On June 12, actor Robert Redford wrote an editorial in USA Today criticizing the president for taking little to no action with respect to global warming…oh pardon…climate change. Redford stated, “Clearly, the president understands the climate issue. But he owes more to future generations than his intellectual acknowledgement about the hardships they will face if […]
Waking Up to Reality
The press and many fans of Obamacare are beginning to wake up to problems with the healthcare law. It appears reality, not the Utopia that was promised, is settling in. I have written about this in an earlier blog found here. Now, the New York Times is pondering another possible scenario with respect to the law and employers. […]
COINS Act Makes Cents
On June 6, 2013, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), along with Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), and Mark Udall (D-Colo.) introduced S. 1105, the Currency Optimization, Innovation, and National Savings Act. This bipartisan legislation would save the United State $4.5 billion by eliminating the $1 bill and replacing with the $1 […]
Boneheaded Bonuses and Boondoggles
Just when you thought the IRS had been properly chastised and humbled for its egregious behavior with respect to its over-the-top spending on training conferences, some $50 million between 2010 and 2012, the agency is now preparing to hand out $70 million in bonus money to its employees. This is being done in spite of […]
Unchanging Laws in a Marketplace of Change
The Center for Disease Control released a June 2013 report showing the number of households using only wireless telephone services is on the rise. This trend reinforces the need to update existing telecommunications law to reflect the current state of the marketplace. No longer are Americans reliant on only one form of communication service, but […]
Show Ex-Im the Ex-It
The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) is among the federal government’s least-known but most obvious examples of corporate welfare. Its populist mission – the subsidization of American exports – might appeal to a wide swath of economically unsophisticated observers, but it is nonetheless an unfair giveaway of tax dollars. The Ex-Im bank […]
Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others
In April, I wrote about a developing story that some members of Congress were looking for ways to get themselves and their staff out from participating in Obamacare. There was such a large kerfuffle and outrage about it that news reports quickly surfaced that Congress was doing no such thing. Yesterday Politico broke another story […]
“Campaign to Cut Waste” Falls Short
On June 13, 2011, President Obama issued Executive Order No. 13576, which called for “Delivering an Effective, Efficient and Accountable Government.” In a short video released on June 12, 2011, President Obama identified specific examples of the types of savings that could be achieved through the Executive Order. He touted the entire effort as his “Campaign to Cut Waste,” which, […]
Reform on Sugar Policy Isn’t Getting Sweeter
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 […]