EconomyCommentary
12 Days of Waste-mas
The Christmas season is on, and shoppers are out in full force. This means nothing for Washington. Here, Santa Claus seems to hand out gifts… Read More
EconomyCommentary
How Much Was Misspent on Food Stamps in 2014
This year the U.S. Department of Agriculture misspent $2.4 billion on food stamps, according to a November report from the USDA Office of Inspector General…. Read More
EducationNews
State-Run University Spent $96,000 on First-Class Airline Tickets
LINCOLN, Neb. — The University of Nebraska has been dinged by the state auditor for allowing employees to spend nearly $96,000 on 20 first-class flights… Read More
EconomyNews
Here’s a Glimpse of NASA’s $349 Million ‘Mothballed’ Tower
Washington is routinely accused of spending your tax dollars frivolously, but $349 million toward a project that may never be used? “All you’ve done is… Read More
Health CareNews
Government Cancels Children’s Study After 10 Years of Work, $1.3 Billion Cost
The National Children’s Study has been canceled despite almost 10 years of work and $1.3 billion of funding after a National Institutes of Health working… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The Government Just Grabbed Yet More Land
Editor’s note: This column was originally published Dec. 5. On Dec. 12, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act. Page 1,163 of the National Defense… Read More
EconomyCommentary
EPA Finds Fun and Creative Ways to Waste Taxpayer Dollars
Senator Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., recently issued a report entitled “The Science of Splurging,” which provides several examples of how the Environmental Protection Agency wastes millions… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Omnibus Prolongs Corporate Welfare for Travel Industry
The omnibus appropriations bill the House will take up Thursday includes a measure to reauthorize Brand USA, the troubled corporation created by Congress to promote… Read More
EconomyNews
38 Tweets About #CRomnibus, the Government Spending Bill Inspiring Bipartisan Opposition
Last night, House Republicans released a massive $1.1 trillion spending bill that would fund most of the government through Sept. 30, 2015. Here’s how you’re… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The Government Owns Over 623 Million Acres. Why Does It Need More?
Insatiable – that would seem to be the word that best describes the appetite of some in Congress and their friends in the environmental community…. Read More
EconomyNews
Pa. Workforce Agency Contests Audit Stating Agency Misspent Nearly $250K on Goldfish, Food
PITTSBURGH — A job training agency in northwest Pennsylvania is asking the state for a repayment plan after a finding that nearly $250,000 was misspent…. Read More
EconomyNews
Officials Can’t Say How Government-Owned Internet Will Create Jobs
NASHVILLE — Kimball, Tenn., Mayor Rex Pesnell said broadband Internet in his town of about 1,400 will help economic development, but so far he’s short… Read More
EconomyCommentary
EPA Employees Paid More Than $1 Million to Not Work
How would you like to get paid a full-time salary plus benefits for not working, and without taking any sick days? Sounds like a dream,… Read More
SocietyNews
Critics Claim Billion-Dollar Football Stadium Isn’t for the Birds
MINNEAPOLIS—Bird lovers launched a last-ditch drive at a Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority meeting to protect migratory species from what they consider a killer Minnesota Vikings football… Read More
EconomyNews
Virginia Woman Admits to $7.2 Million Child-Credit Tax Scam
More than a year after it was reported the IRS sent thousands of refunds to the tiny town of Parksley, Va., a woman has pleaded… Read More
EconomyCommentary
How Much Obamanomics Has Cost Us
What has been the price tag for the audacious Obamanomics experiment? How much has it all cost — the bailouts, the debt, the stimulus plans,… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Cartoon: Taxpayers Are Always on the Hook
From Rachel Greszler’s piece published Nov. 24: If you’re a worker and you have a pension, there’s a government agency that will pay that… Read More
EconomyNews
Storm-Smacked Governor Makes Sunny Forecast for State-Run Weather Service
It’s time New York had its own state-run weather service to predict severe storms such as the one that has battered Buffalo, Gov. Andrew Cuomo says…. Read More
EconomyCommentary
Taxpayers May Be on the Hook for Another Massive Bailout. This Time, It’s Unions Who Might Benefit.
If you’re a worker and you have a pension, there’s a government agency that will pay that pension if your company is unable to fulfill… Read More
EconomyNews
Government Agency Under Scrutiny for Telework Abuse
The federal office that stripped the Washington Redskins’ trademark has lost control of its “teleworkers,” who are reportedly gaming the system on the taxpayers’ dime, according to recent… Read More
EconomyNews
Maryland Questions Its Taxpayer Subsidy for ‘House of Cards’
Maryland politicians cast their film incentives program as the only way to lure productions such as “House of Cards” and boost the state’s economy. Yet, a… Read More
EconomyNews
Feds Dig Up $2 Million to Support Networking Needs of Amateur Fossil Fans
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Fossil lovers now have one more way to link up and talk about dinosaurs, thanks to a mammoth-sized federal grant. Critics call… Read More
EconomyCommentary
This Solar Firm Wants $539 Million From the Government. It Just Might Get It, Even After Solyndra.
If you’re a taxpayer, here’s a story that should really make your blood boil. Ivanpah, a solar plant in California, received a $1.6 billion loan… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The 7 Scariest Uses of Your Tax Dollars in 2014
Sen. Tom Coburn’s annual “Wastebook” chronicles the most outrageous government waste—spending that is so frightening that it taxpayers ought to be scared. Halloween is upon… Read More
EconomyNews
Grammy Museum in Mississippi Gives U.S. Taxpayers More Blues
Mississippi is cornering the market on taxpayer-funded music museums. First there was a state-funded museum dedicated to country legend Tammy Wynette. Now the state is… Read More
EconomyNews
10 Years on, Spaceport Still Not Near Liftoff
It has cost New Mexico taxpayers $218.5 million to construct, and its anchor tenant, headed by a flamboyant billionaire, has yet to get off the… Read More
SecurityNews
6 Outrageous Times VA Employees Did Wrong and Still Got Paid by You
The Department of Veterans Affairs remains embroiled in a scandal that resulted in the deaths of at least 40 veterans assigned to its medical facilities…. Read More
EconomyCommentary
Top 7 Wackiest Examples of Wasteful Government Spending from Wastebook 2014
Rabbit massages, laughing classes, and watching the grass grow–these are just a few examples of where your tax dollars went this year. During a time… Read More
EconomyNews
Report: Tens of Thousands of Federal Employees on Extensive Paid Leave
Thousands of federal employees are being kept on paid leave for extended periods of time while they are investigated for wrongdoing, according to a new… Read More
EconomyNews
Buzz Kill? Richmond Puts Brewery on Public Tab
RICHMOND, Va. — Thirsty for jobs and good times, the city of Richmond is vowing to build a brewery on the James River. The estimated… Read More
