Free Republic

Senator Tom Coburn Talks Porkbusting Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) joined bloggers Glenn Reynolds, Mark Tapscott, NZ Bear, Erick Erickson, Tim Chapman, and myself to to discuss spending, appropriations, and earmarks this afternoon in the wake of last weeks "Bridge To Nowhere" drama. One of the key points discussed is how 'sunshine' is the enemy of pork barrel earmark spending. The process has been deliberately gamed by Congress to provide as little light on last minute changes, congressional earmarks, and other sundry spending tricks. As the "Bridge To Nowhere" episode showed, when pork filled projects attached onto large appropriation bills is...

The McLaughlin Group is a political debate show that's nationally syndicated and will air a show this weekend on "Shelving the Shuttle FOR GOOD". Presumably it's showing on NBC in your area, although one can check at: http://www.mclaughlin.com .

It would seem that we space entrepreneurs are finally making significant strides with what is perhaps Washington D.C.'s most influential fiscal watchdog, the nonprofit Citizens Against Government Waste (which has its own lobbying arm, unlike the Cato Institute). As the following link shows, they have dedicated at least the first half of this month's online radio show to NASA reform, of the PRO-ENTREPRENEURIAL kind: http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Washington_Waste_Wire Please feel free to visit that page anytime (to indirectly get your interest in the topic registered) and feel even more free to tune in and (if you like) call in and offer your point...

"A steady decline in Superfund funding has alarmed lawmakers," the Washington Post breathlessly reports this morning. This morning's full-page MoveOn.org ad in The New York Times, featuring Al Gore, also complains about declining Superfund spending. But declining Superfund spending is good news! Toxic emissions by U.S. industry have been falling for more than 15 years; the total number of Superfund sites has been falling, owing to completed cleanups. So of course Superfund spending is declining--less is needed because there's less to clean up. Bear in mind that Superfund was originally enacted in 1980 as a temporary, emergency program in response...