Time to End Earmarks Once and For All
by: PJ Austin

Year after year, lawmakers have sullied the political process by directing chunks of the federal budget back to their home districts and states to promote their own reelections and reward special interests. In an attempt to put an end to this form of profligate spending, Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) recently introduced S. 1930, The Earmark Elimination Act, which would build upon and make permanent the current earmark moratorium that is set to expire at the end of 2012.

Connect America Fund: Continuing the Universal Service Fee with No End in Sight
by: Deborah Collier

On November 18, 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued its much-anticipated 759-page proposed rulemaking for the Connect America Fund (CAF), which sets out to reform the Universal Service Fund (USF) and the Intercarrier Compensation (ICC) programs. Public comments on certain sections of the rulemaking are due by January 18, 2012, and on other sections by February 17, 2012.

California High-Speed Rail: Way Off Track
by: Luke Gelber

In November 2008, California voters approved Proposition 1A, a $9.95 billion bond measure to fund part of the state’s share of the proposed high-speed rail line from Anaheim to San Francisco. The bond was approved by a narrow margin of 52.7 percent of the 12.6 million votes. The railway was supposed to be up and running by 2020, and the total cost was estimated by the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) at $33 billion. While it was easy to see why some balked at the price estimate, one could also understand its support, at least among potential beneficiaries. After all, taxpayers outside the rail corridor, both in California and across the country, were supposed to pick up $6.8 billion, or one-quarter of the railway’s $27 billion initial segment.