State governments across the country have enacted movie production incentives (MPIs), most commonly through tax credits, in an attempt to lure that business to their states. While the expenditures on these tax incentives are easily quantifiable, the same cannot be said for the benefits that their supporters claim are produced.
Bah Humbug! You’re A Mean One, Uncle Sam
The Christmas season may be long departed, but the Grinch (in the form of Uncle Sam) is working hard to dampen the magic of the holiday season by stealing the gift of a free market system right out from under the noses of U.S. taxpayers.
Farm Bill Grows Wealth of Narrow Agriculture Interests
On February 3, 2014, the Senate followed the House’s lead and voted 72-22 in favor of the conference report to accompany H.R. 2642, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, more commonly known as the Farm Bill. In passing the legislation, Congress is sending to the President a bill that is both a disaster for taxpayers and likely to be even more expensive and wasteful than the abysmal 2008 Farm Bill that it is replacing.
Obama’s 2014 SOTU: Epic Fail
In his fifth State of the Union address (SOTU) delivered to Congress on January 28, 2014, President Obama failed to utter a single word regarding government waste or the growing national debt, and threatened to continue acting as a “Congress of One,” legislating through the increased use of executive orders. He not only failed to identify a significant cost-cutting proposal or promote an effective pro-growth policy, he also offered only a laundry list of new government spending programs. The speech was long on self-congratulation and short on accomplishments because the President has little to preen about.
Declaration of Dependence
A February 4, 2013 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report confirmed what taxpayer watchdog groups such as Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) have been warning about for years: Obamacare is an unprecedented disaster for every American’s personal health and the country’s economic health. CBO reported that 2.5 million people, a historically high number, will leave the […]
The Good, the Bad, and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013
On December 26, 2013, President Obama signed H. J. Res. 59, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, which sets a two-year budget for fiscal year (FY) 2014 and FY 2015. Although H.J. Res. 59 included some positive provisions, on the whole, it is an ugly deal for taxpayers.
Put the Taxpayers’ Money and the Unemployed to Work
After emergency unemployment insurance benefits expired for more than 1.3 million Americans on December 28, 2013, President Obama vowed to make the issue a top priority in the New Year. On January 6, 2014, the Senate voted 60-37 in favor of S. 1845, which would extend the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program despite the effort […]
Obamacare Has Taken a Lickin…And It Still Isn’t Tickin
Well, now that January 1 has come and gone many of us get to experience the joys of government-controlled health insurance, better known as Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act. (Yes they ARE the same thing. There have been polls, which indicate people believe they are two different laws.) Three interesting stories popped up within […]
You Think Obamacare’s Problems Are Over? Just Wait.
Last week a lot of information was revealed about Obamacare and it’s not good. One Wednesday, December 11, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing entitled,” PPACA Implementation Failures: What’s Next?” The sole witness was the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Her testimony can be found […]
Farm Bill Reform: Waiting on Rain During a Drought
The 112th Congress made progress toward enacting a new Farm Bill, but eventually settled on a one-year extension. In the 113th Congress, the House and Senate passed their own versions of the Farm Bill, but unfortunately for taxpayers, the bills are still rife with profligate subsidies and outdated programs.