When the Jackson Five (featuring a very young Michael Jackson) appeared on American Bandstand on February 21, 1970, they sang about love being as easy as learning the ABCs. But childhood crushes pale in comparison to a truly nefarious coupling: the marriage of private gains and taxpayer losses.
Sugar, ah, Funny Money!
In a March 2013 post on Swineline, CAGW took its first crack at a parody of the 1969 bubblegum classic, “Sugar, Sugar.” Today’s title riffs on the hit song’s first verse (Sugar, ah, honey, honey!), taking the jibe one step further. Readers can decide for themselves whether the not-so-veiled indictment (“funny money”) pertains to either the $49 million in federal campaign donations (more than any other crop sector except tobacco) that keep the sweet supports in place or the exorbitant amounts of taxpayer dollars that are lost on this boondoggle.
The USA Act(s): A Tale of Two Spending Reform Bills
To borrow from (and bifurcate) one of Charles Dickens’ most famous sentences, the current governing environment might be described as “the worst of times … the age of foolishness … the epoch of incredulity … the winter of despair …” Anyone who remembers the rest of the opening line from A Tale of Two Cities knows that Dickens painted a more balanced picture, referencing also “the best of times … the age of wisdom … the epoch of belief … the spring of hope …” That upbeat effort notwithstanding, a cup half full does not accurately reflect the state of government spending today.
Flying High(er): Much-Needed Aviation Infrastructure Reform on the Horizon
Thanks to some thoughtful leadership on Capitol Hill, the skies could soon get a little friendlier for the travelling public and taxpayers, if innovations envisioned for the aviation industry come to fruition as the result of legislation being considered over the next several weeks. On February 3, 2016, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) introduced H.R. 4441, the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act. The current authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expires on March 31.
Solar Socialism 2.0: The Subsidy Saga Continues
On December 1, 2015, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) published a report, “The Sun Should Set on Solar Socialism.” The report reviewed the history of federal energy subsidies, particularly the dramatic increase in funding following the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Between 2004 and 2015, tax expenditures for alternative electricity generation cost $13.7 billion, according to the Internal Revenue Service; meanwhile, the University of California at Berkeley Energy Institute at Haas Business School stated that total tax expenditures for the four largest clean energy tax credits had cost more than $18 billion since 2006.
From Boondoggle to Bailout: Governor Hogan’s Wrong Turn on the Purple Line
The March 2015 edition of WasteWatcher included an article about local transit projects, “Transportation Boondoggles: Streetcars and Other Things Lacking Desire.” One of the culprits was the proposed Purple Line, a bait-and-switch,* multi-billion dollar, 16-mile light-rail line connecting New Carrollton and Bethesda, two Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C.
GSEs Should Spread the Risk (and Share the Profits)
Political discourse these days, particularly on the left, often takes the form of haranguing the much-vaunted “1 percent” to “spread the wealth” to the remaining 99 percent, as though such redistribution would solve society’s ills. The inadequacies of this idea notwithstanding, perhaps the discussion—at least in the context of the mortgage giants Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac)—can shift to something that is both more achievable and more beneficial to taxpayers: spreading the risk.
Reconcilable Differences
While “irreconcilable differences” is a term often used in divorce proceedings, it might also describe the vast policy chasm on legislative proceedings between an extremely liberal President and an increasingly conservative Congress. In that light, where all but the least controversial policies (think naming of post offices) face a veto threat, it is no wonder that the Republican majorities in both chambers have resigned themselves to getting few of their legislative priorities to the President’s desk, with little hope that he will agree to sing the bills into law.
What FHA Should Do: A Prescription for Prudence
For those who didn’t get enough of “Mortgage Meltdown” (the original) the first time around, the remake is sure to be appearing soon in a nearby theater.
CCAGW’s Congressional Ratings: A Recap of 2014 and the 2016 Presidential Candidates
On July 30, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, released its 2014 Congressional Ratings, highlighting the voting records of all 535 members of Congress. The ratings, which CCAGW has issued annually since 1990, identify which members of Congress voted to protect and save the taxpayers’ money, as well as those who consistently voted against their interests on spending and taxes.