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: […]
Who’s the Obstructionist?
While I tend to write mostly about healthcare issues, a November 27 article from Investor’s Business Daily, entitled “Obama Taking Hard Line, Blows Up Bipartisan Tax Deal,” provides a brief look into what the next two years will be like. Says Investor’s: The White House move this week to torpedo a deal between House Republicans […]
MR. GRUBER – COME ON DOWN!
On November 20, 2014, Chairman Darrel Issa of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee sent letters to Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Director Marilyn Tavenner and Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) professor Jonathan Gruber asking them to testify before his committee on December 9 at 9:30 AM. The topic: to examine the […]
Ding, Ding, Ding – Arlington, Virginia Hops Off the Trolley
Good for Arlington, Virginia for pulling the plug on its wasteful trolley project. May the action of a few sages in Arlington become a beacon of light to other municipalities, which may be experiencing the intense pressure of the “smart growth,” mass transit zealots, but really don’t want to bleed scarce tax dollars on projects […]
DOE Doublespeak: The “Profit” in Solar Energy Loan Programs?
George Orwell would feel vindicated. As he wrote in his blistering essay, “Politics and the English Language” (1946), “…[the English language] becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts… In our time, political speech and writing are largely the […]