CFE

One of my goals this year is to take the examination to be a Certified Fraud Examiner - CFE.

Yes, this will give me three more letters behind my name, but it will also afford both me and my firm to take on new and challenging engagements in the fraud arena. Unfortunately, fraud is very prevalent, especially in economically challenging times and the services of a CFE are needed. Since I am starting my 21st busy season I kind of relish the idea of some work that is not only focused on numbers.

But, I think the greatest fraud right now is being perpetrated on the American people by our own Congress.

Every time I hear someone in the media talk about the "Cornhusker Kickback" or the "Louisiana Purchase" I get sick to my stomach and infuriated.

While there was probably a whole lot more of this than we are aware of, these two elected representatives either 1) voted for a bill that they didn't truly support simply so their individual states could benefit; or 2) they actually believed the bill being presented was a good thing for our country but decided to hijack the legislative process and hold out their vote so that their individual states could benefit.

Either one is wrong.

I'm not blasting the bill itself. I'm also not blasting the idea behind the bill. The insurance industry in this country has not done any favors for health care. Reform is absolutely needed. I have said before that I strongly disagree with some of the methods of reform that have been reported to be in the bill, but, at over 2,000 pages long, who really knows what all is in the bill.

I know I'm standing on my soapbox and I've said all this before, but it is just wrong.

No bill should be over 2,000 pages long. All that says to me is there is a bunch of unnecessary garbage in there.

No Congress should be coerced into voting on something that long that they couldn't possibly have read. That they did so speaks volumes to me of the disrespect the Congress truly has for its own constituents.

As an auditor, I audit governments and non-profit organizations that receive federal funding. I have 17 compliance requirements that I have to address for each program. Some aren't applicable, but you have to document that as well. The first couple of compliance items are pretty much universally applicable - Allowable Costs and Allowable Activities. I have to determine if program funds are being spent in accordance with program guidelines and if those costs are reasonable and necessary in nature. I need to make a determination whether funds being used to supplement other sources of funding, or is the entity supplanting with federal dollars what they should be doing with other monies.

How are Earth can a bill this big be condensed enough to be something that I, or any other CPA, can audit? How can I know that everything that should be included in the program is included? If you are in a state that received some kind of preferential treatment how do you document that? This "thing" is completely unwieldy and I see nothing but problems.

Yes, I know that the United States is the only place that I want to live. At least long term. But there are a few places that I wouldn't mind giving a shot to, just to confirm my thinking. That doesn't, however, mean that it is the perfect place.

It isn't.

There are problems and flaws in the System and they aren't going to get any better. The whole thing has become a game and we're all the pawns.

We are no longer seeing a government for the people, by the people. It is a government for whichever group can get the best deal.

Sad, really.

Where is Mr. Smith when you need him?