Politico Pro, a Washington D.C.-based policy magazine, recently wrote a piece entitled, “The Sequester’s Slow Burn,” by Darren Samuelsohn. He starts off by saying, “So the era of sequestration has meant furloughs for more than 800,000 workers and entire agencies are shuttered for days – and those were the easy cuts. There are nine more years […]
On the Hook for More Bailouts
On July 9, 2013, the Financial Stability Oversight Council voted to categorize American International Group (AIG) and GE Capital as systemically important according to a Washington Post article on the same day. The designations were provided for by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act after the financial crisis of 2008. AIG came […]
Bottom Feeders Take a Bite Out of the Farm Bill
On June 10, 2013 the Senate passed its version of the 2013 Farm Bill, which included a provision to create a new catfish inspection office at the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jean Shaheen (D-N.H.) sponsored an amendment that would have eliminated the program, but a vote was blocked by Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-Miss.).
Beyond its Intended Scope – The Pell Grant Predicament
On July 1, 2013, the interest rate for federally subsidized student loans doubled from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. Lawmakers left for the July 4 recess without addressing the increase, in part due to differing opinions regarding the extent to which the federal government should subsidize higher education, which has become significantly more expensive in recent years. One reason for rising costs is the government’s subsidy portfolio, which includes Pell grants.
Brand USA: a Gravy Train Keeps Rolling
On the increasingly rare occasion that Congress gets around to passing a bill, it is not at all uncommon for the final version to include measures that bear no relation to the legislation’s title or stated intent.
Fraud? What, Me Worry?
While most of the public was focused on the Obama Administration’s announcement that the employer mandate under Obamacare would be delayed a year, another postponement was slipped in under the radar. The administration decided to forgo, for the time being anyway, implanting the anti-fraud measures for those individuals that accept taxpayer-funded subsidies to purchase health […]
Heard It Through the Grape Vine
What would you think of a government that believes too many raisins are being grown and harvested in a particular year so it decides to confiscate a portion of the crop? Even worse, more often than not, the government will not pay the farmer for the portion of the crop it has taken. Sounds almost Soviet-esque doesn’t […]
In the Year 2015
By now you have heard how the Obama Administration is delaying the implementation of the employer mandate for Obamacare until 2015. While detractors of the law claim the motive behind the delay is to stop mass chaos just before the 2014 election that will harm Democrats, defenders sight other reasons. Valarie Jarrett, senior advisor to […]
Africa Doesn’t Need a Task Force Funded by American Taxpayers
President Obama has wrapped up his eight day tour of Africa on July 3, 2013, during which he has pledged policies aimed at improving the continent. One such pledge came about during a speech in Tanzania, when the president announced his forthcoming initiatives against the poaching and trafficking of protected African wildlife. According to a […]
Bottom Feeders Take a Bite Out of the Farm Bill
On June 10, 2013 the Senate passed its version of the Farm Bill, which included provisions to operate catfish inspections by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jean Shaheen (D-N.H.) sponsored an amendment that would have eliminated the program, but a vote was blocked by Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie […]