The final appropriation bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, has been released. There are 1,719 projects worth $7.6 billion in the bill. FY 2010 marks the first time that defense earmarks are below $9 billion since FY 2002, when the total was $8.8 billion. Despite this decrease, the bill [...]
Filed under: Appropriations, Defense, Earmarks, Pork, Waste | 4 Comments »
Last week President Obama outlined a “new” proposal to create jobs and jump-start the economy. His plan: spend more money. What a novel idea! I think I’ve heard it before. In a speech at the Brookings Institution, President Obama said he wants to expand the “stimulus” program and spend some $50 billion more on roads, [...]
Filed under: Pork | No Comments »
The European Union (EU) has had an obsession with Microsoft. In March, 2003, the EC issued a decision requiring Microsoft to hand over valuable intellectual property to its competitors, unbundle its software, and pay a $600 million fine. The company had to create two versions of Windows, one with Windows Media Player and one without. [...]
Filed under: International, Technology | No Comments »
On December 10, 2009, the House passed H.R. 3288: the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. The $446.8 billion “multibus” consists of six of the seven remaining appropriations bill, including Transportation; Commerce, Justice, Science; Financial Services and General Government; Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; and State [...]
Filed under: Appropriations, Budget, Earmarks, In The News, Pork, Waste | No Comments »
From finding out which members requested which earmarks in the annual appropriations bills to detailed information about where the stimulus money is going, most Americans want and demand a more transparent (open) government. The Obama Administration just released (December 8, 2009) it’s new Open Government directive: The three principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration form the [...]
Filed under: Pork | 1 Comment »
Yesterday, President Obama delivered a speech in an attempt to claim he is focused on the economy and the massive number of job losses since he took office. I guess he will read anything put on a teleprompter in front of him regardless of how far it is from reality. In his speech, he stated [...]
Filed under: Budget, Deficit, Pork, Reform, Stimulus, Waste | 2 Comments »
The rumored deal that was reached late last night between five liberal Democratic senators and five moderate Democratic senators (Sen. Joe Lieberman was not among them, but the scuttlebutt as of moments ago is that he is “leaning” toward supporting it) has as two of its new central fantasies the idea that the Office of Personnel Management [...]
Filed under: Appropriations, Bailouts, Budget, Corruption, Deficit, Entitlements, Healthcare, In The News, Medicare/aid, Reform, Regulation, Social Security, State Issues, Stimulus, Taxes, Waste, Wastewatcher | No Comments »
Senators Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) released a report today (December 8, 2009) questioning stimulus spending: The Coburn-McCain report “Stimulus Checkup – A closer look at 100 projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” examines how $7 billion in stimulus funds have been wasted, mismanaged, or directed toward silly and shortsighted projects. [...]
Filed under: Appropriations, Budget, Stimulus | No Comments »
Again last week the Obama Administration attempted to counter all of the bad press about their phony numbers of jobs “created or saved” by the stimulus bill. Administration spokespersons claimed that while scrubbing the data they uncovered over 60,000 jobs that were suspect and eliminated them from the reported figures. ABC News reported on this information released [...]
Filed under: Appropriations, Budget, Pork, Scandal, Stimulus, Waste | No Comments »
Last night (December 1, 2009) President Obama announced that he will be sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan: And as Commander-in-Chief, I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home. These are the resources [...]
Filed under: Appropriations, Budget, Defense, Earmarks | 1 Comment »
