Tag Archive
Two Engines For A Single Engine Plane?
Imagine if, every time you made a significant purchase for your household, you bought a second item, just in case the first one didn't work out. You'd feel sure of always having what you need on hand... except for the money you'd need to keep your household out of serious debt. Until recently, however, this sort of redundancy was standard... »
Military Waste Breeds Poverty
Last week saw the introduction of a new bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that no member of Congress ought to oppose... unless they're firmly resting in the palm of corrupt military contractors. The War Is Making You Poor Act, H.R. 5353, brings together weariness with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with anti-tax sentiment and the hunger for fiscal... »
Can Libertarians Effectively Oppose Government Waste?
Over in the 5th district of Oklahoma, incumbent Republican Congressman Tom Cole is facing a primary election challenge from Hector Diaz. Why would one Republican challenge another? Diaz is a particular sort of Republican, with libertarian tendencies. He believes that Representative Cole hasn't been sufficiently opposed to big government spending. Diaz suggests that, unlike Cole, he would be... »
Proposed Military Budget Increased, Not Decreased
It has been impossible to miss the story of how furious members of Congress are that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has "slashed" the Pentagon's budget. If you didn't actually look at the budget, but just relied upon the stories told by corporate journalists, whose parent companies often have a hand in military contracting, you would think that Gates had... »
Democrats Now Outpace Republicans in Wasteful Military Earmarks
For many years, those on the left have been able to make an easy presumption that, when it comes to military waste, the Republican Party is mostly to blame. For most of the time that George W. Bush was in office, the Republicans used the most hawkish language, and most stridently supported huge increases in military spending. Was this difference... »
Military Tax Weighs Down American Economy
Don't like taxes? Many people don't, although taxes are the dues we pay for our democratic government. The proper question isn't really whether taxes are worth it. We all know that we need to pay for certain services we appreciate from our government. The question we citizens need to ask is whether our tax money is... »
Can Armed Services Committee Be Trusted With Reform?
Last week Congressman Ike Skelton, chair of the House Armed Services Committee, joined Republican John McHugh in announcing the formation of a Panel on Defense Acquisition Reform. Representative Skelton described the problems in the Department of Defense's acquisition process - the means through which its spending on weapons is administered - as "particularly severe". That's an honest and accurate assessment,... »
Jim McDermott Challenges 14 Billion Dollar Iraq Boondoggle
Congressman Jim McDermott appears to have uncovered a new incident of gross military waste in Iraq this week. And what's been done about it? It's been covered back up, with a thick blanket of media silence. The story revolves around the spending of 14 billion dollars by the US military to construct an elaborate air traffic control tower... for... »
Barney Frank Moves Against Military Pork
U.S. Congressman Barney Frank, Democrat from Massachusetts, is making waves by critically examining a part of the federal budget that has been traditionally treated as a sacred cow: The military budget. Representative Frank recently released a two-part plan to cut the annual military budget by 160 billion dollars. In an editorial, Frank explained, "Current plans call for us not... »