On November 17, 2014, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) will release its latest report, “Intellectual Property: Making It Personal.” Co-authored by CAGW President Tom Schatz and Director of Technology and Telecommunications Policy Deborah Collier, the report describes the positive effects of intellectual property (IP) for individuals, companies, and the U.S. economy, as well as the negative consequences of IP theft.
End Ex-Im Once and For All
This fall, Congress will have an opportunity to shut off a massive spigot of corporate welfare that costs taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. All that senators and representatives have to do is what they do best: absolutely nothing. When the authorization for the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) expires on September 30, 2014, Congress should not renew its charter.
World Intellectual Property Day Is April 26
World Intellectual Property Day is April 26, 2014. Set aside by the international community in 2000, as a day to increase and promote a general understanding of intellectual property (IP), this event is recognized worldwide at numerous events. Among those events this year was the 2014 IP Champions Conference, held on April 23, 2014 by the […]
ObamaCare = Slouching Toward the PIIGS
PIIGS is the acronym for the European countries of Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain. These countries represent the most at-risk economies in Europe, particularly after the European sovereign debt crisis in 2009 and 2010. Their fiscal conditions, which include astronomically high debt and large social-welfare states, should be a warning to the United States.
India Bottoms Out on IP Protection
On January 29, 2014, the Global Intellectual Property Center released its second annual intellectual property index, rating how various countries around the world performed on protecting intellectual property (IP). The points were awarded six categories: Patents, Related Rights, and Limitations (7 points); Copyrights, Related Rights and Limitations (6 points); Trademarks, Related Rights, and limitations (5 […]
Mixed News on Defense
The summer appropriations process for the Department of Defense (DOD), beginning with the initial authorizing bills, has thus far brought a mixed bag of news. On the positive side, the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) directs the Pentagon to look for commercial products capable of performing functions currently under the purview […]
Odd Choices in Afghanistan
In late December 2012, the United States Air Force (USAF) did not renew its contract with Alenia Aermacchi, a subsidiary of Italian-based defense contractor Finmeccanica, to refurbish and supply 20 G222s (also known as the C-27A) for the Afghan Air Force (AAF).
Four Myths about the Export-Import Bank
The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) is an independent government agency founded in 1934 in an effort to encourage U.S. exports. In 2010, Ex-Im Bank provided $24.4 billion in taxpayer-backed direct loans, guarantees, and export-credit insurance to private firms and foreign governments. Whatever its original intent may have been, today Ex-Im Bank is an obvious example of corporate welfare. Denying Ex-Im Bank’s charter, which is up for renewal in 2011, would eradicate a regressive, wasteful institution whose time has passed.
Cut Corporate Income Taxes
America has been called the land of opportunity largely because it has been a place where businesses and individuals prosper. This has been the result of a stable government, an educated workforce, protection of intellectual property, and a tax rate that historically has been low. Unfortunately, taxes are now going in the wrong direction.
The Ongoing Farce of the “Emergency Supplementals”
As the House of Representatives rushed to finish legislative business in advance of the Memorial Day recess, the fate of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010Supplemental Appropriations Bill was pushed off until lawmakers returnon June 8. The bill allocates $37.5 billion to support ongoing war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Unfortunately, it also piles on tens of billions of dollars in additional funding for dozens of non-emergency items, all of which add to the $1.56 trillion annual deficit and the national debt, which topped $13 trillion on May 25, 2010, according to the Congressional Budget Office.