The most essential nutrient for people is water. This is particularly true when someone is exercising or otherwise engaged in activities that require more than a “normal” amount of water. Those activities would include strenuous walking or hiking, such as one might do while visiting one of America’s national parks.
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.
Dr. Tom Coburn’s Legacy
From 2008 until he retired from the Senate in January 2015, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) provided an invaluable resource for taxpayers by publishing compilations of the worst wasteful spending. Between 2011 and 2014, the annual publication was called “The Wastebook.” The October 2014 version of this report revealed an $856,000 grant to train mountain lions […]
IRS Commissioner Impeached by House Committee
Since the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1789, the House of Representatives has filed articles of impeachment just 17 times and only eight times did the Senate convict. Alexander Hamilton wrote that impeachment should be reserved for “those offenses which proceed from the misconduct of public men, or, in other words, from the abuse or violation of some public trust.”
The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Intellectual Property
On October 5, 2015, negotiations for the TPPA concluded and a summary of the 30 chapters of the agreement was released. Chapter 18 of the agreement specifically discusses the rights and responsibilities of each TPP member nation in protecting IP. The 12 TPPA member nations are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam.
October – What A Month for Obamacare
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), more commonly known as Obamacare, did not have a very good October and it will only get worse for the President’s vaunted healthcare “reform” plan. Temporary walls that were built to protect Obamacare from market forces and normal consumer responses are starting to collapse. Hit One: On October 1, the Centers for […]
Judge Tells Federal Agency to Obey the Law for Drug Discount Program
Taxpayers and consumers pay for misuse of the 340B program through higher insurance premiums, increased drug prices and taxes.
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.
Government “Shutdowns”: History and Consequences
During the weeks before fiscal year (FY) 2015 ended on September 30, 2015, many in Washington and across the nation braced for the potential of a “government shutdown.” But, on that last day of FY 2015, Congress passed a short-term continuing resolution (CR) that avoided a shutdown and funded the government through December 11. On October 2, President Obama vowed to veto any further short-term funding bills. With the specter of the second government shutdown in three years looming for the holidays, it is helpful to understand how a shutdown works and what the consequences might be.
Improper Payments Burning Medicare While CMS and Congress Fiddle
The great umbrage against government waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement expressed by politicians during election cycles give taxpayers hope that something will be done when they get to the nation’s capital. And there is no shortage of targets once they arrive on Capitol Hill.