The United States Postal Service (USPS) is fond of describing itself as a business, on par with some Fortune 100 companies. However, a recent investigation by the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) into allegations of misconduct of one of its chief spokespersons, Vice-President for Public Affairs and Communications (PAC) Azeezaly Jaffer, graphically reveals just how far removed postal business operations are from those of any well-run, private sector corporation.
Spending Database is a Big Victory for Taxpayers
On September 18, Congress finally passed S. 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006. But this victory for taxpayers was not won without controversy and confronting shenanigans caused by spendthrift porkers in the Senate.
A Little Rain, A Lot of Waste in Florida
How can a tempest that failed to arrive cost taxpayers $17 million? That is the estimated price of the impact of Hurricane Ernesto on South Florida. If you thought, as I had, that Ernesto struck the United States farther north and hardly affected the Sunshine State, you would be correct. $17 million is the amount some counties in southern Florida are claiming they are entitled to, in order to recoup their preparation costs.
Salvage the Good from the Healthcare Debacle
The healthcare reform juggernaut, arguably the most radical attempt to remake the economy and the nation’s healthcare infrastructure in history, was supposed to have flown through Congress before the August recess with nary a peep. Instead, as Americans have gotten wind of its alarming provisions and exorbitant costs, the plan appears to be fizzling fast in the summer heat.
Proposed Merger Threatens Taxpayers and Launch Market
Ronald Reagan once said, “The … inescapable truth is: government does not have all the answers. In too many instances, government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.”
Our Federal Government: Making a Bad Situation Worse
The benevolent federal government has found a way to spend almost one billion dollars exposing its citizens to a deadly carcinogen in the name of a humanitarian effort.
A Victory for the Defense Travel System
Since its initial creation in 1998, the Defense Travel System (DTS) has exhibited massive inefficiencies and waste. The project, created by the Department of Defense (DOD), was meant to serve as a cost-efficient travel system for DOD employees. The initial idea was to create an end-to-end electronic booking program. Instead of paying a travel agent $25 per flight, booking online through DTS would cost each individual approximately $5. According to DOD, the program was meant to save taxpayers $234 million in DOD travel costs, approximately $56 million annually.
Working Group Wastes Our Time
The Citizens’ Health Care Working Group was created by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 to foster a “national discussion” on healthcare to be presented as a report and reviewed by the President and Congress in order to change healthcare policy in America.
Flying High: HHS Secretary Proves Pork Can Fly
Mike Leavitt’s got a ticket to ride, and he don’t care. The Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary used a luxury private jet, leased by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention for use only in emergencies, to rack up $720,000, or 60 percent, of the $2.1 million the jet has cost taxpayers since January.
Swimming in Pork
House Appropriations Chairman Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) went off the deep end recently when he earmarked a whopping $1 million for a swimming pool in his district. Appropriations Committees in the House and Senate act as the gatekeepers to the lucrative business of earmarks and, as chairman, Rep. Lewis holds noteworthy influence to tack on pet projects to bills in a way that is not subject to debate or oversight.