Levasseur Wins Bracket Challenge

The Social Security News NCAA tournament bracket challenge for 2011 is history. Scott Levasseur won. Congratulations.

Tick, Tick, Tick ...

From the Washington Post:

With the clock ticking towards Friday’s federal budget deadline and President Obama hosting congressional leaders for budget talks at the White House on Tuesday, top administration officials have instructed agency officials to begin sharing details of shutdown contingency plans with top managers. ...

The memo also signals the administration is listening to the guidance of Clinton-era government officials, who have cautioned in recent weeks that any preparations for a shutdown should be communicated in advance to avoid confusion in the ranks.

I Thought They Said They Wouldn't Do That

From the AP:

With budget talks deadlocked, House Republicans readied a week-long bill to cut spending by as much as $12 billion while averting a government shutdown threatened for Friday, officials disclosed Monday night.

The measure also would include enough money to operate the Defense Department through the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year, the officials added.

They said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told the rank and file in a closed-door meeting he would seek passage of the bill if it became clear it was necessary to avoid shutting the government down.

Not A Good Sign

From TPM:

At a House GOP caucus meeting Monday evening, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told members to expect to receive guidance on Tuesday outlining protocol in the event of a government shutdown.

Budget Status

From Politico:

Budget talks took a turn for the worse Monday amid a flurry of accusatory press statements by House Republican leaders who have called for a party caucus now on the eve of a White House meeting requested by President Barack Obama for Tuesday morning.

Republicans Plan To Privatize Medicare

Republicans are not currently proposing to privatize Social Security but it appears that they are set to propose what amounts to privatizing Medicare, converting it to a program where those eligible for Medicare would receive a voucher which they could use to buy private medical insurance -- if such insurance is available and if they can afford it

Attorney Advisor Decision Program Extended

From today's Federal Register:

We are extending for 2 years our rule authorizing attorney advisors to conduct certain prehearing procedures and to issue fully favorable decisions. The current rule will expire on August 10, 2011. In this final rule, we are extending the sunset date to August 9, 2013. We are making no other substantive changes.

By the way, I have not been seeing attorney advisor decisions lately. Is this merely a local phenomenon or are their fewer attorney advisor decisions nationally?

What Ever Happened To Gordon Sherman?

I had recently posted a link to a news article about Social Security's new Regional Commissioner for the Atlanta region. That made me wonder what happened to one of his predecessors, Gordon Sherman. Sherman served as Atlanta Regional Commissioner for 23 years before retiring in 1999.

Sherman is now on the board of directors of One Georgia Bank. Their website indicates that he:

... is a principal of Lamon & Sherman Consulting, LLC, an investment and income replacement consulting firm and a director of Government Benefits and Information Services, Inc. Other capacities in which he presently serves include director of Lenbrook Foundation, Inc., a continuing care retirement community in Atlanta; director of the Auburn University Foundation; and a fellow in the National Academy of Public Administration.