When Chicken Little said “The sky is falling!” and convinced his barnyard brethren of the same, the facts notwithstanding, he practically invented fear-mongering. Trade liberalization opponents are engaged in their own version of spreading false and misleading information by claiming that so-called “fast track” legislation is fraught with end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it perils. Just as the falling acorn […]
John Locke was Right….
When he said “I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.” Partisan ideology, never-ending campaigning, and empty rhetoric is no substitute for leadership, competence, and good management. The Keystone Cop character of the “we first heard about it when we read about it in the news” Obama administration is […]
The War on (Minimum) Wage Payers
Our nation’s Founding Fathers never intended to put the government in charge of picking winners and losers, but as citizens look more and more to Uncle Sam for special favors and handouts, that is precisely what is happening. In the process, the storied American character that once valued hard work and venerated self-reliance has itself […]
Clarity on Costs Essential To Postal Reform
USPS is posting one thing very well; losses. The USPS is hemorrhaging money. It ended its last quarter with a $2 billion net loss, as compared to a $740 million net loss for the same period last year. The revenue that was generated came as a result of a very anemic increase of 0.9 […]
Murkowski’s Folly
The first rule of communications is getting the message right. A March 11, 2014 op-ed by former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt appearing in the Los Angeles Times provided a unique glimpse into how messaging used by politicians can shift over time. The editorial detailed the push in the 1990s by former Alaska Senators […]
Eighteen Years and Counting
On February 8, 2014, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 will turn eighteen years old. For most eighteen year-olds this is a major milestone in life. Gaining a sense of maturity; showing that one is ready to face the world. You even get to vote. However, for a law that regulates an innovative and stunningly evolving […]
Freeing Up Government Held Spectrum
On December 11, 2013, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted to approve a bi-partisan measure that would provide incentives to federal agencies to free up more spectrum. The federal government is the largest holder of spectrum below the 3 GHz range. According to the National Telecommunications and Information Agency, the U.S. government currently has […]
CBO Releases “Options for Reducing the Deficit 2014-2023”
The Congressional Budget Office released “Options for Reducing the Deficit 2014-2023” last week. The CBO periodically writes a report that provides a list of policy options of where Congress can take action to reduce annual budget deficits that add to the debt and provides the budgetary effects of those actions. This year’s list of policy […]
And Here’s To You, Mrs. Lautenberg!
The recent action by Congress to provide a death gratuity to the widow of the late Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has raised a few eyebrows. Specifically, the continuing resolution (CR) passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in the late evening hours of Wednesday, October 16, included $174,000 – the equivalent of […]
“As the Government Shuts Down to Save Money, Veterans Pay the Ultimate Price”
William Gladstone, Prime Minister of Great Britain in the 19th Century, once said: Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead, and I will measure exactly the sympathies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals. As hundreds of World War II […]