EPA now missing computer data

[DJofSD]

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-env...ed-emails-lost

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the IRS share a problem: officials say they cannot provide the emails a congressional committee has requested because an employee’s hard drive crashed.

EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy confirmed to the House Oversight Committee Wednesday that her staff is unable to provide lawmakers all of the documents they have requested on the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska, because of a 2010 computer crash.

Must be a virus -- or utter incompetence. Yes, even the Peter Principle applies to techies.

[Tom]

NO, this is wanton destruction of evidence.
Our government is blatantly illegal.

[Clocker]

The computers must be wearing out under all that austerity of the Obama administration. Time to increase the budget and buy some new stuff.

[NJ Stinks]

Not for nothing but did it ever occur to anybody besides me that the IRS and EPA do not have enough computer techies or enough decent computers because Congress keeps cutting funding to federal agencies?

Surely you've heard of the phrase: "You get what you pay for." If you haven't, you now know what it means.

[johnhannibalsmith]

Originally Posted by NJ Stinks

Not for nothing but did it ever occur to anybody besides me that the IRS and EPA do not have enough computer techies or enough decent computers because Congress keeps cutting funding to federal agencies?

Surely you've heard of the phrase: "You get what you pay for." If you haven't, you now know what it means.

That's got to be it.

I predict Revrum Al steals this from you.

[NJ Stinks]

Originally Posted by johnhannibalsmith

That's got to be it.

I predict Revrum Al steals this from you.

All I can say for sure is that people I worked with in a pretty big IRS office in NJ - guys who still work in that office - told me recently that they have one IT employee working at that office today. When I left (during GWB's second term) there were 5 or 6 IT guys assigned to that office and I used to have to wait 2 or 3 weeks to get an appointment with one of them.

[tucker6]

Originally Posted by NJ Stinks

All I can say for sure is that people I worked with in a pretty big IRS office in NJ - guys who still work in that office - told me recently that they have one IT employee working at that office today. When I left (during GWB's second term) there were 5 or 6 IT guys assigned to that office and I used to have to wait 2 or 3 weeks to get an appointment with one of them.

When you say "IT" in your office, are you mainly referring to help desk people?? IT is made up of several different groups, and I highly doubt the IT staff responsible for the retaining of all email and taxpayer records throughout the IRS was located locally. That would be done centrally.

[Clocker]

Originally Posted by tucker6

I highly doubt the IT staff responsible for the retaining of all email and taxpayer records throughout the IRS was located locally.

Which also raises the question as to how the HD crash on Lerner's computer caused emails stored on the server to be lost. And how no one in IT at the IRS could restore any data from that HD. Or from the other 6 HDs that crashed. Or why Lerner's HD was "recycled". As were apparently the other 6 crashed HDs.

And unrelated to any IT problem, why hard copies of anything possibly considered to be a federal record were not kept, as required by law. And why the IRS failed to inform the National Archives of the loss of data on 7 crashed HDs, as required by law.

[tucker6]

Originally Posted by Clocker

Which also raises the question as to how the HD crash on Lerner's computer caused emails stored on the server to be lost. And how no one in IT at the IRS could restore any data from that HD. Or from the other 6 HDs that crashed. Or why Lerner's HD was "recycled". As were apparently the other 6 crashed HDs.

And unrelated to any IT problem, why hard copies of anything possibly considered to be a federal record were not kept, as required by law. And why the IRS failed to inform the National Archives of the loss of data on 7 crashed HDs, as required by law.

I know of no organization that does not perform daily backup, including email. That's IT 101 stuff. You need that for legal safeguards. Judges don't like to hear that you don't keep good records.

[sandpit]

Originally Posted by NJ Stinks

Surely you've heard of the phrase: "You get what you pay for." If you haven't, you now know what it means.

If we are getting what we pay for, how come we don't have premo services of every type from our elected officials? They are making tons of $$$ from everybody and anybody thanks to taxation and graft.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by NJ Stinks
Not for nothing but did it ever occur to anybody besides me that the IRS and EPA do not have enough computer techies or enough decent computers because Congress keeps cutting funding to federal agencies?

No, not when you look at WHO was affected and the timeline.
It is blatantly OBVIOUS that this was done on purpose.
How much of a budget do you need to make back ups? They are required by law to do so - they did not. Someone needs to go to jail. That is how laws work.
You guys blindly accept the fraud of GW, yet question this?

Do you use a microwave?

[Robert Goren]

"in this world, you get what you pay for"
Kurt Vonnegut and many others
"you often get less, but seldom get more"
My dad's corollary
"the government is always trying for the "seldom" part, but usually ends with the "often" part as a result"
My observation from working 20 years for several government contractors

[NJ Stinks]

Originally Posted by sandpit

If we are getting what we pay for, how come we don't have premo services of every type from our elected officials? They are making tons of $$$ from everybody and anybody thanks to taxation and graft.

Here's an example of getting what we pay for. The federal tax on a gallon of gasoline is 18.4 cents a gallon. It's been 18.4 cents a gallon since October 1993. We use this 18.4 cents a gallon two ways:

1. 11.5 cents goes to the Federal Highway Trust Fund that is used mostly to maintain the Interstate Highways in the country as well as currently sending about $35B to all 50 states for those states to use for road construction and repair.

2. The other 6.5 cents goes to reduce the nation's deficit.

Of course, the cost of maintaining our nation's roads costs a lot more in 2014 dollars than it cost in 1993. But the GOP wants great roads at 1993 prices and won't hear another word about it. Because the GOP and it's members are all about keeping taxes down no matter what!

It's like a kid who wants to get an A on his next spelling test but doesn't want to take the time to study.

Good luck, kid.

[DJofSD]

Originally Posted by NJ Stinks

All I can say for sure is that people I worked with in a pretty big IRS office in NJ - guys who still work in that office - told me recently that they have one IT employee working at that office today. When I left (during GWB's second term) there were 5 or 6 IT guys assigned to that office and I used to have to wait 2 or 3 weeks to get an appointment with one of them.

Get an appointment with one of them? What for? It sounds like the office geek was still providing the help.

Hey, Gor-don, I broke my coffee mug holder again. Ya gotta a spare?

[johnhannibalsmith]

Originally Posted by NJ Stinks

Here's an example of getting what we pay for. The federal tax on a gallon of gasoline is 18.4 cents a gallon. It's been 18.4 cents a gallon since October 1993. We use this 18.4 cents a gallon two ways:

1. 11.5 cents goes to the Federal Highway Trust Fund that is used mostly to maintain the Interstate Highways in the country as well as currently sending about $35B to all 50 states for those states to use for road construction and repair.

2. The other 6.5 cents goes to reduce the nation's deficit.

Of course, the cost of maintaining our nation's roads costs a lot more in 2014 dollars than it cost in 1993. But the GOP wants great roads at 1993 prices and won't hear another word about it. Because the GOP and it's members are all about keeping taxes down no matter what!

It's like a kid who wants to get an A on his next spelling test but doesn't want to take the time to study.

Good luck, kid.

Are you telling me you think the gas tax of all things needs to be increased?

I thought you guys were all about helping those that would be hurt the hardest by such an increase? You mean that's the GOP?