The WasteWatcher
The WasteWatcherDeadly Earmarks
Earmarks can be deadly, according to Air Force Reserve Maj. Eric Egland. Egland, a counter-terrorism operative, military intelligence officer and Iraq War veteran, wrote an opinion piece in The Washington Times on July 2 asserting that national...
The WasteWatcherGSE Monster Mash-up
On Friday, July 11, the nation’s two largest housing government-sponsored enterprises (GSE), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, began a precipitous stock slide that stirred a mini-panic on Wall Street and among government officials. There was a frantic...
The WasteWatcherSpecial Interests Before Taxpayers
For many years, the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General have issued report after report pointing out that Medicare pays too much for durable medical equipment (DME...
The WasteWatcherA Challenge That Should Not Be Met
Six years ago, President Bush called for the establishment of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), “a new compact for global development defined by new accountability for both rich and poor nations alike.”
The WasteWatcherDeepwater in Hot Water
The Coast Guard’s air and sea fleet are aging, with most of the fleet dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. Responding to the need to update the fleet and react to a shifting threat, the Coast Guard created the Integrated Deepwater System in 2002,...
The WasteWatcherDepartment of Defense and Lavish Expenditures
What do earmarks for $10 million for the National World War Two Museum in New Orleans, $18 million for a chapel in Fort Hood, and $5 million for a fence near San Diego have in common? The House of Representatives deemed them to be important enough...
The WasteWatcherUn-FIT!?
In April, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced that the House Republican Policy Committee had created the “Fiscal Integrity Task Force (FIT).” Taxpayer groups in Washington were elated. Finally, Republicans in Congress were...
The WasteWatcherCorn Ethanol is Not a Panacea
All is not rosy with corn ethanol and other biofuels, according to a February 7 Scientific American online article. The article reported on the release of two new research studies that show that converting corn to ethanol is leading to increased...
The WasteWatcherRhetorical Flim-Flam
In the wake of the March 13 vote on a one-year moratorium on congressional earmarks, it is time for a post-mortem on who said what in the heat of the battle. The amendment, offered by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) to the fiscal year 2009 budget...
The WasteWatcherFederal Government – The Ideal Tenant?
Apparently, the federal government has an aversion to commitment, at least in terms of property. According to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released on January 24, 2008, for the first time in history the federal government is...
The WasteWatcher“Emergency” Supplementals
“Hope for the best, but plan for the worst” is the approach most Americans try to take when it comes to setting aside funds for a rainy day. For the government, however, national emergencies, and the supplemental appropriations bills that tend to...
The WasteWatcherPentagon’s Travel System Still Grounded
There are a lot of reasons to complain about air travel: overbooking, rising costs, delays, cancellations, uncomfortable seats, and rude passengers, among others. With all of these hassles, travelers do have a plethora of online travel services to...
