Deficits are soaring and spending continues unrestrained. Americans are infuriated at a government that does not appear to care about how much is being spent or even if the spending has any relation to the amount of revenue coming into the government. Neither President Obama nor Congress appear to care how much this spending will […]
The Ongoing Farce of the “Emergency Supplementals”
As the House of Representatives rushed to finish legislative business in advance of the Memorial Day recess, the fate of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010Supplemental Appropriations Bill was pushed off until lawmakers returnon June 8. The bill allocates $37.5 billion to support ongoing war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Unfortunately, it also piles on tens of billions of dollars in additional funding for dozens of non-emergency items, all of which add to the $1.56 trillion annual deficit and the national debt, which topped $13 trillion on May 25, 2010, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
GM’s “Claims” of Repayment
During the economic crisis that unfolded over the last few years, the federal government became the lender of the last resort, not because it had any money, but because it had the ability to borrow money on behalf of the taxpayers to lend to struggling businesses.
Cash for…Caulkers?
“Cash for Caulkers” sounds like a comical spin-off of the notorious “Cash for Clunkers” program. But on May 6, 2010, the House of Representatives made sure this was no joke, voting 246-161 in favor of H.R. 5019, the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010. The legislation authorizes a $5.7 billion program that will offer rebates to homeowners for renovations made using energy-efficient “green” materials, including better insulation and energy-saving windows and doors.
Time to Revisit the Benefits of $1 Coins
On April 21, 2010, the U.S. Treasury released its new version of the $100 bill. Featuring an updated portrait of Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, the bill boasts advanced measures to obstruct counterfeiters. However, while the federal government has recently focused on this large tender, more attention needs to be paid to the other end of the currency spectrum: the $1 coin.
The Congressional Pig Book in Focus
April 14, 2010 was not just the day before tax day; it wasalso the day when hard-working taxpayers got the news that$16.5 billion of their taxeswas wasted on pork-barrel earmarks with the unveiling of Citizen Against Government Waste’s (CAGW) annual expose of pork-barrel spending, the 2010 Congressional Pig Book. 2010 also marked the 20th anniversary […]
Stimulus Rebellion on the Eastern Shore
There is a brawl brewing in the bucolic fields of Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. The Obama Administration’s $862 billion stimulus fund, ostensibly targeted toward shovel-ready, jobs-producing projects, is going toward the construction of a decidedly non-shovel-ready 2,000-acre U.S. State Department security training facility that residents in the region neither need nor want. This tiny band of committed activists, comprised of Republicans, Democrats, private property rights advocates, conservationists, and small business owners, may go down in history as one of the only communities in the country to successfully reject a wasteful stimulus pork project.
CAGW Tells FCC: We Refuse to Stay Neutral
On January 13, 2010, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) filed comments urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to tread lightly on the net neutrality issue and consider its significant impact on America’s flourishing broadband industry. CAGW filed a second letter on April 7, 2010 reaffirming its opposition to the proposed net neutrality regulations and urging the FCC to steer clear of a reclassification of broadband under Title II of the Communications Act.
“There Ain’t No Rules Here”: Vote Buying, Fix-its, and Budget Gimmicks Used to Ram Through Healthcare Bill
On Christmas Eve morning, Senate Democrats managed to strong arm enough members with giveaways such as the “Cornhusker Kickback” and “Louisiana Purchase” to pass Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) healthcare bill, H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This $2.3 trillion legislation, packed with tax increases, insurance mandates, Medicare cuts, and rationed care was rammed through the House on March 21, 2010 in a 219-212 vote.
To Infinite and Beyond!
In 2004, former President George W. Bush announced his “Vision for Space Exploration.” In it he called for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop new spaceflight vehicles as part of the Constellation Program that would aim to return humans to the Moon by 2020. The estimated budget for implementing this program, according to a July 17, 2006 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, was nearly $230 billion.