I am not suggesting that the Congressional staffers who may be seeking greener career pastures (due to changes in health care benefits) are “lame brains;” however, if they are responsible for most of the madness that emanates from Capitol Hill, I may have to reassess. Rather, the much-ballyhooed, “sky-is-falling” brouhaha over the potential for intellectual […]
It is None of Their Damn Business!
Last month the New Jersey Comptroller released a report on widespread fraud in their state’s school lunch program. More than 100 people on public payrolls, or members of their family, lied about their income in order to get their children on the free school lunch program. One school board member did not report any of […]
The White House Office of Nudging
There have been a series of news reports of a new project underway in the White House led by Maya Shankar, Senior Advisor for Social & Behavioral Sciences within the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). According to a column written by David Martosko in the U.K.’s Mail OnLine , “her mandate is to […]
The Article 1 President
All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. As the U.S. Constitution clearly states, it is the Legislative Branch that writes law. The role of the Executive Branch and the president is to enforce the laws. But disturbingly, […]
The Sequester is Working
The biggest underreported story out of Washington this year is that the federal budget is shrinking and much more than anyone in either party expected.” Thus begins Stephen Moore’s piece today in the Wall Street Journal about the budget sequester. He lays out some notable numbers: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) annual outlays peaked in […]
The Fix is In…
The deal has been made; Congress and President Obama figured out a way to provide continued subsidies for healthcare premiums for congressional staff. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) just released the proposed regulation, which can be found here. Despite what many have noted is a lack of statutory authority to issue this regulation, it nonetheless […]
IRS’ Litany of Mismanagement
The IRS is in full crisis mode and the staff of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) J. Russell George has been busier than a one-legged man in a butt kickin’ contest.
Duplication Duplication
These next few weeks, I will be pointing out areas of duplication, overlap, or fragmentation in the federal government and suggestions on how it can be eliminated that will save millions of dollars for the taxpayers. Since 2011, the General Accountability Office (GAO) has been required to “identify and report annually to Congress on Federal […]
Panic in Detroit
On July 18, 2013, Detroit filed a voluntary petition for bankruptcy, becoming the largest American city to do so. According to CBS News, the city is more than $18 billion in debt with a current budget deficit of $380 million.
Just Give Me More Money to Spend
Well, finally a big government politician who admits it. It’s almost refreshing. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn) said in a July 25 Round Table with Progressive Democrats of America, “The bottom line is we’re not broke, there’s plenty of money, it’s just the government doesn’t have it.” This statement is amazing as we approach a $17 […]