Where is the Money Going?
Peace Institute Faces Bipartisan Ax
Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. House have joined together to kill all funding for the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), a Cold War-era government think tank that’s performed work in Iraq and won praise for resolving conflicts in Afghanistan... read more
Oil and Gas Industry Gears Up to Help Friendly Candidates
The American Petroleum Institute (API), Big Oil’s chief lobbying operation, has decided to start contributing to political candidates, and that’s good news for the Republican Party.
With funding from corporations like ExxonMobil and Chevron,... read more
Government Debt, at All Levels, Reaches Post-World War II Levels
The United States has reached a level of combined government indebtedness not seen since the end of World War II, when the federal government borrowed heavily to fight a two-front war in Europe and the Pacific. Nowadays, the U.S. debt is serious... read more
Obama Budget Calls for Mining Companies to Pay Royalties for Use of Public Lands
Just as oil, gas and coal companies pay a royalty for extracting natural resources from public lands, mining companies also should have to pay the government for removing gold, silver and other minerals, argues the Obama administration.
Unti... read more
Obama and Geithner Hand over Home Loans to Same Banks that Destroyed the Economy: Robert Scheer
What one Democrat created to further the American dream, another Democrat is trying to destroy, says political journalist Robert Scheer.
Scheer is maddened by a new policy issued by President Barack Obama that would eliminate public support fo... read more
Obama Budget Boosts Loan Guarantees for Nuclear Power Industry
Much to the dismay of green energy supporters, President Barack Obama’s new budget plan includes $36 billion in spending to provide loan guarantees for the nuclear power industry to establish new reactors.
The $36 billion follows on $18.5 bill... read more
Time to End the Draft…and Save $24 Million a Year
With the U.S. military more than able to fill its ranks with volunteers and everyone looking for places to cut federal spending, a Republican congressman wants to officially do away with the requirement that 18-year-old males register for a draf... read more
Defense Department Helps Big 5 Military Contractors
Banks may not be the only too-big-to-fail businesses the U.S. government is determined to help succeed. The presence of the Department of Defense’s top weapons buyer at a military industry investment conference has demonstrated the importance pl... read more
JPMorgan Profits When Food Stamp Use Increases
When the number of Americans on food stamps goes up, the profits of JPMorgan Chase also rise.
The powerhouse national bank contracts with 26 state governments and the District of Columbia to produce debit cards for food stamp recipients, a s... read more
House Republicans Want to Slash Funding for Bush Favorite…Community Health Centers
As part of their effort to slash huge sums from the federal budget, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are proposing to cut $1.3 billion from community health centers, a program favored by key GOP leaders, including former Presiden... read more
Military Steps in to Buy Up Gulf Seafood
The U.S. military is coming to the rescue of fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico, by buying up a bounty of seafood that others have been wary of since last year’s oil spill.
Operators of 72 base commissaries along the East Coast are now promotin... read more
Corporations Have Easy Time Beating Tax Code
Officially, corporations are supposed to pay a tax rate of 35%. But thanks to myriad loopholes in the U.S. tax code, many large businesses pay less—sometimes only a fraction of what they are supposed to pay.
Carnival Corporation, owner of th... read more
America’s Two Economies: Robert Reich
Rather than taking heart from the latest employment news, that the economy produced 36,000 new jobs in January, the nation’s leadership should be alarmed, writes Robert Reich, former labor secretary under President Bill Clinton. Such a figure is p... read more
Cattle Population in U.S. Smallest Since 1958
Although the future looks bright for the industry, cattle ranchers have reduced the size of their stocks in order to make up for recent losses and cover rising feed costs. The situation has left the nation with the smallest cattle population in ... read more
Should Legal, Non-Citizen Immigrants Receive Food Stamps?
Washington State’s decision to end funding for food stamps for legal immigrants has prompted a class action lawsuit claiming the move was unconstitutional.
Effective February 1, the state government will cease all funding for its Food Assist... read more
Virtual Border Fence May be Dead, but Spending on Surveillance Continues
Despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars on equipment that didn’t pan out, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is determined to use advanced technology to improve border monitoring between the U.S. and Mexico—even if it means dupli... read more