WasteWatcher - 2012, January
January, 2012
WasteWatcher
A Monthly Dispatch from Citizens Against Government Waste
Connect America Fund: Continuing the Universal Service Fee with No End in Sight
by: Deborah Collier, Technology Policy Director
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.
Time to End Earmarks Once and For All
by: P.J. 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.
News from ALEC
by: Deborah Collier, Technology Policy Director
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) held its States and Nation Policy Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona from November 29, 2011 to December 2, 2011. Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) staff was present during several meetings of the Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force. Topics included twenty-first century commerce and taxation, and different methods of simplifying current state sales tax models for online, telephone and catalog purchases. The Civil Justice Task Force also held a review of state workers’ compensation reform proposals in its newly formed Workers’ Compensation Subcommittee.
Minibus Drives Savings
by: Sean Kennedy
On November 18, 2011, President Obama signed the “minibus” appropriations legislation, which contained three fiscal year (FY) appropriations bills: the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. According to a November 17, 2011 press release by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), the legislation decreases spending in these appropriations bills by $7 billion from fiscal year (FY) 2011, and comes in at $98 billion below the president’s budget request.
Congressional Meddling in USPS Makes Bailout More Likely
by: Leslie Paige
Congress seems to have two legislative speeds: inertia in the face of an oncoming fiscal disaster, or ugly, last-minute scrambles to ram through sham legislation that often exacerbates already fraught situations.
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.
Federal Contractor Pensions Protected at Taxpayers’ Expense
by: Erica Gordon
Taxpayers may be surprised to learn that they are currently bankrolling the retirement plans of profitable, private sector companies. With a record-breaking national debt, a sinking economy, and millions of Americans facing losses to their own retirement accounts, taxpayers should not be on the hook for tens of billions of dollars for private contractor pensions and benefits.
