(Washington, D.C.) – Today in the nation’s capital, America’s premier waste watchdog released its second 2009 Issue Brief and its February WasteWatcher articles on government waste:

CAGW Issue Brief

The second in the 2009 series of Issue Briefs, CAGW today released a seven-page examination of the government’s role and responsibility in protecting privacy and how it s becoming more important as governments at all levels collect and retain information on many aspects of Americans’ lives. 

Byrneing Down the House

By Sean Kennedy

The so-called “stimulus” bill signed by President Obama on February 17 has come under withering fire for being rife with wasteful boondoggles whose purposes are increasingly deemed to be more politically motivated than economically sound.  The bill contains funding for dozens of new programs and exorbitant plus-ups for many existing programs.  For example, buried in the depths of the leviathan-like bill is $2 billion for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program. 

The RUS:  A Fiscal Ruse

By David Williams

The so-called stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed by the President grows government so much it would even make FDR blush.  There are countless expenditures included in the bill that have nothing to do with “fixing” the economy.  One such item is $2.5 billion for broadband deployment through the Rural Utilities Service (RUS).

Waste and Fraud at the Central Intelligence Agency

By Ishmael Jones

Waste and fraud at the Central Intelligence Agency not only squanders taxpayers’ money but also endangers American lives.  When money is diverted away from intelligence missions on rogue state nuclear threats, for example, Americans are at risk.  The CIA lacks financial accountability. 

The Agency of Healthcare Potentates

By Elizabeth Wright

As taxpayers begin to grasp the sheer magnitude and the $787 billion price tag of H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, better known as the “stimulus,” more and more details are being exposed as policy makers have time to read and analyze the legislation.  There is one section of the bill that has little to do with stimulating the economy and everything to do with overseeing the kind of healthcare Americans will, or will not, receive in the future.

The USPS:  Finally, Running Like A Real Private-Sector Business!

By Leslie K. Paige

Unfortunately, U.S. Postmaster General John Potter has apparently decided that the business model he wants to emulate is that of beleaguered General Motors, whose Chief Executive Rick Wagoner took a 64 percent increase in his salary in 2007 while his company was taking a nosedive, losing $39 billion.

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