almost $200,000 was spent on travel and lodging for attendees.

The investigation by the Homeland Security Department's inspector general, Clark Kent Ervin, also found the TSA gave its senior executives bonuses averaging $16,000, higher than at any other federal government agency, and failed to provide adequate justification in more than a third of the 88 cases examined.

The report said lower-level employees were shortchanged, with a far lower percentage receiving bonuses.

''A substantial inequity exists in TSA's performance recognition program between executive and non-executive employees,'' the report said.

TSA spokeswoman Amy von Walter said the agency believes the bonuses and party were justified ''given the hours and productivity of the work force during this critical period.''

This year, said von Walter, the TSA will conduct awards ceremonies at individual airports, as well as a much smaller and less expensive event at its headquarters in November.

Congressional skeptics have criticized the TSA's hiring and spending practices during its short existence. Republicans say the agency has grown far larger than they envisioned when it was created following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Ervin also is investigating why the agency's private recruiters worked out of lush resort hotels with golf courses, pools and spas.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said that he had not seen the full report but that it indicated ''a colossal waste of money.''

''There's something terribly wrong with that agency,'' Dorgan said. ''Of all the agencies, that's the one that's supposed to be working full-time against terrorist attacks.''

The awards banquet, which cost $461,745, was held at the Grand Hyatt, which bills itself as ''one of the most magnificent'' hotels in the nation's capital. According to the report, the agency chose that site because it was the only hotel available on Nov. 19, 2003, the agency's second anniversary. It also was one of the few places that could accommodate about 600 honorees and as many guests.

While the inspector general noted the agency sought competitive bids for the party planner and chose the company with the lowest estimate, it found the ''costs of the ceremony and reception were higher than necessary.''

The event planning company, MarCom Group Inc. of Fairfax, Va., was paid $85,552 for its work and given an additional $81,767 for plaques, $5,196 for official photographs, $1,486 for three balloon arches and $1,509 for signs.

The reception included finger food, coffee and cake that averaged $33 per person. Seven cakes cost a total of $1,850; three cheese displays, $1,500.

In a written response, the TSA said the costs ''were neither extraordinary nor incurred without careful consideration of the amount, the reasonableness of the cost, and value the activities would have to the employees.''

The inspector general also expressed concern that the TSA was more generous than most other federal agencies in awarding bonuses to executives. Federal agencies on average gave cash awards to 49 percent of their executives in 2002, while 76 percent of TSA executives received them in 2003.

The inspector general reviewed 88 employees' files and found that 38 percent ''had no individual recommendation and justification for the performance award.''

''The legitimacy of such large awards is called into question by the lack of an appropriate selection process and the reliance on boilerplate justifications that could be applicable to anyone,'' the report said.

The report also noted that fewer than 3 percent of nonexecutive employees received bonuses in 2003.

In its response, the TSA said that executives who got a bonus didn't get a pay increase and weren't eligible for a presidential awards program that can amount to as much as 35 percent of their base pay. The agency agreed, however, that more could be done to equalize treatment of top executives and lower-level employees.


10-14-04 0745EDT

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Will keep a copy of this Ernie.... for the next time Canada Customs and Revenue service questions the expenses related to our yearly employee Christmas Party!

Wayne
 
irishfield said:
Will keep a copy of this Ernie.... for the next time Canada Customs and Revenue service questions the expenses related to our yearly employee Christmas Party!

Wayne

Good idea Wayne and good luck friend. Never worked for me going into and out of Canada from Fairbanks to Whitehorse on Wien sales calls.
:wink:
 
AlaskaAV said:
irishfield said:
Will keep a copy of this Ernie.... for the next time Canada Customs and Revenue service questions the expenses related to our yearly employee Christmas Party!

Wayne

Good idea Wayne and good luck friend. Never worked for me going into and out of Canada from Fairbanks to Whitehorse on Wien sales calls.
:wink:

Ernie...CCRA (Canada Customs and Revenue Agency) is our IRS! The border guys are Canada Customs Border Service (CCBS)...and note those are capital BS's as well!

:D
Wayne
 
diggler said:
I dont see what the big deal is. Look at all the money Bush pissed away today flying to Vegas, Reno and then OR or where ever hes going tonight.

As I asked before diggler, please take the political comments to R&R where you and others can discuss them to your hearts content.
 
The last time I flew to FAI, commercial it was a 3.00 USD security tax, so figure only a measly 153,915, people flew for the party , that’s only 80,000 SC flights if you cram some one in the back ! :preach
 
bgoff_ak said:
The last time I flew to FAI, commercial it was a 3.00 USD security tax, so figure only a measly 153,915, people flew for the party , that?s only 80,000 SC flights if you cram some one in the back ! :preach

Just out of curiosity, are they charging the security tax at the bush airports too? Airports like Bethel, McGrath, Aniak, Barrow, King Salmon, etc.
Also interesting is that the State of Alaska has applied to use TSA funds to buy a light jet aircraft to use for airport security around the state as well as other uses but that is getting very close to politics so better let that one lay.
 
diggler said:
As I asked before diggler, please take the political comments to R&R where you and others can discuss them to your hearts content.

This should of been posted there to begin with.

diggler. We are talking about TSA, a function of airport security as it effects aviation, commercial and GA. It has nothing to do with politics in any way so please read it that way. Requirements of the forums around here other than R&R are no politics and that holds true here also but I am sure by now you are aware of this.
Let it lay Sir.
 
Just out of curiosity, are they charging the security tax at the bush airports too? Airports like Bethel, McGrath, Aniak, Barrow, King Salmon, etc

I don't know about some of the other places ( I have not been there after 9-11) but Cordova - a little town with No Road to or fro, Has the TSA Tax's, and Barrow , or should I say Dead horse, has the TSA Tax also. I looked at the Alaska Airlines web page, it says Tax's including the TSA Tax is 41.31 USD, Don't know what they are paying in ramp fees etc . . . if any in Dead horse. Don't know about any for the small aircraft, I haven't been paying ? ( I should watch what I say TSA will come and get there 3 bucks for every touch and go I've made . . . )

I wonder if that could be a tax deduction ?
 
bgoff_ak said:
Just out of curiosity, are they charging the security tax at the bush airports too? Airports like Bethel, McGrath, Aniak, Barrow, King Salmon, etc

I don't know about some of the other places ( I have not been there after 9-11) but Cordova - a little town with No Road to or fro, Has the TSA Tax's, and Barrow , or should I say Dead horse, has the TSA Tax also. I looked at the Alaska Airlines web page, it says Tax's including the TSA Tax is 41.31 USD, Don't know what they are paying in ramp fees etc . . . if any in Dead horse. Don't know about any for the small aircraft, I haven't been paying ? ( I should watch what I say TSA will come and get there 3 bucks for every touch and go I've made . . . )

I wonder if that could be a tax deduction ?

Thanks for the info Bart. By the way, why does your last name ring a bell to me? I assume there has to be a fuel surcharge somewhere. You never know what happens on the north slope, Barrow or Deadhorse, I have lived at both locations. I remember we had to submit a report daily of the time our 737s were on the ground at Barrow. It had to be within seconds so they could charge us property taxes for the time our 737s were on the ground there. Of course we had to pay taxes on the aircraft in either Fairbanks or Anchorage also.
 
I believe that the security tax is for 121 only. It is to 'offset' the cost of additional screeneing, security at the airports etc.

We can debate all we want about wasting money. I have an in with the state security people, and trust me, we Alaskan's have it good. The state resists many of the STUPID ideas that the office jockeys come up with.

As far as the party, why were we not invited?
:drinking:

I would bet that we are better at most security than they.....

fyi: next is the Alaska Marine Highway, TSA thinks that they need to take over security for the boats now also.....
 
aktango58 said:
I believe that the security tax is for 121 only. It is to 'offset' the cost of additional screeneing, security at the airports etc.

We can debate all we want about wasting money. I have an in with the state security people, and trust me, we Alaskan's have it good. The state resists many of the STUPID ideas that the office jockeys come up with.

As far as the party, why were we not invited?
:drinking:

I would bet that we are better at most security than they.....

fyi: next is the Alaska Marine Highway, TSA thinks that they need to take over security for the boats now also.....

Think the TSA could keep the state ferry's off the rocks? Could be an underwater attack. :wink:
 
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