Jaime Avila Jr., who purchased guns illegally as part of a government sting operation, has been sentenced to 57 months in prison. That prompts a meditation on Operation Fast and Furious and the federal bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. Fast and Furious began with the belief of U.S. President Barack Obama and Felipe…
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Just in case there was any doubt that excessive spending is the federal government’s real problem in running up the national debt, former vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan tweeted the following graphic projections: The revenue projections for President Obama’s desired higher tax rates on top income earners look pretty optimistic, so there should be a…
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The federal National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) seeks new regulations requiring all automobile manufacturers to include “black box” data recorders in all new cars and light trucks. Federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the regulations will “make our vehicles and our roadways even safer,” but that may well be doubted. The data recorders do…
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How would you change today’s federal government spending and taxes to balance the budget? The Wall Street Journal has come out with an online tool where you can do just that, selecting from a menu of prepared options that have been discussed in the public debate. There are three screens of options to consider….
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The Pentagon plans to add the Defense Clandestine Service to the nation’s Intelligence Community (IC). This is being billed as an advance in national security but it shapes up as a costly bureaucratic turf war that could leave the nation less secure. The current IC boasts 17 member agencies: Air Force Intelligence Army Intelligence…
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Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is allowing the lease of the Drakes Bay Oyster Company to expire. This will eliminate an oyster farm from the Point Reyes National Seashore and supposedly create a pristine marine wilderness. The Sierra Club, the National Wildlife Federation, the National Parks Conservation Association, and California Senator Barbara Boxer applauded Salazar’s…
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Timely Political Calculations: Assuming that President Obama continues his policy of not negotiating in good faith with U.S. congressional leaders on federal budget matters, what might your paycheck look like in 2013 after President Bush’s 2003 income tax rate cuts expire? That matters to you because if you earn either wages or a salary…
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The election is over and as the nation advances toward the “fiscal cliff” many assume that the mortgage and financial crises are over. Some review is clearly in order. In September 2008 the federal government took over the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. During the 2012 election campaign, the U.S. Treasury Department…
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In late 2010, Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, the chairmen of President Obama’s bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, introduced a plan to reform both taxes and spending in Washington D.C. that would put the nation onto a path of balanced budgets and a falling national debt. At the time, the plan…
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