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 […]
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.”