Clay County, Missouri Police Captain Matt Hunter described his department’s new acquisition, a 54,000-pound, 10-foot tall vehicle known as a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle (MRAP), as a “$750,000 machine that we got for absolutely nothing…taxpayers didn’t have to pay anything for it.”
Telecom Heats Up the Summer Months
In March 2014, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) released “Telecom Unplugged: Unleashing a New Digital Era,” which highlighted topical telecommunications issues. Now that summer is in full swing, politicians and bureaucrats are feverously pitching to finish their work on telecommunications legislation and regulations before the glorious August recess, when only the tourists trudge their way down the scorching hot Mall.
Regulatory Funny Business
The normal federal agency rulemaking process begins with the issuance of a notice of proposed rulemaking, followed by a notice and comment period. The public and parties impacted by the regulation usually have at least 30 to 60 days to review the provisions of the rule and submit their comments to the issuing agency. Unfortunately, this procedure is often being cast to the side, as agencies are instead using tactics outside of the normal regulatory process to accomplish policy goals.
Definitely Not a Free Lunch
In fiscal year (FY) 2012, 30.7 million out of 50 million, or 61 percent, of U.S. students enrolled in public and non-profit private schools participated in both the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP), federally assisted meal programs funded by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service. Unfortunately, a June 15, 2014 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that when it comes to certifying beneficiaries for the NSLP, the federal government’s eyes are certainly bigger than its stomach.
Here We Go…AGAIN!
President Obama has told the Congress and the country that he will be using his pen and phone to get his priorities implemented. That has meant bypassing Congress and changing, or ignoring, current law. It is well known that this has occurred several times during the horrendous rollout of the Affordable Care Act (ACA / […]
Is Another Special Exemption from Obamacare on the Way?
Last week on June 18, Inside Health Policy reported that lobbying efforts were underway by organizations that represent Medicaid-dependent providers, such as home care services, establishments that care for the disabled, hospice care facilities, etc., to get a special carve-out from the employer health insurance mandate found in the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare.) Under the […]
House Judiciary Tackles GSA Waste
House Judiciary Tackles GSA Waste By Colin Gamm The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet held a hearing today on two cases of wasteful courthouse renovations. The hearing topic was entitled “GSA’s Failure to Meet the Needs of the Judiciary: A Case Study of Bureaucratic Negligence and Waste.” The full Judiciary […]
City Residents Tell Investment Group No
According to a June 18, 2014 article by Deseret News, residents of Lindon, Utah rejected a proposed partnership with the Australian-based Macquarie Group that would have given Macquarie control of the Lindon fiber optic network for 30 years. Lindon is the first member of the Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA) to decline the Macquarie […]
CCAGW to Senate Judiciary: Lift Outdated , Onerous Regs During STELA Markup
June 17, 2014 The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy Chairman Senate Judiciary Committee 224 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Charles Grassley Ranking Member Senate Judiciary Committee 224 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear Chairman Leahy and Ranking Member Grassley, On behalf of the more than one million members and supporters […]
Tick Tock Goes The Clock – But H.R. 3086 Passes First Hurdle
On June 18, 2014, the House Judiciary Committee ordered reported to the House of Representatives by a vote of 30 to 4, H.R. 3086, the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act. The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) sent a letter to committee on June 17, 2014 supporting this legislation and urging final passage before […]