Issues
Facts That Make You Cringe – Issue 100
34% of young Millennials (18-24) say they sleep with their smartphone on the bed
– Bank of America “Trends in Consumer Mobility Report,” USA Today, 7/31/15
Facts That Make You Cringe – Issue 99
In 1967 the projected cost (of Medicare) by 1990 was $12 billion. Actual cost: $110 billion. In seven years it will hit $1 trillion.
– Medicare at 50: Hello, Mid-Life Crisis – Sally C. Pipes, The Wall Street Journal, 7/30/15
Facts That Make You Cringe – Issue 98
America’s more than 6,000 colleges receive on average one new rule, regulation or guidance letter each workday from the (Federal) Education Department.
– Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
More Bailouts Comin’ Your Way!
Richmond Fed[eral Reserve Bank] researchers find that as of the end of 2013 taxpayers were standing behind nearly $26 trillion of financial liabilities, or 60% of all U.S. financial liabilities. – The Wall Street Journal, May 22, 2015
We’re Number 49! We’re Number 49!
Can it be true? Oregon is the 2nd worst state in which to make a living? After so many years of liberal governance? After so many years of compassion and looking out for “The Little Guy?” Say it ain’t so, Joe. Say it ain’t so.
And You Thought NASA Was Spying on You?
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, through its 12 data-mining programs, collects and monitors information for nearly 600 million personal credit-card accounts on a monthly basis. The CFPB is gearing up to monitor 95% of all credit-card transactions by 2016 (more about this below).
– The Wall Street Journal, July 2, 2015
Yet Another Example of Federal Efficiency
For example, a 2011 Congressional Research Service estimated that major Federal Highway Administration projects can require up to 200 regulatory steps and take between nine and 19 years to complete – with planning, design and federal environmental reviews consuming up to half of that time. Even small projects can take between four and six years from start to finish.
– The Wall Street Journal, May 26, 2015
Think It May Be Long Enough?
The Federal Tax Code exceeds 70,000 pages & 4 million words.
And They Never Even Thank Us for Paying Them
The Wall Street Journal (May 22, 2015) reports that “According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, compensation for government workers nationwide has grown 21% since 2000, compared with only 9% in the private economy.”
We’re # 49! We’re # 49! Let’s Hear it For Oregon!
In a report released earlier this month by the Alliance for Excellence in Education and three similar entities we learn that, out of 49 states reporting high school graduation rates, Oregon ranks #49.
States ranked ahead of Oregon include Alabama and Mississippi, both of which spend less per pupil than does Oregon!