The WasteWatcher
The WasteWatcherMinibus Drives Savings
On November 18, 2011, President Obama signed the “minibus” appropriations legislation, which contained three fiscal year (FY) appropriations bills: the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies...
The WasteWatcherCongressional Meddling in USPS Makes Bailout More Likely
Congress seems to have two legislative speeds: inertia in the face of an oncoming fiscal disaster, or ugly, last-minute scrambles to ram through sham legislation that often exacerbates already fraught situations.
The WasteWatcherCalifornia High-Speed Rail: Way Off Track
In November 2008, California voters approved Proposition 1A, a $9.95 billion bond measure to fund part of the state’s share of the proposed high-speed rail line from Anaheim to San Francisco. The bond was approved by a narrow margin of 52.7 percent...
The WasteWatcherFederal Contractor Pensions Protected at Taxpayers’ Expense
Taxpayers may be surprised to learn that they are currently bankrolling the retirement plans of profitable, private sector companies. With a record-breaking national debt, a sinking economy, and millions of Americans facing losses to their own...
The WasteWatcherTwo Different Worlds: Public vs. Private Sector Compensation
Despite the popular belief that federal employees are underpaid public servants, the data tells a very different story. When all of the factors that affect compensation are accounted for, there is significant evidence that federal employees make...
The WasteWatcherSequestration Option Discussed After Super Committee Fails to Deliver
Since the Budget Control Act (BCA) was signed into law on August 2, 2011, all eyes had been on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. With a looming $15 trillion national debt, weak economy and failing financial markets, this “Super...
The WasteWatcherOn Fannie, Freddie, and the FHA, Two Steps Back
Taxpayers are both in awe of and enraged by the schizophrenic behavior of government officials and lawmakers when it comes to taking action on the nation’s thorniest public policy conundrums. Over and over, taxpayers hear the rhetoric emanating from...
The WasteWatcherAnother Failing Federal Loan Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Electrification Administration (REA) program began during the New Deal Era of the 1930’s. The program’s primary goal was to promote rural electrification to farmers and residents in out of the way...
The WasteWatcherGAO Skewers United Launch Alliance Contract Plans
The Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program began in 1995 and was designed to allow the Department of Defense (DOD) access to space with the intention of reducing the cost of satellite launches by at least 25 percent while striving for up...
The WasteWatcherMEADS Test "Successful," Cost and Purpose Uncertain
In an apparent last-ditch attempt to secure funding for the troubled Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program, MEADS International, the primary contractor comprised of Lockheed Martin and MBDA, conducted a flight test at the White Sands...
The WasteWatcherEarmark Moratorium: Earmarks Live On, Transparency Does Not
Considering that an earmark moratorium is in effect, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW)’s Pork Patrol sure seems to be uncovering a lot of earmarks. When the one-year earmark moratorium was announced for fiscal year (FY) 2012, seasoned...
The WasteWatcherGovernment in the Grocery Cart: $15 Billion to Influence Consumer Behavior
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is wrought with onerous mandates, tax increases, Medicare cuts, unfunded Medicaid expansions, and numerous budgetary gimmicks. One egregious provision in the PPACA included $500 million in FY...
