Where is the Money Going?
Scranton, Pa. Cuts Pay for City Workers to Minimum Wage
Mayor Chris Doherty of Scranton, Pennsylvania (population: 76,000), is not a popular man with public employee unions, not after slashing the salaries of 398 police, firefighters and other city workers down to minimum wage ($7.25/hr) starting with ... read more
As National Unemployment Rate Stabilizes, Rate for African-Americans Rises Again
The June unemployment data released by the Department of Labor last week showed a disturbing rise in unemployment among African-Americans, from 13.6% to 14.4%, nearly double the rate for the white population, which was unchanged at 7.4%, and hig... read more
Federal Government Falls Short of Small Business Contracting Goal…for 11th Straight Year
The federal government last year fell short of its “small business” contracting goals for the eleventh straight year, a streak that stretches back to the first year of the George W. Bush administration. Federal agencies awarded contracts worth $... read more
FBI Prepares Billion-Dollar Iris Recognition Database
With at least 30 million surveillance cameras watching Americans every day, one aspect of the world of George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 has already come to pass, and more is on the way. In the next two years, for example, the FBI plans to te... read more
Rhode Island Law Forces Disclosure of Campaign Donations above $1,000
Super PACs and other political organizations wanting involvement in Rhode Island elections will now have to disclose their supporters and expenditures under a new law.
Lawmakers adopted the Transparency in Political Spending Act (TIPS) to be... read more
IRS Balks at Investigating Tax-Exempt Organizations Accused of Violating Tax Laws
Complaints about tax-exempt groups, which have become a mainstay of federal elections, are not being managed or processed efficiently by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), according to a new report.
The Department of the Treasury’s inspecto... read more
Energy Dept. Offered Better Fee Rate to Company Building New Nuclear Reactors than Students Get for Their Loans
Utility giant the Southern Company received a generous loan guarantee from the Obama administration as part of a plan to build the first new commercial nuclear reactors in decades.
To help the Southern Company build the new reactors at Plant... read more
Another Oregon County, Hit by Budget Cuts, Releases Prisoners … Including 3 Homicide Suspects
As a result of deep budget cuts, the sheriff in Lane County, Oregon, freed 96 prisoners from the county jail, including three suspects awaiting trial for manslaughter.
Space at the jail is not a problem, according to Sheriff Tom Turner. But ... read more
Bill Would Ban Bonuses for Federal Employees under Investigation…If They Work for GSA
Lawmakers in the U.S. House have decided to single out the General Services Administration (GSA), introducing legislation that would ban that agency’s employees under investigation from receiving bonuses.
The proposal follows several account... read more
Army Gives Up on $5 Billion Camouflage Uniforms
The U.S. Army has finally surrendered to overwhelming criticism of its current camouflage uniforms, which cost the service $5 billion but failed to sufficiently hide soldiers in combat.
The Army began using a pixilated design in 2004, claimi... read more
Bipartisan Bill Would Charge Fees to Makers of Generic Drugs, Raising More Than $1 Billion a Year
The federal government is preparing for the first time to charge makers of generic drugs a fee for federal approval, which manufacturers of name-brand medicines have already been paying.
The change was incorporated into legislation that gain... read more
Welfare for the Rich: U.S. Gives JPMorgan $14 Billion a Year in Subsidies
At the same time it has championed free-market capitalism, JPMorgan Chase has enjoyed the largesse of U.S. government subsidies—to the tune of $14 billion annually, the equivalent of 77% of its net profits over the past four quarters.
Accord... read more
U.S. Dumps Excess Equipment on Police Departments that Don’t Need It
Law enforcement agencies in post-September 11, 2001, America have stockpiled billions of dollars in military equipment, some of which seems unnecessary for local police forces.
Police departments have managed to collect vast quantities of mi... read more
130 Members of Congress Bought Stocks in Companies that Lobbied their Committees
Unwilling to impose rules on themselves that they have on others in government, 130 congressional lawmakers have invested in company stocks while making legislative decisions impacting the very same corporate interests.
Federal laws adopted ... read more
Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Later, Program to Relieve Poverty by Promoting Marriage Didn’t Work
A Bush-era program designed to help poor people improve their lives through healthy marriages wound up consuming hundreds of millions of dollars and producing few results.
Announced in 2004, the Healthy Marriage Initiative was launched two y... read more
IRS Shows Little Interest in Whistleblowers Trying to Expose Tax Avoiders
Six years after Congress authorized a new incentive program for tax whistleblowers, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has paid less than a handful of awards to those exposing tax cheats. The result has been demoralizing for whistleblowers, acco... read more