Daily Archives: Nov. 26, 2005

Will Scanlon sing like a canary?

Nov. 26, 200512:05 a.m.

Now that Michael Scanlon, former partner of lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former aide to Tom DeLay, has pleaded guilty of conspiring to bribe a member of Congress, it could get really interesting. Is he going to start fingering lawmakers? Reportedly, the “Representative No. 1” identified in court papers is Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio. But Scanlon and Abramoff showered extravagant gifts on many more members of Congress, mostly Republican.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (13)

If you are calling about a technical problem, press . . .

Nov. 26, 200512:03 a.m.

Paul English, a blogger and entrepreneur, has great tips on his Web site about how to quickly circumvent corporate automated telephone systems and talk to a real person. Typically, you ignore what the machine is telling you to do and enter certain numbers. This confuses the system, which kicks you to a customer service representative. NPR interviewed him this week and tried out his “steps to find a human.” They worked.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (8)

Medicaid reforms good but not enough

Nov. 26, 200512:01 a.m.

The Medicaid reforms recommended this week by a state legislative committee aren’t new ideas. Still, it makes sense to crack down on fraud and inefficiencies and encourage the use of home-based services, rather than more expensive nursing homes. These reforms, however, likely won’t be enough to halt the annual increases in state Medicaid costs, which are the biggest budget challenge facing the state.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (3)