Posted on July 7, 2009 by Roger Morse
Last week I wrote an article for the June issue of Wastewatcher entitled Stimulating the Dead. Sending stimulus checks to dead people does not help the economy.
Little did I know that this is not a new practice of the Social Security Administration (SSA). They have been doing this for years. What’s worse is that they [...]
Filed under: Budget, Corruption, Deficit, Entitlements, Pork, Retirement, Social Security, Stimulus, Taxes, Wastewatcher | Tagged: government waste, Social Security, Stimulus | Leave a Comment »
Posted on June 15, 2009 by Leslie Paige
Today’s Roll Call has an illuminating article about the behind-the-scenes struggle in the House over Appropriations Chairman David Obey’s (D-Wisc.) intent to block earmarks for “Monuments to Me!”: that is buildings, roads or facilities that will bear the name of the member of Congress who earmarked the taxpayer money for it.
In this case, the culprit is Rep. Maxine [...]
Filed under: Appropriations, Budget, Corruption, Earmarks, In The News, Media Hits, Pig Book, Pork, Reform, Video, Waste | Leave a Comment »
Posted on April 10, 2009 by Leslie Paige
In an interesting opinion piece about the corruption trial of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich in today’s Chicago Tribune, Ronald L. Trowbridge, former chief of staff to Chief Justice Warren Burger and the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U. S. Constitution poses the intriguing question: when does an earmark cross the line from being a “constituent service” to a “pay-to-play” scheme [...]
Filed under: Appropriations, Budget, Corruption, Earmarks, In The News, Pork, Reform, Waste | Leave a Comment »
Posted on March 9, 2009 by Libby Wright
According to Politico, it looks like the House and Senate will introduce the labor-supported bill, Card Check, ridiculously named the Employee Free Choice Act. This is the bill that removes the right to a secret ballot in a union election and replace it with the card-check process. Under this process, if over 50 percent of workers [...]
Filed under: Budget, Corruption, Regulation | Leave a Comment »
Posted on December 12, 2008 by Leslie Paige
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), never afraid to have to play the heavy when it comes to exposing government waste and mismanagement, has dropped a grimy lump of coal into Congress’ Christmas stocking. A selection of the year’s most egregious wasteful spending items…..
• $3.2 million on a blimp the Pentagon does not want
• $367,000 wasted by a [...]
Filed under: Appropriations, Budget, Corruption, Deficit, Earmarks, Pork, Porker, Taxes, Waste | Leave a Comment »
Posted on July 9, 2008 by Alexa Moutevelis
Check out this article in The Hill about the Dept. of Transportation refusing a Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.) earmark for a multi-million dollar parking garage for a center named after himself:
Big earmark headache for Rep. Kanjorski ($)
Transportation (DoT) is blocking funds to build a $5.6 million parking garage to the Kanjorski Center, which was constructed to [...]
Filed under: Corruption, Earmarks, In The News, Pork, Transportation | Leave a Comment »
Posted on June 19, 2008 by Alexa Moutevelis
Roll Call has information on an earmark that Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) may have air-dropped into an omnibus that went directly to his immediate family members:
Earmark Drove Jefferson Case
A federal grant that prosecutors claim was misappropriated by family members of Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) apparently originated as a last-minute Congressional earmark in a 2003 appropriations bill. [...]
Filed under: Corruption, Earmarks, In The News, Pig Book, Pork | Leave a Comment »
Posted on June 16, 2008 by Alexa Moutevelis
The Myrtle Beach Sun News had a great expose this weekend of earmarks Rep. James Clyburn has secured that benefit his family and friends.
Clyburn earmarks tied to family
U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, criticized in the past for using tax dollars to fund pet projects, has set aside at least $6.2 million in federal budgets this decade for [...]
Filed under: Corruption, Earmarks, In The News, Media Hits, Pork, Porker, Waste | 1 Comment »
Posted on June 11, 2008 by Alexa Moutevelis
CAGW was cited in this article in the Times Union regarding an investigation into earmark corruption.
Sweeney connections to lobbyist examined
Relationship is part of federal criminal probe related to earmarks
A federal criminal investigation is focusing on the relationship of lobbyist William D. Powers and former U.S. Rep. John E. Sweeney in connection with a series of [...]
Filed under: Corruption, Earmarks, In The News, Media Hits, Pork | Leave a Comment »
