The WasteWatcher
The WasteWatcherCoburn Report Reveals Waste
During his 17 years as a senator and representative, Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has established himself as a staunch opponent of frivolous federal spending. His annual Wastebook has regularly provided valuable information for taxpayers regarding...
The WasteWatcherAmtrak: Throw Money from the Train
Since 1971, the federal government has been subsidizing the for-profit passenger rail system Amtrak.
The WasteWatcherSequestration: The Sky is Not Falling
On August 2, 2011, Congress passed the Budget Control Act (BCA), which raised the debt limit, cut $917 billion in federal spending over 10 years, and established the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (the “super committee”). The super...
The WasteWatcherWeatherization—Money Continues to Pour
It has been three and a half years since Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and the wasted money in this bill has taken its toll on taxpayers. President Obama and cheerleaders for the $838 billion stimulus promised it...
The WasteWatcherThe American Infrastructure Crisis
During rush hour on August 1st, 2007, the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring 145 more. This disaster triggered widespread talk about America’s crumbling infrastructure, an issue that has been put on the...
The WasteWatcherSpectrum Auction Options Abound
An op-ed by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski was published on September 16, 2012 in TechCrunch.com, explaining why additional spectrum is so critical to the economy. Highlighting the job creation impact of improved...
The WasteWatcherMandating the Hypothetical: EPA’s Cellulosic Biofuels Mandate
It is no secret that many federal regulations in the United States are ineffective and burdensome to the economy. However, the current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirement for oil producers to purchase non-existent cellulosic biofuels...
The WasteWatcherOwe Back Taxes? Have Some More Cash
It has long been clear that, when monitoring the activities of the federal government, one must often suspend natural expectations for sanity and integrity. For example, anyone who fails to pay taxes should be last in line to collect benefits paid...
The WasteWatcherHow Congress Should Avert the Fiscal Cliff
As the economy teeters precariously on the edge of the so-called “fiscal cliff,” it is difficult not to imagine what advice Milton Friedman, the brilliant economist and staunch advocate of limited government and fiscal restraint, would have offered...
The WasteWatcherFCC Understates Success of Broadband
On August 21, 2012, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued its eighth annual report on advanced communications capability in America, pursuant to section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Using the information in this report,...
The WasteWatcherThe Two Million Dollar Intern
Worth his weight in gold, former astronaut Steve Austin used his super-human bionic strength to fight crime, injustice and international bad guys, all in the name of the red, white and blue. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) now has its own...
The WasteWatcherWhen Regulating, Less is More
In fact, if the findings of two recent reports are any indication, government regulations are choking off a large measure of private-sector activity, and their grip is getting stronger. The first report, “License to Work,” published by the Institute...
