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It is no longer enough to be a good manager focusing on efficiency and "optimization," DoD's director of force transformation said here today. "It is more important to be a good manager and a transformational leader," Arthur K. Cebrowski said at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Defense 2004 conference. "The role of good management, of the transformational leader, is to look at and identify perfectly predictable surprises and act in advance," Cebrowski told those assembled. "The responsibilities of transformational leaders are to identify disparities before they take place and stop wasting time with optimizations and efficiencies that will...

An idea whose time has come Jack Kemp (back to web version) | Send February 2, 2004 Before Ronald Reagan came on the scene, the Republican Party presented itself as the fiscally responsible party, which meant the Democrats had the political pleasure of spending money while Republicans dolefully raised taxes to pay for it - what one quick wit later characterized as being the "tax collector for the welfare state." Reagan figured out that not only wasn't that role politically successful, it also was bad policy and very harmful to the economy. In his run for the presidency in 1964,...

Has the President Gone on a "Spending Spree"? Only if you think that withdrawing from the war and surrendering the world to Osama bin Laden is a viable option. A lot of conservatives have been on a tear lately (myself included). Every time you turn around, someone is screaming about government spending and the there are those who are more than happy to exploit the confusion surrounding spending issues to erode support for the President. The San Francisco Chronicle recently put out a hit piece attempting to spin the spending numbers in a way that makes the President seem like...

(CBS/AP) The U.S. Senate next week is expected to pass a massive spending bill that will bring federal spending per household to its highest level since the World War II — and do its part to promote the game of golf. Published reports indicate the $820 billion measure for funding several federal agencies has increased tensions between fiscal conservatives in the Republican party and lawmakers who support the president's expansive spending on health care and defense. It also includes millions in federal aid for a program teaching golf to kids. According to the Boston Globe, the $820 billion bill caps...

Is there some reason why there isn't an Intergenerational Report being produced by our fiscally conservative President and Congress? Is there some reason why intergenerational equity and fiscal sustainability are not regularly discussed on fiscally conservative talk radio, by fiscally conservative columnists, and at fiscally conservative websites in America?

"I came, I saw, I conquered" could well have been Arnold's secret campaign motto, for, indeed, the Terminator terminated, and California and the nation will never be the same again. Not since the tax-cutting revolution of Proposition 13 have the vibrations of a California earthquake reverberated so strongly across the nation. He Came Arnold entered the race on the deliciously succulent "Tonight Show." Would any other Hollywood star have done it differently? The Republicans had been fielding terrible candidates and had had a hard time connecting with voters. They couldn't get a foothold in a state that was voting more...

A Personal Message from Tom about the Recall

GAO Warns of Dangerous DeficitNewsMax.com WiresThursday, Sept 18, 2003 WASHINGTON -- The head of Congress' investigative arm warned Wednesday that the United States faces "large and growing structural deficits," which, if not soon addressed, could lead to "a dangerous budgetary and economic spiral that would ultimately hurt every American." "Our nation has a major long-term fiscal challenge that is not going away, and requires serious and sustained attention," David Walker, U.S. comptroller general and head of the General Accounting Office, said Wednesday at a luncheon at Washington's National Press Club. This challenge -- more than $7 trillion in accumulated...

While contemplating my discomfort over the Ontario election, I came across Steve Martinovich's following statement: "Unfortunately for conservatives, Eves seems less than willing to carry on this revolution of tax cuts, fiscal responsibility and business friendly policies which have fostered economic growth and job creation. [...] Should I reward someone who seems to be abandoning the policies of Harris or should I help hand McGuinty victory by staying home. Does it matter?" I know the feeling. Ann Coulter once remarked about swing voters: "I like to refer to them as the idiot voters because they don't have set philosophical principles....

<p>WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE ABOUT those two white knights of economic intervention known as Monetary and Fiscal Policy?</p> <p>Monetary Man, in service to Alan Greenspan's Federal Reserve Board, has lowered the overnight interest rate to such a point that short-term credit is practically being given away. And with exquisite timing, Fiscal Man, first knight to the federal government's power to tax, spend and borrow, has cut taxes to get us all to buy more, while the government is helpfully pitching in by spending a lot more on its own.</p>

WASHINGTON — The chief executive of Freddie Mac and the corporation's general counsel are being replaced at the request of federal regulators as an investigation continues into the embattled mortgage giant's accounting practices. Armando Falcon, the head of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise, said yesterday that based on a review of the conduct of senior Freddie Mac officials, he had recommended the removal of Freddie Mac Chief Executive Gregory Parseghian and General Counsel Maud Mater. Falcon said in a statement that he had concluded that the two officials "should be replaced." He said federal regulators would work with the...

If you put your ear to the ground, you can hear the rumble. It is the rumble of political discontent, obsolete bipolarities, and looming realignment. What am I talking about? I’m talking about the coming split of the Republican Party. Years ago, Jeff Foxworthy blessed America with his “…you might be a redneck” jokes. Drawing upon his comedic methodology: If you fear the one true God, define America as a “Christian Nation”, seek to make God’s Law the law of the land, think of homosexuals as freaks and sinners, and want to jail women who have abortions…you might be a...

<p>It is being called the perfect political storm -- a confluence of events, personalities and politics that combined to bring about this historic moment in California, a vote to recall a governor.</p> <p>Never before has the state faced this combination of circumstances: fiscal and economic crises, unprecedented voter disenchantment with politics and state leadership, an ambitious millionaire willing to bankroll a recall election, a Legislature dominated by inexperience and a governor devoid of charismatic leadership or tactical skills that might help evade the gathering storm.</p>

U.S. Senate candidate makes Peoria stop in statewide fly-around May 30, 2003 By JENNIFER DAVIS of the Journal Star PEORIA - Jack Ryan, the only announced Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, is making the most of having the spotlight to himself. During a stop in Peoria on Thursday as part of a statewide fly-around, Ryan promised "a really different kind of campaign." "This campaign is going to focus a lot on the issues of the urban poor, the weakest portion of our society. It's going to focus a lot on educational issues," he said. Ryan, a former partner in the...

Democrats and the Kennedys are once again proving to be hypocrite fools suffering from the famous case of liberal amnesia. The controversy this time stems from John F. Kennedy in advertisements that support President Bush's new tax cut plan. Senator Ted Kennedy is fuming over JFK's name and image being used to support tax cuts, something he vehemently opposes. These ads in question compare the massive tax cuts of JFK to those of Reagan and Bush, and rightfully so. This ordeal is only a small part of the larger problem; that modern day Democrats and socialists have hijacked the good...

To hear the nation's governors talk, these are the worst of times for state governments. The sluggish economy has dried up revenues and blown huge holes in their budgets. According to the National Governors Association, states face the deepest fiscal crisis since World War II. Hard times have forced ''substantial cuts'' in spending, governors say, and prompted many to raise taxes. On Tuesday, Michigan's state representatives were ordered to take a 3% pay cut. Despite such actions, billion-dollar budget gaps loom for many states. Congress is listening to their pleas. This week it is considering whether to include $30 billion...

On February 20, President Bush signed the 2003 Omnibus Appropriations bill (HJ Res. 2) into law. This bill covers 11 of the 13 spending measures that annually fund government operations and that the 107th Congress failed to pass before adjourning last year. Although we are just beginning to tabulate the cost to taxpayers, we predict that pork in this year's spending bills will surpass the record of $20.1 billion contained in last year's budget. CAGW has begun compiling a preliminary list of pork-barrel projects in the Omnibus legislation. Some of those that stand out so far include: $280,000 for asparagus...

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<p>As California legislators fight over raising taxes or slashing programs, here's one thing they're not proposing to do: Cut their own pay.</p> <p>Thousands of state workers face the prospect of salary concessions or layoffs, but not lawmakers, who are paid from a legislative budget that could actually rise next year.</p>

50,000 people go to a baseball game, but the game was rained out. A refund was then due. The team was about to mail refunds when the Congressional Democrats stopped them and suggested that they send out refund amounts based on the Democrat National Committee's interpretation of fairness. After all, if the refunds were made based on the price each person paid for the tickets most of the money would go to the wealthiest ticket holders. That would be unconscionable. The DNC plan says: People in the $10 seats will get back $15, because they have less money to spend....

<p>Californians would pay hundreds of dollars more for that new minivan and their children's college educations. The cost of a big-screen TV would rise, as would restaurant meals. And smokers would have to add a buck for every pack of cigarettes.</p>

<p>California now has, officialdom has finally acknowledged, a financial headache that not only has grown to immense proportions but could plague the state's politicians and taxpayers for many years.</p> <p>A week before Christmas, Gov. Gray Davis declared that the deficit had reached nearly $35 billion for the remainder of the current fiscal year and all of the next. That amounts to more than a fourth of the budgeted spending during that period or, to put it another way, it's about $1,000 for every man, woman and child in the state.</p>

<p>Even as a hurricane fueled by years of reckless spending engulfs California's government, there is strong reason to hope that significant good can come from the dark days ahead.</p> <p>Granted, there is no denying the severity of our problems. Budget deficit projections have already topped $21 billion. With the bookkeeping tricks and wishful assumptions used to "balance" last year's budget coming apart like dime store clothing, the shortfall could reach $30 billion before all is said and done. Even the optimists no longer bank on a miraculous leap in the economy, and Gov. Gray Davis used up all available accounting gimmicks last year to get himself through the election.</p>

If there's a big puddle of water in the middle of the basement, a homeowner checks for leaking pipes and calls the plumber. If there's a pool of oil in the garage, a driver gets a mechanic to inspect the car's plugs and seals right away. And when three different groups, two of them grass-roots and one a statewide governmental association, say they're holding petition drives for referendums on tax reform, voters could justly conclude that something's broken in the way the state collects and disburses its revenues. OK, so that's not exactly a secret. The state is $240...

States in Worst Fiscal Crisis in Decade By Christine Hall CNSNews.com Staff Writer July 24, 2002 The states are facing their worst fiscal crisis in ten years, but efforts to use tax increases, tobacco settlement proceeds and other short-term fixes to shore up budget deficits ensure that "the seeds of fiscal crisis will remain," according to a new study by Manhattan Institute scholar William D. Eggers. In fact, "Only by fundamentally restructuring government will state policymakers be able to contain spending growth and return accountability to state finance," according to Eggers. In May 2002, the National Council of State Legislatures...

January 17, 2002 Top Ten Fiscal Myths of Sens. Kennedy and Daschle WASHINGTON—In an economic address yesterday at the National Press Club, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) called for supplanting the next stage of the $1.35 trillion tax cut, passed last year, with more federal spending on existing and new programs. Sen. Kennedy's speech echoed many of the ideas expressed recently by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S. Dak.). Cato Director of Fiscal Policy Chris Edwards identified 10 enduring myths in both senators' speeches. 1) Myth: Tax cuts cause budget deficits, but more spending doesn't. Reality: Spending is set to soar...

Project America: a sinking ship By Leslie WayneNew York June 19 2002 Two years ago, amid waving flags and swaying hula dancers, the United States Government announced an ambitious program to build two passenger cruise ships - the first in a US shipyard since the 1950s and provided more than $US1 billion ($A1.79 billion) in loan guarantees to get the program going. It did not hurt that the ships were to be built in the Mississippi shipyard where the father of Trent Lott, the Republican Senate minority leader, once worked. As a result, Senator Lott became one of the strongest...