Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Md Troopers Assoc #20 & Westminster Md Fire Dept Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Showing posts with label US Govt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Govt. Show all posts

Monday, April 21, 2014

The biggest issue in government that no one talks about

The biggest issue in government that no one talks abouthttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2014/04/04/the-biggest-issue-in-government-that-no-one-talks-about/?wpisrc=nl_inn 

BY MATT MCFARLAND April 4, 2014

"Our opinion of government workers is notoriously low. Just look at these suggested searches from Google.
While Silicon Valley start-ups reinvent the world, most government agencies can only dream of being innovators. Basic competence on tech projects is a struggle, as the rollout of HealthCare.com illustrated.
At a GE-hosted event in Washington on Thursday addressing the future of work" Read more:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2014/04/04/the-biggest-issue-in-government-that-no-one-talks-about/?wpisrc=nl_inn 


'via Blog this'

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

For agency, a loss of technology has had down- and upsides - The Washington Post

For agency, a loss of technology has had down- and upsides - The Washington Post: "By Lisa Rein, Monday, April 9, 6:00 AM

The virus struck in an e-mail 80 days ago, flagged by a federal team that monitors cyber threats. The target was a small job-development bureau in the Commerce Department. The infiltration was so vicious it put Commerce’s entire computer network at risk.

To avert a crisis, the Economic Development Administration unplugged its operating system — and plunged its staff into the bureaucratic Dark Ages." http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/for-agency-a-loss-of-technology-has-had-down--and-upsides/2012/04/08/gIQAvpAY5S_story.html?wpisrc=nl_politics

'via Blog this'

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Monday, April 09, 2012

Congressman Allen West (R-FL): The Food Stamp Program Has Expanded Beyond its Intent

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

April 9, 2012

Contact: Angela Melvin
Communications Director
(202) 731-1778


West: The Food Stamp Program Has Expanded Beyond its Intent
(FT. LAUDERDALE)--- Congressman Allen West (R-FL) released this statement today regarding SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, otherwise known as the food stamp program:
 
“I happened to drive by a gas station in Pompano Beach, Florida over the weekend,  in the heart of Congressional District 22, the district I represent. 
 
In front of the gas station were large banners proclaiming, 'We accept EBT SNAP cards.'  This is not something we should be proud to promote.
 
EBT refers to Electronic Benefit Transfer, an electronic system that allows state governments to provide food and cash benefits via a plastic debit card. 
 
These food and cash benefits were mandated in 1964, when the United States Congress passed the Food Stamp Act, to create an office in the United States Department of Agriculture to oversee a national food assistance program and require states to provide food benefits. 
 
The original intent of the Food Stamp Act was to provide monetary assistance for low-income families and individuals to buy healthy food, and in so doing, boost the domestic agricultural sector. SNAP determined that important items in a healthy diet are expensive in the United States and through the program, attempted to round out Americans' diets. SNAP was never intended to cover all of the food costs of a given household.
 
This program has expanded well beyond its original intent and expanded to a far greater percentage of Americans. 
 
Now we see a growing number of businesses in this country, including sit-down and fast food restaurants, standalone and gas station convenience markets, and even pharmacies eager to accept SNAP benefits.  
 
The number of businesses certified in the SNAP program have gone from around 156,000 to more than 200,000 in five years, and food stamp benefits have ballooned from $28.5 billion to $64.7 billion.
 
This is a highly disturbing trend. 
 
Food stamps were intended to provide a safety net for the small percentage of Americans who needed assistance. But since President Obama’s inauguration, the number of Americans receiving assistance has increased by 45 percent.
 
Hardworking American taxpayers are carrying the burden of the President’s failed economic policies, and as more and more Americans rely on handouts from the government, we see how the safety net has become a comfortable hammock.
 
Nearly 46 million Americans, more than the entire population of Canada or Italy, receive food stamps in the United States.
 
Every additional American who must rely on a government program is further proof that our economic and fiscal policies are failing, and creates an additional burden on the hardworking taxpayers who must foot the bill.
 
The measure of success for our social safety net programs should be that fewer and fewer Americans must rely on them, not more and more.
 
We must put in place the correct fiscal, tax and economic policies to reverse these trends, lest we continue on the slippery slope to economic dependence on a “nanny state” with astronomical and unsustainable levels of spending.”
 
 
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Thursday, January 19, 2012

U.S. Department of State: Denial of the Keystone XL Pipeline Application

Denial of the Keystone XL Pipeline Application
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
January 18, 2012


Today, the Department of State recommended to President Obama that the presidential permit for the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline be denied and, that at this time, the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline be determined not to serve the national interest. The President concurred with the Department’s recommendation, which was predicated on the fact that the Department does not have sufficient time to obtain the information necessary to assess whether the project, in its current state, is in the national interest.

Since 2008, the Department has been conducting a transparent, thorough, and rigorous review of TransCanada’s permit application for the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline project. As a result of this process, particularly given the concentration of concerns regarding the proposed route through the Sand Hills area of Nebraska, on November 10, 2011, the Department announced that it could not make a national interest determination regarding the permit application without additional information. Specifically, the Department called for an assessment of alternative pipeline routes that avoided the uniquely sensitive terrain of the Sand Hills in Nebraska. The Department estimated, based on prior projects of similar length and scope, that it could complete the necessary review to make a decision by the first quarter of 2013. In consultations with the State of Nebraska and TransCanada, they agreed with the estimated timeline.

On December 23, 2011, the Congress passed the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 (“the Act”). The Act provides 60 days for the President to determine whether the Keystone XL pipeline is in the national interest – which is insufficient for such a determination.

The Department’s denial of the permit application does not preclude any subsequent permit application or applications for similar projects.

PRN: 2012/070
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Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Washington Post: Obama to use a recess appointment to name Cordray as nation’s top consumer watchdog


The Washington PostWednesday, January 4, 2012 10:09:15 AM
POLITICS NEWS ALERT

Obama to use a recess appointment to name Cordray as nation’s top consumer watchdog  

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/44/post/obama-to-use-executive-power-to-name-consumer-watchdog-chief-over-gop-objections/2012/01/04/gIQAVtFXaP_blog.html

The Obama administration will appoint Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, using a rare recess appointment to get around the Senate's rejection of the nomination last month, sources said. The president will announce the move on Wednesday at an appearance in Cleveland, but it could spark a legal challenge from the Senate.

Read more at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/

Or visit PostPolitics.com.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/44/post/obama-to-use-executive-power-to-name-consumer-watchdog-chief-over-gop-objections/2012/01/04/gIQAVtFXaP_blog.html

Bus Econ anti-business, Bus Econ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, US Govt Fiscal Discipline Bus Econ Obamanomics, Bus Econ Obamanomics, Pres 2009 44 Obama-Barack, Business Economics, Business Economics qv Bus Econ, This is nuts,

Bus Econ anti-business, Bus Econ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Bus Econ Obamanomics, Business Economics, Business Economics qv Bus Econ, Pres 2009 44 Obama-Barack, US Govt, US Govt Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, US Govt recess appointments
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