On Sunday, when asked about deficit reduction, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) declared on CNN’s Sunday show State of the Union that “the cupboard is bare…there’s no more cuts to make.” This shocking quote reminded me of Tom Delay (R-TX), former House Majority Leader, who said in 2005 that there is “no fat” left […]
Fuzzy Math and Little Details on Obamacare Premium Costs
Today, the Department of HHS finally revealed the premium prices for Obamacare. Several press outlets got an advanced copy and some reporters were not all that impressed. Here is Politico’s take: The Obama administration on Wednesday released a long-awaited report on premiums in Obamacare’s federal insurance exchanges — the first look at the rates that will apply […]
Disability Insurance – Reform is Needed
A recent General Accountability Office (GAO) report, “Disability Insurance – Work Activity Indicates Certain Social Security Disability Payments Were Potentially Improper” reminds us that Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is the nation’s largest cash assistance program. In light of that, it is no surprise then that the congressional watchdog agency estimates that the Social Security […]
President Obama Meet Senator Obama
As we approach the debt-ceiling debate (expected to be sometime between mid-October and mid-November) it is worth to review what Senator Obama said about raising the debt ceiling in March, 2006. You can find his statement in the Congressional Record here, page 2237. but I have provided it for you just below. Before you read […]
Tax and Spend Won’t Fix the Results of the Financial Crisis
Today, the President gave a speech on the five-year anniversary of the financial meltdown and claimed his policies of government “investments” and intrusion into the private sector, higher taxes, and more regulations have helped the economy turn the corner. He called for more government spending as he claimed, yet again, turning the economy around is his top […]
Will the Senate Close the Door to Obamacare Fraud?
Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2775, legislation that requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to have a program in place that verifies the household income and coverage requirements of individuals and families applying for taxpayer-funded subsidies and credits to help them purchase health insurance under Obamacare. By law, the credits […]
Another New Math?
It seems that Treasury Secretary Jack Lew may have created another form of “new math.” According to CNSNews.com, the U.S. Treasury has not reported an increase in the debt for the entire month of August. It has remained at the same level every day since May. As CNSNews points out, “that makes 112 days that, […]
A Common Problem in U.S. Education
The Common Core State Standards Initiative, originally sponsored by the National Governor’s Association, and supported by President Obama, will change the way students are tested and how teachers will teach by the year 2014. If there’s any confusion on what that means, just read the Common Core’s mission statement: “The standards are designed to be […]
You’re Kidding, More Government Excess?
I’ve written before about several reports released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which catalog duplication of and excess in programs across the government. The GAO offers suggestions on reducing the duplication that would release funding for other government programs and deficit reduction. You can find my prior blogs here and here. Here are some […]
Revive the Yucca Mountain Project
On August 13, 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 that the Obama administration must resume consideration of Yucca Mountain as a repository for the nation’s nuclear waste. The ruling was the latest event in the quest to resolve the decades-old battle over where the country should store its roughly 70,000 metric tons of nuclear waste.