Government bureaucrats are living the good life. Salaries and benefits are 30 percent to 40 percent higher for federal workers than their private-sector counterparts. They enjoy great benefits, such as early retirement with generous pensions. And now, the rest of America is starting to take notice. This week on Scribecast, we spoke to Iain Murray, vice president for strategy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. He’s the author of a new book called “Stealing You Blind: How Government Fat Cats Are Getting Rich Off of You” (Regnery, 256 pages). It documents …
Maine is one of the noteworthy states that worked on state health care reform in the spring legislative session. For years, Maine has suffered under poor health policy—leading to fewer insured, skyrocketing premiums, and few coverage choices. Last week, Governor Paul LePage (R) spoke to an audience at The Heritage Foundation about the need for state innovation and free-market solutions instead of a federal government takeover of the health care system. In his comments, Governor LePage pointed out that the diversity of states is a critical consideration in health care …
As the Obama Administration conducts its military withdrawal from Iraq, Iran has upped its involvement in the region, emphasizing how vulnerable American troops are now that forces are diminishing. News broke this week that Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces carried out cross-border military operations in Iraq against guerrillas of the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) less than a week after Iran warned that it reserved the right to attack the bases of the rebel Kurdish group. PJAK is an Iranian–Kurdish separatist group that carries out attacks in Iran …
A recent study authored by Mark Crowell of the Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates that in the U.S., climate change will increase the area subject to flooding by 45 percent in 2100. But to get this number, the study used estimates of sea-level rise that were more than 200 percent higher than the estimates of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Even with its questionable temperature projections, the IPCC’s various projections of sea-level rise are between .18 and .59 meters (about 7 to 23 inches) (See chart above.). However, …
The Obama Administration traded 25 percent of the U.S. operationally deployed strategic nuclear missiles for a Russian nuclear buildup in New START, a bilateral arms control treaty with the Russian Federation, writes Mark Schneider in his latest op-ed. This became clear after the U.S. State Department released a factsheet making the disparity in destruction of accountable systems—delivery vehicles, nuclear warheads, deployed and non-deployed launchers of intercontinental-range ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and deployed and non-deployed heavy bombers—official.
Catching you up on clips, commentary and news of the day. Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe. America’s jobless ask: Where’s the recovery? – Elaine L. Chao Secrecy in Budget Talks Gave Obama an Advantage – Ernest Istook ATF sought to downplay guns scandal, emails show – Richard A. Serrano Glad You Mentioned It, Mr. President – Mark Green Jim Jordan Fights On – Robert Costa State Department Embraces Religion – Lauren Markoe America’s Marriage Debate Depends on Civil Society – Ryan Messmore Unrealistic mileage standards threaten consumers’ …
Wrongheaded environmental policies and “green” protectionism are endangering millions of jobs and costing consumers in both developing and developed countries. A new report about the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a global forest certification organization, entitled “Stop the War on the Poor—FSC and NGOs: Environmental Mythology,” highlights one aspect of the problem. The report, by the storied Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) that led the civil rights battles of the 1960s, details how green nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as the FSC threaten companies and consumers into using more expensive FSC-certified paper …
Now that the Senate has voted to do nothing to address the overspending crisis, conservatives must keep the liberals’ feet to the fire and not let them put off yet again finding a solution to federal overspending and overborrowing. Congress should not raise the debt limit without getting spending under control. Earlier this week, the House of Representatives passed the Cut, Cap and Balance Act, to get federal spending under control and balance the budget. That legislation passed with 234 votes in the House. The House is a legislative body, …
The nation’s capital is wracked by indecision these days. Raise the debt limit, or no? Don’t ask, don’t tell, or do? And, how will President Obama obfuscate this week on Syria, Libya, Pakistan, Egypt, or Iran? But take heart, dear citizens, all is not so murky. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has settled on how to distinguish serious injuries from non-serious injury to seals, dolphins, whales, and their Cetacean kin. The task is in keeping with the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which requires the good folks at the NMFS …
The recent proposal from the Gang of Six has received attention as a possible deal for raising the debt ceiling. On health care, the G6 proposal was initially weak, and as the story goes, the Gang allegedly beefed up its changes to health care spending to attract more support. But in reality, the improvements are small, and the plan ultimately fails to adequately address federal spending on health entitlements or to promise acceptable solutions down the road. Medicare, the health entitlement for the elderly and disabled, represents the largest driver …
