George Orwell, it’s time to turn over in your grave. In Orwell’s world of double talk and upside down reality, few stories can rival one that took place this morning on National Public Radio (NPR). The show started out with a quote from Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff, to the effect that the “biggest threat we have to our national security is our debt.” True enough. Out of control spending threatens to squeeze the discretionary part of the federal budget, of which defense is …
Dr. Donald Berwick may not be a household name yet, but if he is confirmed as the head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the position for which he was nominated by President Obama, he may soon determine the direction of health care of millions of Americans. So what’s the big deal about that? Earlier this week, a Washington Post editorial attributed the ongoing hold-up in Berwick’s confirmation hearing to “partisan politics”, claiming that, “Republicans are seizing on the Berwick nomination as an opportunity to relitigate the health-care …
It’s approaching 80 days and each day the oil cleanup falls farther behind. The math is simple: More oil comes out of the Deepwater Horizon well each day than we collect. So after 80 days things are worse rather than better. It’s because those in charge have failed to re-assign priorities and assemble enough resources to skim and intercept the oil before it reaches shore. The feds and BP take turns pointing fingers at each other, but both are at fault for the slow-paced response to the original spill. But …
Last night, the House of Representatives passed their version of the defense supplemental bill by a vote of 215-210. The bill includes $10 billion for the “Education Jobs Fund” which Democratic leadership claims will “save” 140,000 jobs. At that rate, each job “saved” will cost more than $70,000, which is $16,000 higher than the average teacher salary of $54,000 in 2008–2009—a cumulative difference of about $2 billion. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that the unionization rate of public school teachers in early 2009 was 57 percent. Average state …
The final cost of the Gulf spill cleanup hasn’t even been tallied and some experts are already predicting that the economic impact of the President’s politically-motivated drilling moratorium will prove to be more costly. At the end of May, the President announced that he would be extending his temporary moratorium for six months. But at a time when the White House is desperately trying to spin a dismal June job’s report, forcing thousands of Gulf rig workers out of work only increases the strain on an already fragile local and …
Late Thursday night, the New York State Assembly passed no-fault divorce legislation in a 113–19 vote after the Senate voted 32–29 to approve the bill two weeks ago. Governor David Paterson is expected to sign the bill into law. The bill allows a spouse to file for divorce unilaterally after swearing under oath that the marriage has broken down irreconcilably for six months. The other spouse gets no say in the matter. Movement of the legislation in New York is significant because the Empire State is the only one in …
Barbara Martinez of The Wall Street Journal reported last week that New York City schools have begun handing out pink slips to teachers: Principals—who are facing an average 4% budget cut at their schools—have started eliminating teaching positions ahead of Friday, when their spending plans are due to the city Department of Education [DOE]. Presumably this action is meant to cut costs. But there’s a twist:
In January, we reported that President Obama was redefining NASA’s mission, and entirely cutting its role in the manned exploration of space. This was not a matter of budget prudence as NASA’s piece of the federal pie was actually increasing by $300 million. According the Orlando Sentinel at the time: “The White House will direct NASA to concentrate on Earth-science projects — principally, researching and monitoring climate change.” And unlike the rest of President Obama’s government growth strategy, this shift to make NASA a global warming centered agency resulted in …
Peter Brookes presents an op-ed in the Boston Herald demonstrating this administration’s repeated failure to live up to its promise of transparency and open government. The administration’s reticence to give Senators the negotiating record for the new START treaty is yet another flagrant example. The reasons provided in the START hearings not to release the negotiating record are either false, or simply fly in the face of reason. The first, that negotiating records have not been released to the Senate in the past, is patently false given that they have …
Secretary of State Clinton’s congratulatory message to Venezuela on its independence day reflects the State Department’s continued inability to craft a coherent strategy for Venezuela. The friendly message claims ingenuously: We [the U.S. and Venezuela] share a common history of emancipation and democratic aspiration. Yet, in reality, it is hard to see how Venezuela—with its historic oscillations between political strongmen, oligarchic elites, and the current Bolivarian Revolution of President Hugo Chavez—compares with the course of liberty and democratic governance in the United States. The congratulatory note continues undeterred:
