Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2775, legislation that requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to have a program in place that verifies the household income and coverage requirements of individuals and families applying for taxpayer-funded subsidies and credits to help them purchase health insurance under Obamacare. By law, the credits […]
Another New Math?
It seems that Treasury Secretary Jack Lew may have created another form of “new math.” According to CNSNews.com, the U.S. Treasury has not reported an increase in the debt for the entire month of August. It has remained at the same level every day since May. As CNSNews points out, “that makes 112 days that, […]
A Common Problem in U.S. Education
The Common Core State Standards Initiative, originally sponsored by the National Governor’s Association, and supported by President Obama, will change the way students are tested and how teachers will teach by the year 2014. If there’s any confusion on what that means, just read the Common Core’s mission statement: “The standards are designed to be […]
You’re Kidding, More Government Excess?
I’ve written before about several reports released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which catalog duplication of and excess in programs across the government. The GAO offers suggestions on reducing the duplication that would release funding for other government programs and deficit reduction. You can find my prior blogs here and here. Here are some […]
Rotten to the (Common) Core
Starting in mid-August, children began returning to classrooms across the country. The individuals who work in school districts have the most personal (and visceral) contact of any level of government, especially since parents entrust them with their progeny. But this close relationship may be supplanted by mandates from on high (or wherever it is that education apparatchiks perch), where a handful of policy wonks (not Father) supposedly knows best. If they have their way, these D.C. do-gooders will dictate the curricula for elementary schools in Elmira, junior highs in Joplin, and high schools in High Point.
Fraudsters Eating Your Lunch
In July, the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) released an investigative report entitled, “Fraudulent School Lunch Program Applications Filed by Public Employees.” The OSC discovered that 83 public employees, 26 individuals that were a spouse or partner of the public employee, and eight individuals that were another member of the employee’s family provided false information regarding their household income on applications for the school lunch program. Even more disturbing, six elected school board members from Newark, Paterson, and Pleasantville were part of the scam.
Revive the Yucca Mountain Project
On August 13, 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 that the Obama administration must resume consideration of Yucca Mountain as a repository for the nation’s nuclear waste. The ruling was the latest event in the quest to resolve the decades-old battle over where the country should store its roughly 70,000 metric tons of nuclear waste.
Geez, Louise: Let’s Squeeze the GSEs!
Joe and Teresa Giudice, aka one of the “Real Housewives of New Jersey,” are fresh off of a 39-count indictment for mail fraud, wire/bank/bankruptcy fraud and making false statements on mortgage loan applications. And when it comes to misleading mortgage-related information, their anthropomorphic equivalent may just be that government-sponsored (and now owned) enterprise (GSE) couple, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, aka Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The Brave New World of Intellectual Piracy
By any standard, the Pirates of the Caribbean have nothing on the antics of the pirates of India. An April 2013 Indian Supreme Court decision has handed over the keys to the castle, and declared open season on pirating intellectual property (IP). The booty in that case was for a drug to treat cancer that was developed by Novartis, a Swiss drug manufacturer. The decision opens the door for future denials of drug patents and IP infringement for other industries.
To Boldly Go Where No Congress Has Gone Before
The 113th Congress is headed toward a very humble place in the record books by passing the fewest number of bills signed into law since that statistic was first tracked more than 70 years ago. Thus far, the House and Senate have passed only 15 bills, including one all-important piece of legislation that specified “the size of precious-metal blanks that will be used in the production of the National Baseball Hall of Fame commemorative coins.” The current record low of 220 bills was set in the 112th Congress.