For Immediate Release: April 29, 2009	Contacts: Leslie K. Paige (202) 467-5334

 

(Washington, D.C.) – Today in the nation’s capital, America’s premier waste watchdog released its April WasteWatcher articles on government waste:

Taking Taxpayers for a Ride

By Tom Schatz

Most Americans have a favorite train story.  When my parents took my brother, sister and me out West in 1966, we took the overnight train from Denver to Salt Lake City.  We were awed by the beautiful scenery from the dome cars, ate well, slept comfortably, and enjoyed every minute of the trip.  Along with real trains, children and adults know all about Thomas the Train, Lionel trains, and the Hogwarts Train on Platform 9¾.  There is a fascination with trains that does not exist with other forms of travel.  That shiny locomotive pulling into the station is a sight that never grows old…

The First Cut is the Lamest, Not the Deepest

By Erica Gordon

In February, President Obama introduced a $3.69 trillion budget for the 2010 fiscal year, a proposal that would, according the Heritage Foundation, increase spending by $1 trillion over the next ten years, lead to a 12 percent increase in discretionary spending, and leave permanent deficits averaging $600 billion even after the economy recovers.  In a peace offering to get some political cover for this explosion of spending, President Obama called for his cabinet to make $100 million worth of spending cuts… 

Weatherization Assistance Program A Perfect Storm of Potential Waste?

By Leslie K. Paige

President Obama’s $787 billion so-called “stimulus” bill, formally known as the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will have reverberations throughout the economy for years to come.  The bill contained a wide range of new government spending programs as well as dramatic increases in existing programs, some of which had previously been funded with relatively small budgets…

Energy Battle Heats Up

By Tom Schatz

Americans are feeling some relief from the drop in gas prices, which were more than $4.00 per gallon last summer and now hover around $2.25 per gallon.  After expectations that winter home heating costs would rise dramatically above the prior year, they rose less than predicted.  Some argue there is an “energy dividend” that is helping the economy by putting more money into consumers’ wallets…

CAGW is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.