Despite claims that the rich are not “paying their fair share” and government spending that now exceeds the median income for all Americans, the federal government is projected to take in a record amount of revenue this year, exceeding the CBO’s estimates. By the end of the fiscal year, the government is expected to confiscate from Americans a whopping $2.712 trillion in taxes.
The previous record was set in 2007 when the feds swam in more than $2.5 trillion.
Article Highlights
- Expensive Gulfstream jet used for extensive personal travel
- $11 million spent over 5 years on non FBI-related expenses
- 88 personal trips taken by Holder and Mukasey, Mueller adds 10
- Read the official GAO report
According to an investigation released by the Government Accountability Office, the FBI’s Gulfstream jet, leased by the government to provide travel for global counterterrorism efforts, has been repeatedly misused for personal business travel by Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller.
The jet costs taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars every time the wheels leave the ground. The investigation found that between the years of 2007 and 2011, more than half of the jet’s logged hours were for non-mission related travel activities that cost taxpayers over $11 million.
A whopping 88 personal trips were taken by Holder and former Republican Attorney General Michael Mukasey. Mueller added 10 personal trips to the count.
Traditionally, the government has required FBI officials to use government-operated jets to maintain security. However, smaller and less expensive Citation jets are typically used. Since 2007, Holder and Mueller opted instead for the much more luxurious, and far more expensive, Gulfstream for the majority of their personal travel.
The report added, “However, according to DOJ officials, while the AG has historically been required to use government aircraft for all types of travel, including personal travel, the FBI Director had, until 2011, the discretion to use commercial air service for his personal travel.”
Despite convincing evidence that seat belts provide no additional safety for passengers riding on school and commercial buses, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will push forward a plan to require all new buses to come equipped with seat belts.
The plan will cost an additional $25m annually. The NHTSA says the plan may save up to 8 lives a year.
Ironically, the government’s own safety regulators had nixed similar plans in the passed due to overwhelming evidence that seat belts provide very little benefit to passengers of buses, which are already built under strict safety standards. More ironically, the NHTSA also refuted assumptions that seat belts improve safety just a short time ago. They argued that there is no guarantee that passengers will use the seat belts, and improper use of the belts may increase the risk of injuries. Further, more children get killed around school buses than in them, according to the NHTSA, and there is concern that some kids may use belts as weapons to choke other passengers.
Despite the NHTSA’s own findings, the government is moving forward with additional seat belt regulations. The new law will not require current commercial buses to install seat belts, only new buses. Buses equipped with seat belts typically run an additional $13,000 a piece. Many fear poorer school districts will avoid buying newer buses and instead stick with older models, which may be more dangerous due to their age and mechanical wear.
The government seems steadfastly focused on spending money and implementing piles of legislation, each year, that amount to very little benefit, if any. Useless seat belt regulations are another example of the government practically falling over itself, even after its own transportation safety board recommended otherwise, to waste taxpayer money.
According to a report published by the Susan B. Anthony foundation, public records show that the Planned Parenthood organization performed a record 333,964 abortions in 2011 and received a whopping $542 million in taxpayer funding, which includes grants and Medicaid reimbursements.
Women should be allowed to run their lives as they see fit, but taxpayers should not be forced to fund the act of killing unborn babies. Over a three year period, Planned Parenthood has performed almost a million abortions, largely financed by the American taxpayer. Although Planned Parenthood claims to offer a wide range of pregnancy “services”, abortions account for 92% of its daily operations, the report cited.
Worse, Planned Parenthood has reported almost $90 million in excess revenue and over a billion in net assets. The abortion business sure is lucrative.
Why, then, are Americans forced to pay for abortions? Regardless of profit or loss, funneling tax dollars to abortion clinics amounts to an abomination of freedom and an entirely unjustified use of tax revenue. Raise your hand if you believe our brave patriots of yesteryear fought for independence 237 years ago so our government can spend hundreds of millions of dollars funding abortions.
My hand is not raised.
Republican Representative Harold Rogers has introduced a $17 billion so-called “Hurricane Sandy Recovery” bill (H.R. 152) that would provide federal funding to the victims of the devastating hurricane that ravaged the northeast late last year. Unfortunately, the bill contains hundreds of millions of unrelated spending on pet projects aimed at keeping career politicians gainfully employed.
According to an analysis from Taxpayers for Common Sense, the bill contains intentionally generalized language that effectively lets large portions of the relief fund get diverted into spending virtually anywhere, amounting to another slush fund for political initiatives.
For example, TCS writes:
“$150M for Interior expenses related to Sandy or other activities related to storms and natural disasters avail until expended; funds to restore and rebuild parks, refuges, public assets; increase resiliency of coastal habitat and infrastructure; protect natural and cultural values; this money can go anywhere in the department (seems like a slush fund).”
“$921M for federal-aid highways (does not appear to be trust fund related).”
“$821 million for Operation & Maintenance funding to dredge federal channels and repair corps projects NATIONWIDE related to natural disasters (very likely to go to Mississippi River dredging in the St. Louis area).”
Read TCS’s complete analysis of the legislation: http://www.taxpayers.org/library/article/brief-analysis-of-selected-provisions-in-proposed-senate-supplemental-appro.