Page 190 – Taxpayers Protection Alliance

President Trump Should Put to Bed (Again) the Concept of 5G Nationalization

Post author:Johnny Kampis
Post published:September 23, 2020
Post category:Telecommunications

The Trump Administration should resist a renewed call for the nationalization of a 5G wireless network. The latest move by Trump is a purported effort to beat the Chinese in the next generation of wireless technology. Instead, the administration should continue to foster competition between providers and aid efforts by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to cut red tape to ensure that the U.S. continues to be the leader in 5G deployment.

Lame-duck Congress isn’t all that it’s Quacked up to be

Post author:Ross Marchand
Post published:September 21, 2020
Post category:Congress

Congress is back, although we can’t quite say that we missed our “favorite” lawmakers. Now that the leaves are turning brown and there’s pumpkin spiced-everything all-around, our elected officials are back to their usual, partisan bickering. Senate Republicans returned from recess with a $500 billion “skinny” coronavirus relief bill, but that measure got promptly voted down for not churning enough red ink.

A Ban On E-cigarettes Would Harm Public Health

Post author:Jeff Stier
Post published:September 18, 2020
Post category:Harm Reduction

Public health policy should be guided by science, data and a large dose of common sense. The promised benefits of any policy should be weighed against the known risks and possibility of unintended consequences. Last February, the House of Representatives passed legislation that would ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes to adults. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., did not advance in the Senate, but is sure to rear its draconian head in the next Congress.

Watchdog Praises FCC for Four Years of Successes

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:September 17, 2020
Post category:Telecommunications

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) praised the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for their dedication and hard work over the past four years. Under Chairman Ajit Pai, the FCC has improved broadband deployment, increased private sector investment in broadband, and has led the effort to remove government barriers to the development of a nationwide 5G network. All five FCC commissioners are slated to testify before the House Energy and Commerce committee today, after House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) criticized the FCC in a press release, stating, “After four years, this FCC has failed to make broadband any more affordable for consumers, which has exacerbated the digital divide.”

Like FCC Chairman Pai, Postmaster General DeJoy Must Double Down On Reform Agenda

Post author:Ross Marchand
Post published:September 15, 2020
Post category:Postal Reform

An unpopular appointee entered the fray at a deeply dysfunctional federal agency. Prior to joining the agency, the appointee made a name for himself in the private sector. And, once being named head of the agency, the appointee immediately began setting his sights on real meaningful reform. Critics warned of an apocalypse, and some protesters even stalked the new agency leader at home as punishment for his reform agenda.

Watchdog Slams President Trump for Drug Price Controls

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:September 14, 2020
Post category:Healthcare

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) slammed the Trump administration for imposing onerous price controls on medications covered under Medicare Parts B and D. On July 24, President Trump signed an executive order tethering drug reimbursement rates set under Medicare to artificially low prices charged by countries with socialized healthcare systems. Drug prices under Medicare Parts B and D were ordered to be set lower than the prices set in other developed countries unless drug manufacturers agreed to a “deal” before August 24. That deadline has since passed, and now President Trump is determined to move forward with price caps on critical drugs regardless of the impact on healthcare choices, drug supply, or innovation.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 28: Protesters cheer as the Third Police Precinct burns behind them on May 28, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As unrest continues after the death of George Floyd, police abandoned the precinct building, allowing protesters to set fire to it. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Rioting bad for everybody, including the BLM movement

Post author:Ross Marchand
Post published:September 10, 2020
Post category:State Issues

Picture: Stephen Maturen|Getty Images Since the death of George Floyd on May 25, protests and riots have shaken the country. Tensions escalated further on Aug. 23 after Jacob Blake was shot by police seven times under hotly disputed circumstances. During these flash points, more than 15 million Americans have protested for police reforms and changes to a deeply unfair criminal justice system.

Watchdog Celebrates Retirement of Taxpayer-Funded Anti-Science Professor

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:September 10, 2020
Post category:Harm Reduction Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) celebrated the retirement of Professor Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco. During his tenure, Dr. Glantz spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars publishing discredited anti-vaping studies that had to be retracted due to questionable science and false findings. Dr. Glantz was also accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, prompting the University of California to make more than $150,000 in compensatory payments to settle claims “more likely than not” to be true.

How One FDA Regulation Could Impact President Trump’s Re-election Chances

Post author:Tim Andrews
Post published:September 9, 2020
Post category:Harm Reduction Healthcare

Irrespective of one’s personal opinions of President Donald Trump, it is difficult to deny his tremendous success in cutting job-killing red tape holding back large sections of the economy. Trump made deregulation a key focus of his 2016 presidential campaign, declaring, “we're going to cancel every needless job-killing regulation and put a moratorium on new regulations until our economy gets back on its feet.” And, for the most part, President Trump has held true to that promise.

U.S. Census 2020 mailings are arranged for a photograph in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. The U.S. Census Bureau said last week it is suspending all field operations for the 2020 count until April 1 on coronavirus concerns. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Census Needs a Makeover

Post author:Ross Marchand
Post published:September 8, 2020
Post category:State Issues

ANDREW HARRER/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES The U.S. Census is struggling to fulfill its constitutional duty of counting how many people live in the United States. The global pandemic has made the situation worse but may provide a much-needed impetus to rethink how the census is conducted for decades to come. Thanks to congressional shenanigans, census workers now only have until September 30 to complete in-person interviews (compared to the previously announced October 31 end-date).