From today’s Washington Post:
Via David Boaz, who adds,
Does this look like the record of policymakers making sensible decisions, running surpluses in good year and deficits when they have to “address national security and economic emergencies”? Of course not. Once Keynesianism gave policymakers permission to run deficits, they spent with abandon year after year.
Comments Off on Worth a Thousand Words
Tagged bipartisan spending binge, david boaz, debt deficit, national debt, spending problem, washington post
Cato’s Chris Edwards and Dan Mitchell with some wise words about the debt limit debate, how we got where we are, and why neither party can be trusted with the public fisc.
Comments Off on The Debt Limit Debate
Tagged cato, chris edwards, dan mitchell, debt limit, raising the debt limit
As debt-limit talks heat up, President Obama told Rep. Eric Cantor, “Don’t call my bluff.”
This implies that he was bluffing.
If the President wants to win the negotiations, he would be better off keeping that information to himself.
Comments Off on Bad Negotiating Tactics
Posted in Argumentation, Political Animals, Spending
Tagged cantopr, debt limit, debt limit negotiations, obama, raising the debt limit
Today’s Los Angeles Times:
The highest-paid state employee in California last year, a prison surgeon who took home $777,423, has a history of mental illness, was fired once for alleged incompetence and has not been allowed to treat an inmate for six years because medical supervisors don’t trust his clinical skills.
Comments Off on There Is Nothing Left to Cut
Posted in Spending
Tagged california, la times, public sector pay
Congress is debating a $2 trillion spending cut right now. Or at least that’s what they’re calling it. Ten years from now, even with the cut in place, spending is projected to be $1.8 trillion higher than it is today. This video explains why in one short minute:
The USDA is spending $2 million to take pictures of what San Antonio school children eat for lunch.
Comments Off on There Is No More Fat to Trim from Government Budgets, Part 3
Tagged child obesity, Nanny State, san antonio, school lunches, usda, waste, wasteful spending
Land Use and Transportation Policy Analyst Marc Scribner looks at China’s experience with high-speed rail, and finds that it may not be a very good deal for the United States. Costs are so high that revenues don’t even cover the interest on the $271 billion of debt that high-speed rail has incurred for China.
Comments Off on CEI Podcast for April 28, 2011: High-Speed Rail
Posted in CEI Podcast, Economics, Spending
Tagged china, high speed rail, hsr, marc scribner
Over the last five years, the DC Metro has spent $2.4 million on back pay… for work that was never performed.
Some may be surprised to find out that labor unions were involved.
Comments Off on There Is No More Fat to Trim from Government Budgets
Posted in Spending
Tagged back pay, dc metro, labor unions, unsuck dc metro
Workforce Central Florida, a government agency, is spending $73,000 to give away 6,000 capes and some cardboard cutouts.
Comments Off on There Is No More Fat to Trim from Government Budgets
Posted in Spending
Tagged budget cuts, florida, spending, waste, workforce central florida
Inertia Wins! 