There were fireworks today at the House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing on the roll out of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. The hearing, entitled, “PPACA Implementation Failures: Didn’t Know or Didn’t Disclose?” questioned representatives from the major contractors that constructed the portal or website that is supposed to help individuals […]
Happy 35th Anniversary, Airline Deregulation!
As a hard-nosed researcher of low fares (in other words, I am a cheap flier), I am appreciative of the fact that, thirty five years ago today, President Jimmy Carter signed the Air Transportation Regulatory Reform Act into law, on October 24, 1978. Prior to airline deregulation, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) regulated the airline […]
Run Away Run Away!
It is no secret that the Obamacare roll out for its on-line portal to the healthcare exchanges has been a disaster. Taxpayers are shocked to learn they have paid $394 million (according to a Government Accountability Office report) for a system that has not worked since the Oct 1 opening day. The Obama Administration throws […]
And Here’s To You, Mrs. Lautenberg!
The recent action by Congress to provide a death gratuity to the widow of the late Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has raised a few eyebrows. Specifically, the continuing resolution (CR) passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in the late evening hours of Wednesday, October 16, included $174,000 – the equivalent of […]
Reality is Starting to Set In
Now that Washington has a temporary reprieve on budget and debt ceiling issues, perhaps the media will focus more on the continuing Obamacare slow-motion train wreck. It has been largely ignored by the main stream media but the news about the disastrous roll-out is trickling out. We all know the on-line system to shop and […]
Conn Artist?
This week, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs lead by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) released an investigative report on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) entitled, “How Some Legal, Medical, and Judicial Professionals Abused Social Security Disability Programs for the Country’s Most Vulnerable: A Case Study of the Conn Law Firm.” In the […]
This Is Another Nice Mess You’ve Gotten Us Into
The New York Times had an interesting story yesterday, which also raised some questions that need to be answered. According to the Times, the delays for signing up for insurance on the healthcare exchange are directly tied to a software crash when Obamacare officially opened on October 1. The problem occurred at the very beginning stage of […]
Computer Glitches or Poor Program Management
According to a July 17, 2013 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had obligated $303.4 million (77 percent of its total obligations for Obamacare) to establish the healthcare data hub, provide information technology support for federal employees working on the healthcare exchange, the Healthcare.gov website, and a healthcare […]
A Government That is Too Big
More and more news reports are surfacing about the overreach by the Obama Administration with regard to the partial government shutdown. Remember, some 82% of government spending is exempt from the shutdown. It is the White House that ultimately determines what is essential and stays open and what doesn’t in the federal government. First a […]
“As the Government Shuts Down to Save Money, Veterans Pay the Ultimate Price”
William Gladstone, Prime Minister of Great Britain in the 19th Century, once said: Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead, and I will measure exactly the sympathies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals. As hundreds of World War II […]