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A provision secretly tucked into the Farm Bill blocks a recent federal appeals court decision under the Freedom of Information Act that ordered USDA to make public large amounts of data crucial to monitoring the multi-billion-dollar farm subsidy and
Recently Congress sent the latest Farm Bill to the president featuring brand new federal programs, expansion of existing subsidies, more food stamps and more foreign food aid. It hits the taxpayer hard, while ensuring food prices will remain elevated
Farming is a good example of the textbook model of perfect competition—or at least that is what ECON 101 students often are taught. Even economists, evidently, are enthralled by Jeffersonian nostalgia for the yeoman farmer, the rugged individualist t
Is making a profit off the war immoral? It is an old and well established American Tradition, dating from the very beginning. Making a killing off the killing? Why not? If you don't someone else, greedier than you, will grab your share!
The high-tech planes and ships commissioned for trillions of dollars to defeat an enemy with no navy, air force or army, and using $3 knives as its weapons arsenal, was a gift to the military-industrial complex that will go on giving for decades to c
The Federal Reserve has taken its "boldest" action since the 1930s, accepting $200bn of worthless housing debt as collateral to bail out Wall Street's mortgage industry loan sharks. The Fed has "legally" circumvented a ban on
President Bush signed the fiscal 2008 Defense authorization bill into law Monday, but not before stating that he reserves the right to disregard several sections on contract fraud probes, whistle blower protection, and congressional oversight.
Senate Democrats and Republicans reached agreement with the Bush adminstration yesterday on the terms of new legislation to control the federal government's domestic surveillance program, which includes a highly controversial grant of legal immun
Nice breakdown of contracts that have gone to Blackwater since 2000. Over $1 billion in seven years. Not a bad return on investment.(Curious about the amount under "Unknown".)
Entered By: Jean Carbonneau
Big Coal is in deep trouble and wants Congress to provide a massive federal bailout. Since the beginning of 2006 at least two dozen new coal-fired electric power plants have been canceled, mostly for environmental reasons. As of May there were only
The United States has assembled an imposing industrial army in Iraq larger than its uniformed fighting force and responsible for such a broad swath of responsibilities the military might not be able to operate without its private-sector partners.
The Senate pressed ahead with a Democrat-driven rewrite of American energy policy that would strip nearly $15 billion in tax breaks from large companies and put the money toward making energy from clean, renewable sources like wind, solar and soybean
Called "splash and dash," "touch and go," or an unfair trade practice, it features biofuels traders who exploit a US tax credit, European drivers who get cheaper diesel fuel, and American taxpayers, who are footing the bill.
The chiefs of the Big Three US automakers pressed President Bush to create more government incentives for the development of ethanol and other biofuels. [I'm $ure he'll fork it over. He can alway$ get more.]
The Bush administration yesterday proposed ending farm subsidies for an estimated 80,000 wealthy individuals as part of a broad plan that would close loopholes and cut traditional farm programs by $4.5 billion over the next 10 years.
(Long Article, but worth the read) In November of 2002, Stephen J. Hadley, deputy national security advisor, asked Bruce Jackson to meet with him in the White House. They met in Hadley's office on the ground floor of the West Wing,
Lawmakers begin work on a new multibillion-dollar farm bill at odds with President Bush over whether big changes really are needed. What I think we're going to end up doing, you could say, is extending the farm bill," Rep. Collin Peterson, D
Ever wonder who flies their Learjet into Washington D.C. once a year to get your stolen tax dollars from your Representatives to not farm? Well, in 2006, you finally get to know. State by state.
Entered By: Powell Gammill
The US offers some of the most lucrative incentives in the world to companies that drill for oil in publicly owned coastal waters, but a newly released study suggests that the government is getting very little for its [the taxpayer's] money.
For decades, the fiercely independent fruit and vegetable growers of California, Florida and other states have been the only farmers in America who shunned federal subsidies, delivering produce to the tables of millions of Americans on their own.
Twelve senators from U.S. farm and ranch states filed a bipartisan bill on Wednesday that would provide billions of dollars in disaster aid to farmers and ranchers hurt by [lack of illegal aliens to pick crops] bad weather in 2005 and this year.
[Links to several similar stories on article right.] de Boer was startled to learn that he was one of hundreds of East Texas ranchers entitled to up to $40,000 in disaster compensation from the federal government, even though the nearest debris lande
Exxon Mobil Corp., after posting a record $36.1 billion in profit last year from surging oil prices, said the United States should end 28 years of subsidies for a competing fuel made from corn because the subsidies benefit domestic growers
In Northern California's Humboldt County, voters decided by a 55-45 margin that corporations do not have the same rights —based on the supposed "personhood" of the combines—as citizens when it comes to participating in local political c
Near Kabul City in the village of Qalai Qazi, Afghanistan, stands a new, bright-yellow health clinic by American contractor The Louis Berger Group. The clinic was meant to function as a sterling example of American engineering, and to serve as a mod
In an unpublicized, late night session, the US congress turns an entrepreneur's lifetime work upside down while monopolizing the prices in a multi-billion dollar industry. Fully spun press releases are distributed and an old dairyman goes back t
This government sanctioned collusion maintains artificially high milk prices costing consumers and tax payers billions each year. Now the Mega Milkers are setting their sights on the only competition that stands between them and unlimited profits.
The uncle and father of a Louisiana lawmaker won three no-bid contracts worth $108 million to provide temporary housing for Hurricane Katrina evacuees, stirring complaints of a sweetheart deal from rival businesses and prompting a state investigation
Theft is still theft, even by Government.
It wasn’t all that long ago that I had the opportunity to witness a true political spectacle. It was fairly early in the morning, yet a well-dressed crowd had gathered at the distinguished Goldwater Institute to hear the pros and cons on going forwa
Tempe is looking to arrest the growth of the payday loan industry — which is increasingly popular with customers, but increasingly unpopular politically. Many other cities coordinating.
