The WasteWatcher
The WasteWatcherBinging On Taxpayer Dollars
The over-indulgent, over-zealous party attendee can certainly be an obnoxious component of any weekend celebration. This individual is often referred to as That Guy. The societal pressures on a returning serviceman can, at times, be overwhelming...
The WasteWatcherRep. Hal Rogers “Road to Nowhere.”
The Kentucky Courier Journal ran a series of articles on December 16 and 17, 2007, on a wasteful pork project, the proposed Interstate 66. This is another “road to nowhere” that dramatically demonstrates how a politician’s desire to “bring home the...
The WasteWatcherEmbattled Doan Cuts Waste
The General Services Administration (GSA) is often called “the government’s landlord.” It is responsible for the upkeep of the government’s 8,600 buildings. The agency has a $66 billion budget and 12,000 employees, and its current administrator is...
The WasteWatcherNo Congressional Pay Raise
One of the few remaining issues that enjoyed bipartisan support was finally broken up when Democrats used the annual “cost of living allowance” (COLA) increase to attack Republicans during the 2006 campaign. Democrats also pledged not to pass a...
The WasteWatcherBig Time ARM Wrestling
The country continues to experience uncertainty and volatility in the financial markets as a result of the crisis in the mortgage industry. Financial services companies have been hit hard. For example, Merrill Lynch announced an $8.4 billion...
The WasteWatcherCalifornia Piglet
The 2007 California Piglet Book marks the fifth consecutive year of publication for the joint exposé of the waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement by California government officials by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation (HJTF) and Citizens...
The WasteWatcherPelosi AIDS San Francisco
A battle has been brewing over funding in the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act (CARE) section of the fiscal 2008 Labor-HHS-Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. In 2006, CARE was renewed with a revised funding...
The WasteWatcherWaste on a Plane
According to a September 28, 2007 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, federal employees have been flying first and business classes more than they should. The GAO reviewed credit card records for air travel purchases of federal employees...
The WasteWatcherThree-day Workweek
After much fanfare surrounding its introduction in January, the Congressional five-day workweek has been quietly retired for the rest of the legislative year. The House will have Fridays off in October so representatives can spend more time in...
The WasteWatcherPork is Alive and Well
The new fiscal year dawned on October 1 without a federal budget and the Congress graciously granted itself another six weeks to complete its constitutional mandate to pass all 12 appropriations bills. If it feels like déjà vu, that’s because it is...
The WasteWatcherLawmakers Choose Pork Over Bridge Safety
The I-35 Bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which resulted in the deaths of 13 people, dominated several news cycles and gave politicians the kind of somber photo ops they can rarely resist. Some, including House Transportation and...
