Most Americans have a favorite train story. When my parents took my brother, sister and me out West in 1966, we took the overnight train from Denver to Salt Lake City. We were awed by the beautiful scenery from the dome cars, ate well, slept comfortably, and enjoyed every minute of the trip.
Energy Battle Heats Up
Americans are feeling some relief from the drop in gas prices, which were more than $4.00 per gallon last summer and now hover around $2.25 per gallon. After expectations that winter home heating costs would rise dramatically above the prior year, they rose less than predicted. Some argue there is an “energy dividend” that is helping the economy by putting more money into consumers’ wallets.
Obama’s Earmark Reform? ShamWow!
On March 11, 2009 President Obama signed the fiscal year (FY) 2009 omnibus appropriations bill, which contained the nine remaining 2009 spending bills worth $410 billion. After making dizzying campaign promises to eliminate congressional earmarking once he won the Oval Office, the President, out of the sight of the media, signed a bill containing thousands earmarks and schooled taxpayers on his new and revised view of earmarks.
Joint Strike Fighter: Platform for Waste?
Designed for service by the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and eight international partners, the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program is expected to produce an aircraft with a few variations that will ultimately replace the in-service F-16 and F/A-18 aircraft. However, the program has long come under fire as being over-priced and behind schedule.
Ethical Lapses
In November, 2006, just after the sweeping victory by Democrats in the House of Representatives, the newly-minted Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) promised that her leadership team would create “the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history.” This seems like ancient history now. Since then, the House has been rocked by several allegations of unethical conduct. Yet, the House leadership’s general reaction to the ethical violations that seem to bloom almost daily appear to follow a pattern of partisan posturing and denial, followed immediately by paralysis, and ending with little or no accountability.
Waste and Fraud at the Central Intelligence Agency
Waste and fraud at the Central Intelligence Agency not only squanders taxpayers’ money but also endangers American lives. When money is diverted away from intelligence missions on rogue state nuclear threats, for example, Americans are at risk.
The USPS: Finally, Running Like A Real Private-Sector Business!
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.