A strange unfunded mandate from the federal government is slated to cost taxpayers millions of dollars over the next few years. A new regulation by the Department of Transportation dictates that all street signs must be in a mix of upper and lower case font, and must meet new higher reflectivity standards. Local governments must pay for the replacements themselves. Each sign typically costs more than $100, so high-density areas face huge costs. For example in New York City, the cost is projected to reach $27.5million. It will cost smaller cities, like Milwaukee, approximately $2 million.
The Consumer Police and Sin Taxes
There have always been and will always be some people who believe they know what is best for everyone, so they try to force their will on the rest of society. This attitude is very much at odds withthe philosophy that liberty should be maximized and that people should be allowed to live their lives as they would like as long as they are not infringing on the rights of others.In recent years, the “we know best” crowd has expanded the number of activities that they believe need policing far beyond the traditional sins that have been targeted for decades and even centuries.
State Piglet Roundup
In conjunction with state taxpayer groups, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) released sixPiglet Books in 2010. The Piglet Books bring CAGW’s national expertise in exposing waste, fraud and abuse to the state and local levels.
Federal Bailout No More! State and Local Governments Must Deal With TheirOwn Pension Predicaments
In December 2008, state governments had nearly $1.94 trillion set aside in pension funds for approximately 20 million active state and local government employees and seven million retirees and dependents who currently receive benefits.
Using market-based discount rates that reflect the risk profile of pension liabilities, finance professors Robert Novy-Marx of the University of Chicago and Joshua Rauhof Northwestern University calculated that states have pension liabilities of $5.17 trillion, which means that state pension plans are unfunded by $3.23 trillion. Local government pension plans are unfunded by $574 billion.
Cut Corporate Income Taxes
America has been called the land of opportunity largely because it has been a place where businesses and individuals prosper. This has been the result of a stable government, an educated workforce, protection of intellectual property, and a tax rate that historically has been low. Unfortunately, taxes are now going in the wrong direction.
Privacy Problems
Privacy may mean different things to different people, but at a certain level everybody wants their privacy protected. The advent and growth of the Internet has greatly amplified privacy issues.
As with every other subject that comes to the forefront of the American psyche, Congress is gearing up to offer legislation to “protect privacy.” As usual, this means Congress could do more harm than good.
Port Earmark Divides South Carolina Senators
Citing the need to modernize the Port of Charleston, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) submitted a $400,000 earmark to the Senate version of the fiscal year 2011 Energy and Water Appropriations Act to study the port’s potential deepening. However, the Senate Appropriations Committee rejected the project.
Pork on Life Support: Time to Pull the Plug
Save America’s Treasures was one of the 60 programs proposed for elimination in President Obama’s 2011 Terminations, Reductions, and Savings report. Released in February 2010, the report recommended the elimination of the program because it “has not demonstrated how it contributes to nationwide historic preservation goals.” Its demise would allow the National Park Service to“focus resources on managing national parks and other activities that most closely align with its core mission.” Citizens Against Government Waste has long criticized the program, which has been the source of tens of millions of dollars in pork since 2001.
ObamaCare Challenges Move Ahead in Court
Over the past two years, taxpayers have watched the national debt climb to a frightening $13.7 trillion as Congress and President Obama massively enlarged the size and scope of the federal government against the will of the people. Americans have simply had enough of the bailouts, tax hikes, earmarks, onerous regulations, and seemingly endless number of “jobs” bills. The passage of President Obama’s landmark healthcare legislation, however,was perhaps most symbolic of Washington’s reckless and profligate behavior.
Extending Bush Era Tax Cuts Will Aid the Economic Recovery
One of the more spirited public policy debates that hasunfolded leading into the midterm elections has been what Congress should do with the Bush-era tax cuts,which are set to expire at the end of this year. President Obama has stated he favors only extending tax cuts for the middle class and letting others expire, while businesses, Republicans, moderate Democrats, and taxpayer advocates maintain that anything other than a full extensionamounts to a tax increase that will only prolong the nation’s current economic woes.