No excuse for this
IDHS really needs to get its act together:
Personal information -- enough to make an identity thief's mouth water -- keeps turning up in an unlocked trash bin behind a state office in Belleville, according to a published report.
Records containing names, addresses, home phone numbers, birth dates and Social Security numbers were found in the trash behind an Illinois Department of Human Services office, the Belleville News-Democrat reported today.
The records were found Saturday and again Monday evening, after the newspaper informed the agency. The finds occurred more than six months after the newspaper began to fish personal information out of open trash bins at various state agencies.
Not sure I'd want to be assigned the task of fishing through trash bins, but it's a good story.
posted by Rich Miller @ 11/23/2005 05:24:00 AM
24 comments
24 Comments...
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Sorry but this is the way all state agencies are being ran with the unqualified people Blago hired.It starts at the top.
A government agency that doesn't know how to use a shredder? Heh....this office must not be far up the corruption food chain.
Give me a break. This is not the first time this has gone on. About 5 years ago the same thing happened. But I know, the blame is all Rod and his administration. It could not possibly be the hard working, griping, well paid, mult-holdiay getting, tax payer funded health care plan State Workers could it?
Bad Rod. Good State Workers who are trying to save the world with little tools to get it done. If the GOP takes over this will end and the world will be right again and State Workers will love their governor and stop asking for more money, more time off, more benefits and more of everthing.
Tessa, please tell your crime and poverty fighting fellow workers to hang on, Judy (the savior of all state workers) is on the way to lift them from their state of abuse and low wages. O, and by the way, enjoy your four day weekend while the private sector goes to work to fund you salary and benefits.
Since it was in Belleville, I wonder if the assignment to fish through trash was contracted out to "Sorry Works" since they have extensive experience in going through trash while working for the Maag campaign.
This is symptomatic of the chaos the permeates throughout this administration. In this case, I imagine that somebody in power was told this was occuring, but the agency did not have a system in place to disseminate the information. Nobody knew how to communicate with the empoyees.
Or nobody cared because they could not figure out how to get R on tv telling us this saves the taxpayers $529 million by not buying unnecessary shredders. You decide.
Tessa please tell people in the private sector that state employees also miss the holidays because of work.If not some criminal murderer is going to break into thier house and commit mayhem.We will keep you safe in your home and on the hi-ways.
Claims that this is blago's fault are stupid. I suppose that he is supposed to be in every office at all times watching over all things that take place during his tenure. Its equally stupid t osay that this is a result of the blago political hires. The percentage of stae workers who are political hires are very minor. Come on, Rich, you know the percentage of rutan exempt positions in state government. Fault here lies with a state employee -- probably one who has been around for some time and that wasnt hired by blago (at least not a political hire).
Please get real!
Shredders are cheap, even state shredders, no doubt purchased at
a premium from some connected Democrat's brother in law.
Surely, all state agencies have a document management policy. But it is emblematic of the Blago administration to ignore the petty
details of goverment management regardless of the consequences to the people who are paying for government....us. In the meantime,
this is, from what I hear, only one of many, many, many management problems at this state agency under the Blago appointed director. And I have heard this
from some very well connected Democrats, no less.
Perhaps a performance review for Carol Adams is in order with a focus on "areas in need of improvement."
Bah - again, the vapid ignorance of how state agencies actually function makes a show here. Keep bleating, bleating, 6:50 and the rest of you - you just continue to show how stupid you are.
Tessa is right on - our agency had a 1950's era shredder [one I think Ike used to shred memos from Stalin...] until it finally gave up the ghost 2 years ago. For 18 months we had no shredder, so we scissored everything by hand. Okay for my program, but not so good for my co-workers working with large amounts of confidential docs. The reason for the delay - "Not enough money in the budget."
Funny, there was enough money in the budget to add 2 'gifts' from the Gov's office - each making a six-figure salary while sleeping at their desks.
We did get a new shredder, finally - only to have it co-opted by Administrators within three days after delivery. You now need to get 'permission' to go upstairs and use the shredder paid for by our program budget.
Not sure what they are shredding in the Administrative offices, but they sure have been busy over the last 5 weeks or so.
That said - no excuse for non-shreded docs to go into the trash. Responsible workers will save things in boxes inside until they can be shredded. Our office looked like a warehouse for almost a year...
This is hilarious. A good story about the incompetence of government turns into an argument about "shredders."
If only we had a budget for more shredders (along with a "Superintendent of Shredding" and three assistant "Shredding Cooridinators") we could solve this problem.
The problem is far deeper. Yesterday's USA Today (of all papers!!) featured a nation drowning in Red Ink while Republicans talk tax cuts and Democrats talk spending.
Illinois is between $25-$40 billion in the red. The state is bankrupt. When the taxes are hiked to pay for it, people and businesses will go where such profligate promises haven't been made, whether its Indiana or India.
Keep pretending it's about shredders. It's about a "something for nothing" mindset permiating both parties. The gross incompetence in the story is merely a manifestation of a severe sociological disorder.
our agency had a 1950's era shredder [...] until it finally gave up the ghost 2 years ago.
Sweet! A shredder that lasted half a century! Sounds like someone in state purchasing was doing their job correctly back in the 50s.
Too bad the system is not like this today.
(If this shredder was a state employee we'd have to pay to warehouse & service the printer for the next 20 years)
Anon 6:50am
You read my mind. Its so true. People act like these incidents will end with a new adminstration or did not occur under previous administrations.
Those who say documents being left in an alley demonstrates a general lack of leadership and control need to go work for the press. The love to sensationlize small, pithy stories.
I guarantee the Governor is pissed about this and there will be hell to pay. You cannot be everywhere all the time. Leadership is how you deal with these problems once discovered.
St. Judy of the Accordians to the rescue of all state workers!
If it isnt Blago next term, then you will end up hating the next person too. You guys dont realize how good you have it.
State workers remind of that scene from Caddyshack. Judge Schmell's grandson says, I want a hot dog, a milkshake, fries, a hamburger, a soda... Judge Schmell has enough and says, YOU'LL GET NOTHING AND LIKE IT!
Spoiled brats.
8:19 am
Rich may know, but I don't, and I doubt that most Illinoisians who pay taxes know the number and percentage of Rutan-exempt state jobholders in Illinois.
How many Rutan-exempt positions are there in Illinois state goverment.
Can we get a list somewhere for each agency? How does CMS "flag" Rutan-exempt positions?
What are salaries for each position.
This information needs to be published for all Illinoisians
so we can evaluate state government under Blago properly.
And there should be a hotline to report Rutan positions allegedly filled with political hires and cronies and relatives of state legislators, etc.
I'm not suggesting that Rich do this but I am suggesting that some investigative journalist or public interest agency would do state taxpayers a favor by actually getting the data on this and publishing it.
How about a website itemizing MC hires each week, Rutan and exempt, salaries, any relationship between selected employee and the political apparatus, date position was created.
This should be very illuminating.
And it should be easily accessible public information, as we are paying for these jobs.
The Administrators are toothless because you cant fire somebody or reprimand them without facing a lawsuit (Hello, Ray Coleman) or a grievance from AFSCME.
Guaranteed this is some lazy state worker who didnt want to take the time to shred the papers so he or she threw em' out back.
Comments are down today because the state workers are all at home...
The employee's of DHS have been trained and told over and over again to shred any document that contain name, ss#, medical information. I know this becuase I help provide the training. DHS need's to get out of the paper business and move to a web based case management system to eliminate this type of lost documents. Don't blame this administration for the lack of converting in to the 21st century this should have been done under the Edgar years. Oh ya I remember the MIS scandal stop all that.
9:25 AM Your last paragraph guarantees you know how the guv feels, so who is it, Lon or Bradley?
I would bet (not guarantee) 1 week's pay that the guv does have people posting on this and many other bloggs. It is his style- turn state workers into poll watchers, make them tout my accomplishments, etc.
9:30 AM- Look into all the concessions made for AFSCME in their last contract. Who do you think negotiated the contract??? The guv's office. Don't blame the union for getting the best deal. Blame the guv's negotiator. Local AFSCME leaders were thrilled. For those difficult times, AFSCME claimed Illinois' contract was the best nationwide. Blago caved into the protests (they hurt his public image). The union folks got what they wanted at the expense of taxpayers, etc.
FYI- You don't work for the state with the intent on becoming rich- it just doesn't happen unless you are a contractor!
It is interesting that all of the administrative offices seem to have shredders, but the offices tbat actually handle the records that REQUIRE shredding don't. Just as it is interesting that when the bargaining unit person working for the chief of staff moved to a better position, the chief of staff found it necessary (after three years) to get the position re-classified out of the bargaining unit and made Rutan exempt. (Although we don't know if she actually succeeded in that manuever.)
Or perhaps the person(s) responsible for destroying the confidential information is so discouraged over the way DHS has been operated over the past three years that they just don't care anymore - or are hoping to embarrass the administration. Not that I think that's a right attitude - just that I can certainly understand it happening. Except for people hired under this administration, I don't know a single state employee who wants to see this administration remain any longer than necessary.
So, important question, how did she go about getting "the position out of the bargaining unit and made Rutan-exempt."
Who has the power to do that?
Are there any checks on that power?
Where was AFSCME or applicable collective bargaining agent when she was trying to do this?
We might be able to rein in the
political corruption in state govt a little bit if there were transparency and publicity in these Rutan to non-Rutan switches.
Remember, Blago is a product of the Daley machine, and those folks really believe that every government job should be a patronage job.
Maybe Ms. Adams can get her $75, 000 plus executive assistant to patrol the area since all he does is driving her around?
9:31
I hope someone compares the number of filled Rutan-exempt positions from past administrations - that would be investigative reporting
cassandra, if you want to know about new rutan exempt hires, read bernie shoenberg. he reports on each one in detail. you are definately a black helicopters type of person.
OK, now put the tin foil back on your head.
To anon 12:33.....that Executive Assistant is back driving? He's the guy who got a DUI in a state car last year. The whole thing was hush, hush, however. That's just one of many little tricks he's pulled, but still working as her personal bulldog.
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