The United States government is seriously overdue for a garage sale. While the government is projecting a $205 billion budget deficit for Fiscal 2007 and splurging on tens of billions of dollars in wasteful programs and congressional pork-barrel spending, it also sluggishly attempts to divest itself of billions of dollars worth of derelict or obsolete federal property.
Budget Showdown in Georgia
Unless they get their act together, House Republicans in Georgia could lose their power just as fast as they acquired it. After 130 years of Democratic dominance in the state legislature, a Republican majority was elected in 2006, but the members have not followed through on campaign promises.
Tis the Season for Government Negligence
When the government tries to play Santa Claus, bad things happen. The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) allows certain charitable organizations exclusive access to federal workplaces to solicit contributions from employees. The contributions can be made by cash or check or deducted from the employees’ paychecks. In 2005, federal workers gave more than $260 million to more than 20,000 charities. However, a large sum of that money goes to tax delinquent charities, also known as tax cheats.
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.
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.
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.”
Grifters Give FEMA a Run for Their Money
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.
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.