See Everything This Mom’s Cutting to Pay for Obamacare
The holiday season is looming, but this year Kate Joy and her husband aren’t budgeting for gifts or saving for a vacation. They’re figuring out how… Read More
European Central Bank Lowers Interest Rates, Trumping “Zero Lower Bound” Theory
The European Central Bank (ECB) lowered a key interest rate to 0.25 percent on Thursday. This is a big deal, since it demonstrates that the… Read More
3 Trillion Reasons Not to Raise Taxes Again
Do you know how much President Obama has raised taxes? Oh, by about $3 trillion. In a new paper, Heritage expert Curtis Dubay reminds us:… Read More
The Story on November’s Food Stamps “Cuts”
The latest buzz about food stamps is that benefit amounts will be “cut” beginning November 1. But what is this “cut”? Basically, it’s the benefit… Read More
Water Resources Bill: Don’t Repeat the Olmsted Lock Mistake
In typical Washington fashion, lawmakers shoved an authorization for the Olmsted Lock and Dam Project—which, in this context looks a lot like an earmark—into the… Read More
The Deal That’s No Deal
To hear Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) tell it, America’s long national nightmare is over. Except…it’s not. Our national nightmare isn’t the… Read More
Debt Ceiling Raised Seven Times Under Obama, Costing $43,000 Per Household
Did you know that since President Obama came into office, the debt limit has been raised seven times? With those increases, Congress has added $43,000… Read More
Plan to Suspend Debt Limit Means Debt Would Rise to $17.8 Trillion
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced a new debt ceiling deadline today, urging congressional lawmakers and the President to come to an agreement concerning the nation’s… Read More
Convert Food Stamps to a Work Activation Program
Earlier this summer, the House took an important step in separating the bloated farm bill into an agriculture-only bill and a food stamp bill, which… Read More
SecurityNews
America’s First-Rate Power Status on the Chopping Block
Last Thursday, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert warned that some of the crown jewels of the Navy could be on the chopping block… Read More
What’s Another $45 Million at the Energy Department?
The Department of Energy (DOE) announced it is spending $45 million of taxpayer money for 38 different projects for advanced transportation technologies. But private companies… Read More
SecurityNews
Why Finding Waste in the Pentagon Matters
Can the Pentagon be downsized? Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has selected former Air Force Secretary Michael Donley to oversee a Pentagon downsizing effort to cut… Read More
Two Years After Downgrade, U.S. Credit Rating Hasn’t Recovered—and Debt Is Worse
Two years ago today, Standard & Poor’s downgraded the U.S. credit rating—and it hasn’t recovered since. Then, the downgrade came because the President and Congress… Read More
NSA, Immigration, and Obamacare: Here’s What You Missed from Conversations with Conservatives
Conservative members of Congress gathered Wednesday to talk with national press and bloggers about defunding Obamacare, the farm bill, immigration reform, and the National Security… Read More
Detroit Bankruptcy Is No Time for Federal Bailouts
The city of Detroit filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection yesterday with some $18 billion in debt, making it the largest municipal bankruptcy in the… Read More
News
Seven Reasons to Reform Food Stamps
Food stamps were a popular topic of conversation last month as Congress debated the farm bill. This decades-old Great Society program is in much need… Read More
Farm Bill: The House of Second Chances
The farm bill died in the House—but could it live again? House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) is reportedly pushing to split up the old… Read More
Senate Passes Bill That Fails to Fix Immigration and Border Security
“The Americans will always do the right thing,” Winston Churchill (who was half-American) once declared, “after they’ve exhausted all the alternatives.” The Senate proved today—in… Read More
Morning Bell: Washington Is Cuckoo for Food Stamps
UPDATE: The U.S. House defeated the $940 billion food stamp and farm bill by a vote of 195 to 234. Today’s win should be considered… Read More
Morning Bell: Congress Is Trying to Fool You on Immigration
Congress is trying to fool you. Here’s how they do business. A piece of legislation is going to cost trillions of dollars, but Members of… Read More
Farm Bill Barely Nibbles at Food Stamps
As the debate over the farm bill continues, a great deal of hoopla has been made about cuts to the food stamps program. The Obama… Read More
Morning Bell: 17 Reasons the $17 Trillion Debt Is Still a Big Deal
Remember the debt? That $17 trillion problem? Some in Washington seem to think it’s gone away. The Washington Post reported that “the national debt is… Read More
GDP: I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means
Many decision makers and commentators treat gross domestic product (GDP) as if it measures the whole of the economy. They even use “the economy” and… Read More
Backdoor Bailouts Begin
The Treasury Department’s release of $100 million from the Hardest Hit Fund last week amounts to a federal bailout of five Michigan cities without congressional… Read More
Austerity and Stimulus: A Response to The Washington Post
Journalists should check with both sides before committing pen to paper, especially those at respectable outlets like The Washington Post. It would have served Post… Read More
The IRS, Obamacare, and You: The Spending
Getting the Obamacare “train wreck” up and running will cost the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) an estimated $881 million between 2010 and 2013, according to… Read More
Morning Bell: Time to Shrink the Monster
Does the debt ceiling affect YOU? It does—in many ways. A new video by Bankrupting America uses humor to call attention to an issue that… Read More
Congressional Budget Office Looks at a Carbon Tax
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently released its report on the impact of a carbon tax. (Disclaimer: I provided comments to the CBO on a… Read More
Cost of Illegal Immigration and Amnesty Could Be Higher
American taxpayers cannot afford the cost of amnesty. The cost of illegal immigration and amnesty could amount to $6.3 trillion, which would fall on American… Read More
Information Missing from Studies on the “Benefits” of State Medicaid Expansion
Advocates of the Obamacare Medicaid expansion have produced a number of studies in various states that project significant economic benefits if states adopt the expansion…. Read More
