Green Acres, a zany television sitcom that aired on CBS from 1965 to 1971, featured the antics of a former New York City attorney, Oliver Wendell Douglas (portrayed with stuffy effectiveness by Eddie Albert), and his ditzy, socialite wife, Lisa (played by the lovely Eva Gabor), who have invested their wealth into a dilapidated farmhouse and the equally dysfunctional farm on which it sits. The highfalutin city dwellers have moved to rural Hooterville, a surreal community of country bumpkins where everyday rules of common sense just don’t seem to apply. In fact, one episode featured a storyline in which the townfolk were convinced that they could receive tax refunds without ever having paid taxes: to Oliver’s bewilderment, they did.
On the Hook for More Bailouts
On July 9, 2013, the Financial Stability Oversight Council voted to categorize American International Group (AIG) and GE Capital as systemically important according to a Washington Post article on the same day. The designations were provided for by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act after the financial crisis of 2008. AIG came […]
Bottom Feeders Take a Bite Out of the Farm Bill
On June 10, 2013 the Senate passed its version of the 2013 Farm Bill, which included a provision to create a new catfish inspection office at the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 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 Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-Miss.).
DCGS May Need to be Deep-Sixed
The Army’s Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS-A), a network-based tool intended to provide real-time access to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, invokes a strong reaction from both its proponents and detractors. According to Army brass, DCGS-A represents a breakthrough in intelligence support capability, while users have called it a “huge, bloated, excessively expensive money pit.”
Beyond its Intended Scope – The Pell Grant Predicament
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” […]