The Senate overwhelmingly approved its version of the Farm Bill on June 10, 2012 with a vote of 66-27. There is plenty to say about what is in the $955 billion legislation—with more than $760 billion for going to food stamps and nutrition programs, and billions more going to various other programs, it seems that […]
The High Taxation of Wireless Service
The adoption of wireless communications has grown from 48.7 million subscribers in 1997 to 321.7 million subscribers in 2012. Despite the increased use of this innovative technology, the wireless industry is one of the most heavily taxed in the nation. The U.S. average state and local sales tax for most goods and services is currently […]
Internal Revenue (Dis)Service
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is under heavy scrutiny after a report by the Inspector General (IG) at the Treasury Department. Recent videos have surfaced showing IRS employees practicing the popular dance, “the cupid shuffle” and parodying Star Trek. Costing more than $50,000, these videos add visual representations of the service’s recent misuse of tax […]
Mixed News on Defense
The summer appropriations process for the Department of Defense (DOD), beginning with the initial authorizing bills, has thus far brought a mixed bag of news. On the positive side, the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) directs the Pentagon to look for commercial products capable of performing functions currently under the purview […]
Senators Seek Elimination of Wasteful and Overlapping Benefit Payments
On June 6, NBC News and The Wall Street Journal released a poll that showed Americans blame welfare programs more than any other reason for persistent poverty in the United States. The poll was conducted between May 30 and June 2 and sampled 1,000 adults. Respondents were given a list of eight factors and were […]
Postal Reform: A Chance for Republicans to Say Yes!
“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”
No Sweeter Time for Sugar Reform
Among the bevy of wasteful, misguided, market-distorting policies that comprise U.S. agricultural policy, perhaps none is more convoluted or a product of cronyism than the commodity support program for sugar.
Getting Rid of Antiquated Federal Programs
All things must end; however, federal agencies always seem to find new ways to justify continuing obsolete programs, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Utility Service (RUS).
The ESPC Zone: Everyone Scores on Energy Efficiency
To the untrained ear, subjects like “Green this” and “LEED-certified that” might be expected to turn off the typical Republican, according to those who buy into the stereotype that those whose politics are right-of-center are disinterested in anything considered “environmentally conscious.” On the flip side, that same untrained ear might expect doctrinaire Democrats to balk at any profit-motivated business solution to significant government problems. But Reps. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) are managing to shred these paper tigers, without abandoning their respective ideological credentials. With a little help from their friends, Rep. Gardner and 11 more House Republicans have joined with Rep. Welch and 15 of his Democratic colleagues in forming the House Energy Savings Performance Caucus.
Recovery Audit Contracting: The Wave of the Future
On the large list of sources of waste in Medicare, improper payments are near the top. According to a February 27, 2013 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, “In 2012, the Medicare program covered more than 49 million elderly and disabled beneficiaries at an estimated cost of $555 billion, and reported improper payments estimated to be more than $44 billion.” Medicare’s high level of complexity and susceptibility to improper payments are among the reasons that the GAO designates Medicare as a high-risk area. One method that has proven successful in reducing improper payments is the increased usage of recovery audit contractors (RACs).