On Tuesday, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations had a hearing on the Obamacare website roll out and the numerous computer “glitches” that have and are continuing to surface since its opening on October 1. It was an eye opening hearing and shows the website still is not really ready for prime […]
CBO Releases “Options for Reducing the Deficit 2014-2023”
The Congressional Budget Office released “Options for Reducing the Deficit 2014-2023” last week. The CBO periodically writes a report that provides a list of policy options of where Congress can take action to reduce annual budget deficits that add to the debt and provides the budgetary effects of those actions. This year’s list of policy […]
They Knew. They All Knew.
We are seeing a lot of panic on Capitol Hill these days as Obamacare continues to unravel. Certainly, the functionality of the Healthcare.gov website was initially the primary focus of concern. But when millions of Americans began to lose healthcare policies they liked in spite of the president’s numerous promises that “you can keep your […]
Obamacare Rollout – It’s More Than Just Glitches
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif), when queried on October 18 about the problems with the disastrous Obamacare online rollout on October 1, said:
There’s no question that what’s happening with the systems, the national plans is something that has to be improved. They were overwhelmed by the traffic. Okay, but now let’s see how long it’s going to take to have that be fixed. But, that’s about the technology — about the benefits, about the liberation of people to a healthier life of liberty, freedom to choose their happiness, that all remains.
A Bittersweet Victory for CAGW
Ronald Reagan once said, “Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth!” A corollary to that notion is that in the rare circumstance when a government agency or program disappears, it does not necessarily die. Such is the case with the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS), a missile defense system long opposed by Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW).
Return to Regular Order Budget Process
On October 16, 2013, President Obama agreed to Congress’s plan to fund the government through January 15, 2014 and raise the debt ceiling through February 7, 2014. The deal also included instructions to House and Senate leaders to appoint negotiators to meet and produce a long-term budget plan by December 13, 2013. The budget conferees met for the first time on October 30, 2013 to discuss how an agreement could be reached to reconcile the two chambers’ budgets.
“Essential Waste”
The first government shutdown since 1996 began on October 1, 2013, spurred by a debate over the federal budget and Obamacare. Approximately 800,000 federal employees were declared “non-essential” and furloughed.
IP Summit 2013 Highlights Protecting Intellectual Property
On Friday, November 8, 2013, I had the opportunity to attend IP Summit 2013, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Intellectual Property Center. This daylong conference highlighted the importance of protecting intellectual property (IP) from counterfeiting, theft, and black market merchandising. When talking about the protection of IP, few understand the full breadth […]
I’m Shocked, Shocked to Find That Fraud is Going on in Obamacare!
When I first saw the headline on the Drudge Report, “VIDEO SHOCK: O’Keefe reveals Obamacare corruption…,” I immediately thought of the classic movie, “Casablanca” and heard those immortal words, “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” James O’Keefe, the well-known videographer, is at it again. John Fund has written an eye-opening, […]
Put a Fork In it! Earmarks are Dead … Almost.
In a November 4, 2013 blog published in The Hill titled “Congress should return to responsible earmark policy,” former Rep. George Nethercutt (R-Wa.) claimed that failure to do so would create “purist legislators who largely disdain compromise, resist seniority, and refuse Congressional earmarks.” Rep. Nethercutt is correct that while earmarks account for a small amount […]