The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released its audit of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) efforts in the aftermath of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. The report estimated that fraudulent payments totaled between $600 million and $1.4 billion.
Forest Party
Every year, South Carolina Forest Service employees participate in the All Employee Conference. The three-day conference has become an all-inclusive vacation on the taxpayers’ dime. Activities include arts and crafts, horseshoes, and senior bingo.
A Tale of Two Continents
America and Europe have two different visions of how to succeed in business. Europe does it without really trying, and America does it the old-fashioned way, by working hard and making higher quality and more desired products. This is particularly true in technology, which is one explanation for the European Commission’s (EC) ongoing crusade against Microsoft.
The Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment
The federal government’s continuing prosecution of medical marijuana patients undermines federalism and fiscal restraint. For the fourth year in a row, the House will vote on an amendment sponsored by Reps. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.). The amendment would prohibit the federal government from arresting users of medical marijuana in states where it has been deemed legal. The amendment does not prevent the Justice Department from prosecuting individuals using marijuana for a recreational purpose or individuals using marijuana for medicinal purposes in states where it is still considered illegal.
Waste on a Plane
Any traveler would prefer champagne, fine dining, and ample leg room on their next plane flight. However, most people either cannot afford a premium class ticket or deem it not worth the extra expense. Charging the tickets to the government has a way of changing the equation. An April 2006 Government Accountability Office report revealed how some public servants are traveling like rock stars at the taxpayers’ expense.
The Invasive Nature of “Net Neutrality”
The world has seen an incredible increase in computer and Internet capabilities over the last decade. This expansion has been spurred by the capitalist principles of competition. The dynamism of the Internet is now being threatened by politicians who want to regulate it. If implemented, regulation will stifle competition, raise consumer costs, and hinder high-speed Internet deployment and innovation.
Taxpayers Get Railroaded
In an emergency supplemental appropriations bill designed to provide $92 billion for the war on terror and hurricane relief, Mississippi Senators Trent Lott (R) and Thad Cochran (R) added $700 million to relocate newly repaired railroad tracks. The costly pork barrel project has been jammed into an already bloated bill which currently sits at $106.5 billion, or $14.5 billion above the $92 billion version passed by the House last month, which met the President’s request.
Iowa Nonprofit is Latest Earmark Outrage
The Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium (CIETC) is a nonprofit organization that provides job-training services for the Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) program. As extensively reported by The Des Moines Register, the group’s top three executives were recently fired after a state audit found that they collected a combined $1.8 million in salaries over 30 months. Congressional earmarks and breakdown of oversight allowed a cadre of greedy schemers to enrich themselves at taxpayer expense.
The CVC – Not a Capitol Idea
With 580,000 square feet, three underground stories, and space three-quarters the size of the Capitol itself, the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) is a monument to Congress’s own excess. It was recently announced that the project is experiencing yet another cost increase and construction delay. On February 15, an official from the Government Accountability Office testified […]
Taxpayers Get Charged Overtime
In March 2005, The Record revealed that more than 100 retired police officers with the New York Port Authority (PA) are getting at least $100,000 a year in pensions. Because many senior PA cops were logging long hours of overtime, and because overtime is included in pension calculations, retirees are receiving up to double the pay they made in a normal working year. At least 25 other PA retirees are getting pensions in excess of $100,000 as well.