On July 1, 2013, the interest rate for federally subsidized student loans doubled from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. Lawmakers left for the July 4 recess without addressing the increase, in part due to differing opinions regarding the extent to which the federal government should subsidize higher education, which has become significantly more expensive in recent years. One reason for rising costs is the government’s subsidy portfolio, which includes Pell grants.
E-Rate for Education
Without a doubt, broadband provides the promise of improving every aspect of daily life in America. Job seekers can find employers, shoppers can find great deals and information can be shared through Internet access.
Brand USA: a Gravy Train Keeps Rolling
On the increasingly rare occasion that Congress gets around to passing a bill, it is not at all uncommon for the final version to include measures that bear no relation to the legislation’s title or stated intent.
Fraud? What, Me Worry?
While most of the public was focused on the Obama Administration’s announcement that the employer mandate under Obamacare would be delayed a year, another postponement was slipped in under the radar. The administration decided to forgo, for the time being anyway, implanting the anti-fraud measures for those individuals that accept taxpayer-funded subsidies to purchase health […]
Heard It Through the Grape Vine
What would you think of a government that believes too many raisins are being grown and harvested in a particular year so it decides to confiscate a portion of the crop? Even worse, more often than not, the government will not pay the farmer for the portion of the crop it has taken. Sounds almost Soviet-esque doesn’t […]
Farm Bill, Part 2: Divide (the Bill) and Conquer (the Conservatives?)
Rep. Frank D. Lucas (R-Okla.), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, has proposed a strategy to move the chamber’s recently failed 2013 Farm Bill forward to passage by the House and on to conference with the Senate’s already passed version. Stung by the unprecedented defeat of a recurring piece of legislation once considered “must pass” […]
In the Year 2015
By now you have heard how the Obama Administration is delaying the implementation of the employer mandate for Obamacare until 2015. While detractors of the law claim the motive behind the delay is to stop mass chaos just before the 2014 election that will harm Democrats, defenders sight other reasons. Valarie Jarrett, senior advisor to […]
Africa Doesn’t Need a Task Force Funded by American Taxpayers
President Obama has wrapped up his eight day tour of Africa on July 3, 2013, during which he has pledged policies aimed at improving the continent. One such pledge came about during a speech in Tanzania, when the president announced his forthcoming initiatives against the poaching and trafficking of protected African wildlife. According to a […]
What “Big Daddy” Unruh Would Say About “Big Sugar”
The late Jesse Unruh – the colorful former Speaker of the California State Assembly and supposedly nicknamed “Big Daddy” either by bombshell Raquel Welch or after Tennessee Williams’ patriarch in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (depending on which urban legend you prefer) – was famous for many things, not the least of which was […]
Bottom Feeders Take a Bite Out of the Farm Bill
On June 10, 2013 the Senate passed its version of the Farm Bill, which included provisions to operate catfish inspections by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jean Shaheen (D-N.H.) sponsored an amendment that would have eliminated the program, but a vote was blocked by Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie […]