Read More »"/> Read More »"/> January, 2014 | MyGovCost | Government Cost Calculator

Archive for January, 2014

President Obama’s Deficit Reduction Achievement in Perspective


Wednesday January 29th, 2014   •   Posted by Craig Eyermann at 7:13am PST   •   2 Comments

In his 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama had the following to say about the “success” achieved during his tenure in office in reining in the federal government’s spending: Over the last few years, both parties have worked together to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion – mostly through spending…
Read More »

Covered California Cash Cow


Wednesday January 29th, 2014   •   Posted by K. Lloyd Billingsley at 6:00am PST   •   4 Comments

To all but the willfully blind Obamacare is a bust on health care, but it works much better as a way to expand government. Obamacare and its state subsidiaries also function as a cushy landing spot for former government officials. As this report notes, Covered California has hired Ana Matosantos, California’s former director of…
Read More »

Playing Bridge with Taxpayers’ Money


Monday January 27th, 2014   •   Posted by K. Lloyd Billingsley at 2:16pm PST   •   2 Comments

The new eastern span of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge cost $6.4 billion, with cost overruns of some $5 billion, and its opening was delayed 10 years. That amounts to waste on a colossal scale, but according to testimony in a State Transportation and Housing Committee hearing last Friday, other concerns remain for all…
Read More »

To Whom Does the U.S. Owe Money?


Friday January 24th, 2014   •   Posted by Craig Eyermann at 9:33am PST   •   2 Comments

At the end of its 2013 fiscal year on September 30, 2013, the total public debt outstanding for the United States federal government was $16.738 trillion. The following chart shows the preliminary percentage breakdown for the major holders of that debt (the data for the foreign holders of U.S. debt as of that date…
Read More »

Ethical Crimes Waste Taxpayer Dollars


Wednesday January 22nd, 2014   •   Posted by K. Lloyd Billingsley at 8:55am PST   •   0 Comments

Californians imposes some of the highest taxes in the nation but its economic recovery remains sluggish. Politicians back boondoggles like the Grand Bunk Railroad and are fond of wasting taxpayers’ money on sinecures for their friends. Consider a recent case the Sacramento Bee called an “ethical crime.” Senate boss Darrell Steinberg has appointed John…
Read More »

We’re Number 3!


Tuesday January 21st, 2014   •   Posted by Craig Eyermann at 8:37am PST   •   0 Comments

The Telegraph has a cool interactive graphic that shows how much social welfare spending has increased since 2000 in each of the nations that make up the OECD – the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The U.S. came in third with a 38.2% increase, behind Ireland (61.1%) and Portugal (39.6%). The average for…
Read More »

Lessons in Government from Robert Gates


Monday January 20th, 2014   •   Posted by K. Lloyd Billingsley at 9:30am PST   •   0 Comments

Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War, the new book by former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, is getting a lot of attention for what the author says about Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and vice president Joe Biden. Most of it has been apparent for some time but, fortunately, the memoir also reveals the…
Read More »

Breaking the Dysfunctional Budget Cycle


Friday January 17th, 2014   •   Posted by Craig Eyermann at 4:14pm PST   •   0 Comments

By law, the U.S. President is supposed to present a budget proposal for the federal government no later than the first Monday in February each year. In 2014, it would be due on Monday, February 3. President Obama has failed to comply with that legal requirement in four of the five years he has…
Read More »

Peninsula Rail Versus Grand Bunk Railroad


Friday January 17th, 2014   •   Posted by K. Lloyd Billingsley at 1:12pm PST   •   1 Comment

This week California is marking the 150th anniversary of the first train service between San Francisco and San Jose. The Southern Pacific Peninsula train began in 1863 as a private for-profit business to meet transportation needs. It cut the travel time between San Francisco and San Jose from eight or nine hours to 31/2…
Read More »

Cuidado Con Obamacare


Wednesday January 15th, 2014   •   Posted by K. Lloyd Billingsley at 10:35am PST   •   1 Comment

Millions of Americans who have lost their health plans, and millions of others who are going to lose their plans this year and next, are wondering if Obamacare can get any worse. A look at the Spanish version of the federal health website might answer that question. According to this Associated Press report, those…
Read More »

Facebook Twitter Youtube

Search MyGovCost