With the launch of the MyGovCost iPhone app, it’s a good time to consider the trends in government spending that generated the concerns that motivated its creation, by looking at just three numbers: Ten Over the last 10 years, the total public debt outstanding of the U.S. federal government has increased by ten trillion…
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The federal government maintains an $11.6 billion school lunch program feeding 31 million students daily. In 2010 First Lady Michelle Obama championed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which as this report notes “imposed a dizzying array of requirements on calories, portion sizes, even the color of fruits and vegetables to be served.” The rules,…
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The National Taxpayer’s Union has summarized each of the major budget proposals for the U.S. federal government’s 2015 fiscal year. We threw together the following chart to make for a quick visual comparison of each: As you can see, each of the budget proposals increase total spending over FY2014’s baseline level. Each of the…
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When politicians start confusing deficits for “surpluses”, can a train wreck be far behind? Before we go any further, for the sake of avoiding any confusion, let’s define exactly what a deficit is. A deficit is the amount by which cash expenses exceed cash income or revenue. That makes a deficit the exact opposite…
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As we have noted the federal Department of Defense wastes plenty of money and even spends on hardware that the military doesn’t need or want. Likewise, Obamacare has been incredibly wasteful but according to this report, taxpayers should also be looking at the State Department, which can’t seem to find how they spent $6…
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What happens to the price of a product for consumers when the government imposes new regulatory burdens and taxes on those who provide it? If the product is health insurance, where new regulatory burdens have been imposed by the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. “Obamacare”), the answer is that the cost to consumers rises substantially….
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General Motors knew about faulty ignition switches that could cause vehicle engines to turn off, disabling air bags with deadly results. Federal government investigators with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration knew about this problem but as this report notes the NHTSA “twice passed on investigating” the faulty switches that “led to at least…
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If you have an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), and particularly if you have more than one IRA, you need to be aware that a recent U.S. Tax Court decision has opened the door to allow the IRS to nail you for taxes if you attempt to rollover money from more than one of your…
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California’s punitive tax structure virtually guarantees high volatility in state finances, particular during times of boom and bust in the economy. But through thick and thin some things never change. As this report notes, the state’s payroll and the size of the state workforce hold steady, and there’s always more to that story. Consider,…
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Before we go any farther, no, this isn’t an April Fool’s Day joke…. And while we’re at it, no, we’re not making this up. This really is a real life example of your tax dollars at work: The State Department wants to plunk down $400,000 in taxpayer money for a camel sculpture at the…
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