Unfortunately, U.S. Postmaster General John Potter has apparently decided that the business model he wants to emulate is that of beleaguered General Motors, whose Chief Executive Rick Wagoner took a 64 percent increase in his salary in 2007 while his company was taking a nosedive, losing $39 billion.
The RUS: A Fiscal Ruse
The so-called stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed by the President grows government so much it would even make FDR blush. There are countless expenditures included in the bill that have nothing to do with “fixing” the economy. One such item is $2.5 billion for broadband deployment through the Rural Utilities Service (RUS).
Stimulus Bill Raises Questions
As the current version of the stimulus bill awaits a Senate vote and President Obama’s signature, there are still plenty of questions and concerns about whether it will in fact stimulate the economy and create jobs. As House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) states on his website, “We need a bill that creates jobs….” One would think that this would be the goal, except it’s not always the case with this stimulus package.
Byrneing Down the House
The so-called “stimulus” bill signed by President Obama on February 17 has come under withering fire for being rife with wasteful boondoggles whose purposes are increasingly deemed to be more politically motivated than economically sound. The bill contains funding for dozens of new programs and exorbitant plus-ups for many existing programs. For example, buried in the depths of the leviathan-like bill is $2 billion for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program. In addition to the “stimulus” funding, Congress intends to include more money for the program in the upcoming fiscal year (FY) 2010 appropriations bills as well.
Stimulus Turns Federal Funding Spigot Into a Raging Firehose
With our nation’s faltering economy, businesses, communities, and families are undoubtedly suffering. However, they will not receive relief in the near future from the Democrat’s new federal fiscal stimulus proposal. According to a stimulus spending outlay chart released by Appropriations Committee Republicans, only seven percent of the funding will be spent this fiscal year and […]
Massive Expansion of SCHIP
Congress is poised to pass a massive expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Originally, SCHIP was designed to help low-income families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid gain access to health insurance for their children. However, under the bill currently being considered (H.R. 2), SCHIP’s income eligibility level would rise from the current 200 percent to at least 300 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), or about $63,000 for a family of four. In addition, some states don’t count certain types of income or have an approved waiver in order to boost eligibility for the program.
How to Build A Bigger Boondoggle
The media has settled on a politically palatable historical metaphor for the new Obama administration and it is Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Time made it official when it put a photo of Barack Obama as FDR on its cover for its November 24, 2008 issue. And FDR’s storied New Deal policies of the late 1930’s have also become a convenient, albeit simplistic archetype for the so-called stimulus package racing through Congress.
Economic Crisis, Congressional Reward
With the economy in recession, a national debt of $10.6 trillion, and a record estimated deficit of $1.2 trillion for the fiscal year, it seems a strange time for Congress to be receiving a raise, yet that is exactly what is scheduled to happen as the new session begins.
Congressional Oversight Needs Improvement
The House and Senate convened for the 111th Congress facing a record budget deficit and are currently considering a massive “stimulus” spending package. Now, more than ever, increased oversight of federal programs is essential to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent effectively. Congress has for far too long failed to adequately perform its oversight responsibilities. While holding more hearings would be helpful, this in and of itself is no guarantee that problems will be identified and corrected. The Obama Administration has promised oversight of how the stimulus money is spent, including the establishment of a new “recovery” website, but that will only happen after hundreds of billions of tax dollars go out the door and only address that legislation. The President has also appointed a chief performance officer in the White House.
A Word of Caution for President Obama
President Obama and Congress are in the process of putting together a “stimulus” package in order to spur the economy and create or save 3 million jobs. The House of Representative’s proposal contained $275 billion in tax cuts and $526 billion in “carefully targeted priority investments” for a total cost of $820 billion. It would be better to call it a de-stimulus package because each of the 3 to 4 million jobs that the President and his allies claim to be saving and creating will cost taxpayers about $275,000.