New coverup excuse

[daddeeo]

I see some folks that oversee some city pensions conveniently destroy travel receipts because they don't have the room to store them!! That the latest knee slapper and one of the stupidest excuses for covering your behind I've heard in a long time.
Try telling that to a IRS agent and see what it gets you. I hope it's the same thing those idiots get...jail or a hefty fine.

[Retroit]

I see some folks...

I don't see them. Where are they?

[daddeeo]

Look on the front page of yesterday's Freep.

[Retroit]

Now I see. It's amazing what a link will do. How do you expect me to read the paper when I'm on DetroitYES all day long!

http://www.freep.com/article/20090505/NEWS01/905050446/

This is despicable. Even if the fund was making money, I doubt that they could justify these trips. I will concede that there may be a need for them to have a conference in order to educate themselves on the issues involved, but the time and money lost on such extravagant globe-trotting is egregious. They could have hired a consultant, provided him/her with a room in a Detroit hotel and had a few day seminar for much less.

But most disturbing is the last line of the article, a comment by Barbara Rose Collins on the content of the Dubai seminar: "It was 'not information that I would use,' she said."

[mjs]

The conferences I've attended have given us multi-paged syllabi. Our bosses are crazy enough to expect that we use them to get permission and explain how the conference will help us do our jobs better. They even insist that they can save money if we book our flights, hotels, and rental cars through a central office. I swear its true- believe it or not- they've even forced us to share rental vehicles.

[Retroit]

Wal-Mart co-workers share hotel rooms when they travel.

[Moetown]

Here is a tip for the pension traveling dream team.
If you take so many trips that you can no longer store the documents, YOU ARE TAKING WAAY TOO MANY TRIPS..

Another tip, try using a computer and book the trips yourself.. If you are too stupid to use a computer, maybe the next trip should be back to school or prison..

[Blueidone]

Another thought...in agreement with everything everyone said above...if they are taking all this time to go to "conferences"...when do they actually get any work done?

I served on a Board of Directors for many years. Although there were several conferences held in the relevant industry each year, we were limited to 2 conferences each. Extra curricular activities were not covered in our expenses for the first 20 years...then the "regime" that took over decided that several things, like paying for spouses/significant others to attend or paying for "sightseeing tours" for everyone or paying for the admission to DisneyWorld should be allowable expenses. Of course, the stockholders in this corporation had no knowledge of these expenses because it was all approved in an "executive" session behind closed doors. Because of this and several other abuses of power by these folks, I resigned.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

[daddeeo]

How'd you like to be some poor bastard that has his pension at the mercy of these guys?
It's bad enough the stock market has diminished your pension funds but these guys are living high on the hog at your expense with no accountability. Unforgivable.

[rb336]

Wal-Mart co-workers share hotel rooms when they travel.

just as long as they aren't married!