If we made our troops sick THEN, what are we doing now?

Oct 15, 2004 by Guest Blogger

from the Times, again: A federal panel of medical experts studying illnesses among veterans of the 1991 war in the Persian Gulf has broken with several earlier studies and concluded that many suffer from neurological damage caused by exposure to toxic chemicals, rejecting past findings that the ailments resulted mostly from wartime stress. Among the causes are "a drug, pyridostigmine bromide, given to troops to protect against nerve gas; and pesticides used to protect soldiers in the region."

read in full

How safe are we from bio-terror?

Oct 15, 2004 by Guest Blogger

Not very. According to the New York Times, a new study reveals that the federal Bioshield program is inadequate: Leading figures in biomedicine say the government's Bioshield program will not be adequate to create new vaccines and drugs to protect the nation against either a biological attack or a natural epidemic, a new study says. The report summarizes interviews with 30 prominent members of industry, government and universities about biological threats. It was paid for by the United States Army and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

read in full

Halliburton getting special favors from White House (again)

Oct 14, 2004 by Guest Blogger

Another hard-hitting investigative report from the L.A. Times today, this time focusing on special favors from the White House to Halliburton (Dick Cheney's former company). No, not that special favor. No, not that special favor. This is actually yet another one.

read in full

Things getting better on the job or in the environment?

Oct 14, 2004 by Guest Blogger

The administration has been replying to critics of the attack on regulatory policy that its choices are being proved right, because things are getting better on the job and in the environment. Reports suggest that the trends may not necessarily back the administration's claims about its policy choices.

read in full

Hitting the Debt Ceiling

Oct 14, 2004 by Guest Blogger

CNN is reporting that the Treasury is having to take measures to avoid going into default...

U.S. dangerously close to debt limit

The Treasury Department suspended investments in a federal employee pension fund Thursday to keep the government below its borrowing limit, Treasury Secretary John Snow said in a letter to Congress.

Snow said payments to the $56 billion Federal Employee Retirement System's Government Securities Investment Fund, known as the G-fund, would be restored once Congress raises the $7.384 trillion debt ceiling. [...]

The government was just $10 billion below the limit as of Tuesday, according to the latest available data.

Congress adjourned for an election break last weekend without raising the politically sensitive limit. [...]

Congress has already raised the debt limit twice during the Bush administration's tenure, in 2002 and 2003.

read in full

An alternative vision for protecting the public?

Oct 14, 2004 by Guest Blogger

The excellent Newsday series "Erasing the Rules" concludes today with a look at Senator Kerry's legislative record and campaign platform and inquires whether they represent an alternative to current regulatory policy: In the mid-1990s when Republicans in Congress were pushing to make regulations harder to enact, consumer, labor and environmental groups sought an ally committed to government oversight and capable of grasping the complexity of the rules.

read in full

Tax and Budget Newsfeeds

The Tax & Budget Resource Center will endeavor to disseminate tax and budget information to a wide range of audiences. We will try to make it easy for organizations to post tax and budget analyses and opinions on their websites. For example, below is one feed from Argmax.com. As the resource center begins to compile information, we will generate these newsfeeds for other organizations to use as well number=8; width=300; bordercolor="#116666"; backcolor="#FFFFFF"; titlecolor="#FFFFFF"; ReportFeed / RSS Generator (Beta, not fully functional)

read in full

Power and influence in the Pentagon

Oct 13, 2004 by Guest Blogger

Newsday's five-part series "Erasing the Rules" continues today with a look at defense contractors and their influence in the Pentagon. Surely even national security is beyond outsourcing? Close ties between the Pentagon and defense contractors have existed in many previous administrations, Republican and Democrat.

read in full

Of foxes, henhouses, and unbreathable air

Oct 12, 2004 by Guest Blogger

The excellent Newsday series, "Erasing the Rules," continues today with a focus on EPA. There have been some exceptions to the pattern, such as the EPA's adoption earlier this year of tough new emissions standards for diesel engines. But critics and many analysts say the common thread that ties together almost all of the administration's other environmental initiatives is to cushion the impact of regulations on business.

read in full

Draft Guidelines for Nonprofits to Prevent Diversion of Funds to Terrorists

Draft alternative to "Voluntary Best Practice Guidelines for Domestic Charities" published by Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control. You can submit comments to Kay Guinane online at http://www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/2431 or fax to 202/234-5150. 11/17/04 -- DRAFT: PRINCIPLES OF INTERNATIONAL CHARITY Preamble

read in full

Pages

  • ©2015 Center for Effective Government
  • All Rights Reserved.
  • This an archive site of the materials produced by the Center for Effective Government (formerly OMB Watch) and is maintained by the Project On Government Oversight.