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Washington Beyond the Headlines: Incompetence Alert

 

By Andy Blom, TES Correspondent

 

Who would have guessed the Biden Administration would be more fraught with drama than the Trump Admin? But the border is in chaos, the pandemic in indecision, inflation running amok (try to buy lumber), lines at the gas pump as prices rise and Congress caught in overreach roadblock. Fun, huh? Well, never fear, free market thinkers and doers are working tirelessly on your behalf. Here’s this week’s (non-fake) news…

 

Making a Bad Idea Worse — Biden’s IRS Plans. In the midst of recovering from a pandemic, severe political division and economic uncertainty, the last thing America needs is more IRS. But that’s exactly what Joe Biden wants and is trying to force upon us with a massive funding increase. Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) gives us 6 reasons why that’s bad here, and a look at taxpayer funded IRS incompetence here.

 

Budget? We Don’t Need No Stinking Budget! Not so, says the Republican Study Committee (RSC). In fact, the RSC has prepared the only long term federal budget proposed in Congress. Kind of sobering considering the huge amounts of our money Congress throws around, and the huge amounts more they (and the Biden Administration) are pondering — without a budget!. You wouldn’t run your business or household like that. Can anyone say irresponsible government? Check out the RSC proposals here.

 

Cutting Red Tape in Health Emergencies…it’s VITAL. One more lesson from the pandemic: we’ve got to get answers quicker. That’s why Doctor and Senator Rand Paul has introduced the VITAL Act (Verified Innovative Testing in American Laboratories) to cut red tape and get the bureaucracy out of the way when the American people need testing. Makes sense, though but it would have been nice if this had been introduced and passed in, say, 2012. Read all about it here and call your Senator.

 

Wake Up Corporate America, Woke Ain’t It. Is the real division in America between those who scream about everything and those who don’t? The Consumer Research Center thinks so and they have launched an ad campaign calling on major corporations to serve their customers, not “woke” politicians and activists. The 7 figure campaign targets American Airlines (here), Nike (here), and Coke (here). Take a look, form your own opinions.

 

A Pox of Lawyers. In draining the swamp the Trump Administration cut more than a third of Federal regulatory text in just their first year. Great but…but…but…they also increased the number of lawyers on the Government payroll from 25,060 in 2014 to 34,738 in 2016, at a cost of $4.8 billion in compensation. That’s a lot of law. In fact, Washington, and the Federal Government, is awash in lawyers at staggering taxpayer cost. Adam Andrzejewski CEO and Founder of OpenTheBooks.com has the astonishing facts and figures here.

 

Healthcare in the Crosshairs. Is the American healthcare system a mess? You bet. Can it be fixed? The Heartland Institute thinks so, and they have a plan…a plan that does not involve a government takeover. Read their approach here and here and be sure to download the full plan if you want all the details.

 

Green New Deal? Hold On Say a Majority of Americans. This divided nation is surprisingly unified in how it feels and thinks about America’s energy plan. A recent TIPP Poll shows strong favorability for American Energy Independence, Economic Impact Assessments for new projects and directions, and keeping America’s energy providers at the table. Hear the people speak here and let’s hope our legislators listen, too.

 

Nothing to See Here, This is Not the Government You Were Looking For. Unity? Transparency? Oh, those were just campaign promises. For a dash of cold reality get acquainted with the Biden Administration’s edict to hide Government agency guidance documents from the public. Yet another killing of a Trump program, this is an attempt to shield the regulatory state from prying eyes. The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Clyde Wayne Crews pulls back the curtain here. 

 

Take a Deep Dive into Immigration. The Cato Institute has done a very exacting and thorough survey on carefully analyzed groups of Americans and their thoughts and feelings about immigration. Their extensive findings may affirm some of your opinions, and challenge others, but the study here brings important information to a critical issue.

 

We’ll Pay You Not to Work. No, that Doesn’t Affect Unemployment. As over 20 states have now moved to discontinue the federal bonus unemployment (all Republican led states by the way) it seems amazing that people still argue that paying people more than they earn at work doesn’t keep them at home. And by people we include our President, Joe Biden, who claims the awful April jobs report had nothing to do with bonus unemployment. The Heritage Foundation disagrees and takes Mr. Biden to task here.

 

Don’t let Biden “California” Our Cars. In their unrelenting attempt to undo anything Donald Trump did, the Biden Administration’s NHTSA (National Highway and Traffic Administration) is proposing to remove the rule that prohibits California from enforcing it’s ‘Green’ emission standards, mileage requirements and ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle) standards on the rest of the country. In short, when California can determine its own stricter requirements, it very significantly governs what automakers can and will do. Hence, it affects what vehicles we can buy, drive or dream about. Trump stopped the tail wagging the dog, but now we’re about to get the other end of the pooch. Marlo Lewis, Jr. of the Competitive Enterprise Institute fills you in on what’s up and why it matters here. 

 

This One’s for the Ladies…It is disturbing that I have to expect to get flack for using a sexist, yet gracious term as a subhead, but it’s time to talk about women in the workplace. In particular, how Covid-19 has affected women in the workplace. Rachel Greszler has done the research and the thinking and produced a valuable study here that can help us understand the issues, the results, and plan better for the future.

 


Andresen Blom is a Washington based policy and political analyst and author who has been published in The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, and Politico.