British PM: No Public Funding for Queen’s Yacht
Jan 17, 2012 British Prime Minister David Cameron made a good call Monday by declaring that no funds from U.K. taxpayers' pockets should be funneled toward gifting Queen Elizabeth II with a shiny new $90 million yacht on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee.
Billions of Taxpayer Dollars Wasted on Private Contractors
Sep 14, 2011 A study conducted by the Project for Government Oversight (POGO) found that on average the U.S. government pays private contractors more than twice what it pays federal workers for a number of public services. (more)
Fail and Grow Rich on Wall Street
Nov 24, 2010 Welcome to the brave new world of post-bailout capitalism. The Commerce Department announced Tuesday that corporate profits are at their highest level in U.S. history, and the Fed released minutes of an early November meeting in which officials predicted a stagnant economy and continued high unemployment. Welcome to the brave new world of post-bailout capitalism.GOP Fails to Kill NPR’s Public Funding
Nov 19, 2010 Republican Rep Eric Cantor was one of the GOP operatives behind this week's push to cut public funding to National Public Radio (this Juan Williams drama still has legs) because that would be a "common sense" move to (continued).
NY 9 Million Cosmetic Surgery
Nov 2, 2010
AIG Settles for $725 Million
Jul 17, 2010 American International Group, 80 percent owned by the U.S. government, has announced it will pay out $725 million in a settlement of a securities fraud lawsuit, begun in 2004, that accused the insurance Gargantua of accounting fraud and stock manipulation.
Treasury Digging Deeper for Fannie and Freddie
Dec 25, 2009 Who knew the Treasury Department had such deep pockets? Well, besides all of Wall Street, we can put the beleaguered duo that is Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on the list. The Treasury has obligingly removed the $400 billion cap previously assigned to the funding designated to save the two mortgage firms.
House Passes Earmark-Heavy Spending Bill
Dec 11, 2009 On Thursday, the House of Representatives approved a massive spending bill, totaling $447 billion, which includes quite a few earmarks. In fact, 5,224 earmarks made their way into the bill, adding up to about $3.9 billion. This did not please House Republicans, of whom not a single member voted for the measure.
Here Comes the ‘New’ GM
Jul 11, 2009 General Motors Chief Executive Fritz Henderson tooted his company's horn plenty when he ushered in a new, post-bankruptcy era for the Detroit automaker -- but he couldn't promise that GM 2.0 would be able to pay back the billions of dollars his company got from taxpayers.
L.A. Taxpayers Hit With MJ Memorial Bill
Jul 10, 2009 When the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship in June, the team and private donors paid the $2 million tab for the victory celebration The same can't be said for Michael Jackson's July 7 public memorial at Staples Center, unfortunately.
