For 16 years, Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu fed her constituents powerful promises of pork – pork barrel spending that is. Fortunately for taxpayers, the results of the December 6, 2014 Senate run-off race stifled any of Landrieu’s future attempts at bringing home the bacon, and eliminated the dangerous implications that Landrieu’s fiscal negligence could have […]
114th Congress: The New Sheriff(s) in Town
Unlike the United States Senate, control of the House of Representatives did not change as a result of the November 4, 2014 elections. However, the Republican majority did expand to at least 244 members, its highest level since the 1928 elections. Two seats in Louisiana will be decided by a December 6, 2014 runoff election, while the 2nd Congressional District of Arizona is the subject of a mandatory recount, with Republican Martha McSally slightly ahead of incumbent Democrat Ron Barber.
Surprising Republican Support for the Return of Earmarks
During a closed-door House Republican Conference meeting on November 14, 2014, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) proposed reinstituting earmarks for “state, locality (including county and city governments), or a public utility or other public entity.” His effort had startlingly significant amount of support in the Republican caucus: the proposal was defeated by a vote of 145-67. Rep. Rogers’ act netted him the dubious honor of being named Citizen Against Government Waste (CAGW)’s “Porker of the Month” for November 2014. Rep. Rogers is a repeat offender, also earning the award in April 2012, after his first failed attempt to end the earmark ban on March 30, 2012.
USPS Labor Woes: A Greek Tragedy
In the myth of Sisyphus, the protagonist angers the gods so much that they condemn him to spend eternity fruitlessly rolling a weighty boulder up a steep hill. This turns out to be an apt description of the fate of labor costs at the fiscally stressed United States Postal Service (USPS).
Net Neutrality Strikes Back
During the first week following its release on November 28, more than 42 million people had watched the trailer for “Star Wars VII – The Force Awakens.” It was a reminder that every time it appears either the Empire or the Republic are defeated, the vanquished side rises with renewed energy. Fittingly, the trailer appeared […]
New Study Shines Light on CFPB’s Discrimination Claims
As Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has previously pointed out, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is in the midst of a war against the auto financing industry. In March 2013, the agency issued guidance, stating that auto finance sources would be held accountable for alleged discriminatory loan pricing occurring through a practice known as dealer reserve. However, a study released on November 19, 2014 concludes that CFPB’s method to determine instances of discrimination is flawed.
The Government Slumlord
It is no secret that the federal government has too much real property. Plainly put, Uncle Sam is one extremely disorganized landlord that likes to purchase, lease, and hoard large amounts of costly real estate. And as with most operations left to languish at the hands of bureaucrats, the business is terribly wrought with mismanagement and a serious lack of transparency.
Jonathan Gruber Goes to Washington
Most of you know about Jonathan Gruber. He is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) economics professor that was hired as a consultant by the Obama administration to provide guidance on designing ObamaCare. He has often been called the “architect” of ObamaCare. What was his consulting fee just from the Department of Health and Human […]
Newt’s Very Bad Idea
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich often comes up with ideas to change how the government works. One of his most recent suggestions has made a lot of people who care about property rights scratch their head. At a December 2, 2014 meeting of Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy executives, Speaker Gingrich was asked about the […]
USPS In-APPtitude on Display
Sometimes, when it comes to grAPPling with the overarching, mind-numbing problem of trillions in government waste across all federal agencies, it’s the little vignettes that really illustrate and crystallize the larger story. And so it goes with the newest mis-hAPP unveiled by the United States Postal Service and reviewed by a reporter for Popular Mechanics: […]