In the twenty-first century, remarkable technology innovations have improved nearly every aspect of everyone’s lives. Smart TVs and smartphones are the most well-known examples; however, these innovations even extend to smoking. By 2025, health experts approximate that there will be nearly 1 billion cigarette smokers around the world. While cigarette smoking has declined in the […]
Time to Cut the Billions in Improper Payments
When the average American sees an incorrect charge on his or her credit card statement, a quick to call the bank ensues to ensure that the money is promptly returned. Unfortunately, the federal government is not as efficient. Since 2010, federal government improper payments have totaled nearly $600 billion, mostly (90 percent) in overpayments.
CMMI is Neither Centered nor Innovative
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) sounds like it should be involved in ground-breaking, state-of-the-art healthcare projects and programs. However, the center was created in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as Obamacare, which in and of itself raises red flags. CMMI is run by the Centers for Medicare […]
Lame-Duck Session, 114th Congress: The Victors, the Vanquished, and the Un-Inaugurated
For anyone unfamiliar with the patois of politics, the term “lame duck” may seem like a bit of an odd duck, rhetorically speaking. As defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the more common understanding of this phrase is “an elected official or group continuing to hold political office during the period between the election and the […]
Washington’s 2016 Year-End Spending Spree
As federal fiscal years wind down, a frustrating ritual takes place throughout departments and agencies: a spending surge on frivolous items in order to avoid budget cuts in the next fiscal year. The final month of fiscal year 2016 is no exception.
Unauthorized Spending, Sacred Cows, and the Need for Training Wheels
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has long advocated for reforms to the way that Congress does business, focused on senators and representatives who turn blind eyes to ever-increasing spending. One such reform, introduced on March 14, 2016 by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) is H.R. 4730, the Unauthorized Spending Accountability (USA) Act.
Upstate New York Film Project Flops
When state officials decide to dabble in the movie making business, the plotline often takes an unfortunate twist.
Possessed by Pensions: Impending Union Bailouts
With Halloween around the corner, teenagers and adults alike will dust off classic scary movies, ranging from the comical (Ghostbusters) to the terrifying (The Exorcist). They may have seen these movies dozens of times, but they continue to be surprised and still jump at the sight of these demonic possessions when young Regan “spider-crawls” down the stairs of her mother’s Georgetown home or ghosts terrorize New York City. Like these and other scary movies, Congress is on the verge of yet another horror show that has been seen too many times: a taxpayer-funded bailout.
A Cure for Electoral Depression: Focus Final 2016 Presidential Debate on Policy Solutions
In a recent poll, a sizable portion of young Americans said they would rather vote for a giant meteor to strike the Earth over either of the two presidential candidates. There might be a reason for such a dark and depressing result. The first two presidential debates have utterly failed to discuss important issues facing the nation with any depth, choosing to focus on shenanigans instead of substance.
Medicare Making Improper Payments to Prisoners
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently exposed vulnerabilities that end up costing taxpayers hundreds of billions in wasteful spending due to erroneous and sloppy billing, and outright fraud. The OIG’s October 7, 2016 report documented that even though The Medicare Access and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization […]