As federal fiscal years wind down, a frustrating ritual takes place throughout departments and agencies: a spending surge on frivolous items in order to avoid budget cuts in the next fiscal year. The final month of fiscal year 2016 is no exception.
The Long Musical Road Home
As a preview to the 50th Anniversary of the Country Music Awards on November 2, 2016, the Country Music Association released a mashup video of three of its most popular songs. Entitled “Forever Country,” the revisited songs were “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” written by John Denver, Bill Danoff, and Taffy Nivert; “On The Road […]
The Cover Oregon Debacle
On September 15, 2016, and with little hubbub beyond the state’s borders, Oregon and Oracle, the prime vendor for the state’s Obamacare’s online marketplace exchange “Cover Oregon,” announced they had reached a settlement in a lawsuit. The dispute revolved around who was at fault for the website’s colossal failure. While the state had been asking more than $6 billion in damages, it will receive $100 million in goods, services, and cash.
Unauthorized Spending, Sacred Cows, and the Need for Training Wheels
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has long advocated for reforms to the way that Congress does business, focused on senators and representatives who turn blind eyes to ever-increasing spending. One such reform, introduced on March 14, 2016 by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) is H.R. 4730, the Unauthorized Spending Accountability (USA) Act.
Upstate New York Film Project Flops
When state officials decide to dabble in the movie making business, the plotline often takes an unfortunate twist.
Possessed by Pensions: Impending Union Bailouts
With Halloween around the corner, teenagers and adults alike will dust off classic scary movies, ranging from the comical (Ghostbusters) to the terrifying (The Exorcist). They may have seen these movies dozens of times, but they continue to be surprised and still jump at the sight of these demonic possessions when young Regan “spider-crawls” down the stairs of her mother’s Georgetown home or ghosts terrorize New York City. Like these and other scary movies, Congress is on the verge of yet another horror show that has been seen too many times: a taxpayer-funded bailout.
Land of the Free and Home of the Subsidies
Renewable energy politics has become a powerful force at both the federal and state level. Wind and solar advocates argue that renewable energy generates power without the expense of burning fossil fuels. While this may sound appealing, the reality is that this energy supply is highly subsidized and the policies are fossilized.
A Cure for Electoral Depression: Focus Final 2016 Presidential Debate on Policy Solutions
In a recent poll, a sizable portion of young Americans said they would rather vote for a giant meteor to strike the Earth over either of the two presidential candidates. There might be a reason for such a dark and depressing result. The first two presidential debates have utterly failed to discuss important issues facing the nation with any depth, choosing to focus on shenanigans instead of substance.
Wireless Tax Burdens Continue to Grow
In December 2005, there were 207.9 million wireless subscriber connections in the U.S. As of the end of December 2015, that number had grown to 377.9 million wireless subscribers, a gain of more than 170 million over the ten-year period. Today’s mobile devices and services provide much more than just the ability to make a […]
Medicare Making Improper Payments to Prisoners
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently exposed vulnerabilities that end up costing taxpayers hundreds of billions in wasteful spending due to erroneous and sloppy billing, and outright fraud. The OIG’s October 7, 2016 report documented that even though The Medicare Access and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization […]