Read more about the article Netflix, Ultra HD, and Broadband… Why New Technologies Show Need for More Spectrum and Less Government

Netflix, Ultra HD, and Broadband… Why New Technologies Show Need for More Spectrum and Less Government

Netflix HQ in Los Gatos, CA (courtesy Wikimedia Commons) In a recent piece for the Washington Post, Brian Fung posited a question to his readers regarding new technology and whether America had the wherewithal to keep up. The article titled “Netflix is shooting ‘House of Cards’ in ultra HD. Can America’s broadband networks keep up?” focused on the hit online show shot in Maryland (and subsidized by Maryland taxpayers) centered around the political machinations of a ruthless and unscrupulous elected official played by actor Kevin Spacey. Fung wondered aloud if the current broadband that Americans by large utilized would be sufficient enough to keep up with and fully realize the new way in which the show was going to filmed. The wrong question is being asked at the right time. There’s no doubt the world has seen rapid advancements in technology and one need only walk down the street to see people using smart phones equipped with Internet access. However, the question isn’t whether Americans can keep up with the advancing technologies; it‘s whether or not the government will stop acting as a roadblock to utilizing those advanced technologies to their full capabilities. Netflix subscribers and Americans nationwide who use the Internet everyday on their laptop, smart phone, and/or tablet depend on the wireless spectrum that provides the frequency that makes the network available. Right now, per their own estimates, the government is sitting on 60% of the best wireless spectrum available and there is a simple way for all of us to benefit: RELEASE MORE!

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Read more about the article Obamacare: Two Bills Set for Vote in Congress as Concerns Grow Over Website Security

Obamacare: Two Bills Set for Vote in Congress as Concerns Grow Over Website Security

The future of health care is one of the more pressing questions for the United States as Obamacare continues its implementation into the new year. With a disastrous rollout last fall that included a defective website and millions of policy cancellations for holders of private market insurance policies, the President and democrats in both chambers of congress can ill-afford a new slate of problems with a law they are solely responsible for in every way possible. Unfortunately, there is another aspect of Obamacare that is already causing havoc for millions of Americans and the problem is one that has the potential to impact millions more if not addressed responsibly. This problem is the real threat to the security of private information of individuals who use the healthcare.gov website to attempt to sign up for coverage under the federal health insurance exchange. Concerns about how secure the Obamacare website have been voiced long-before the October 2013 rollout of healthcare.gov and there were even some early signs that the information of users may not be totally protected in the federal exchange. Henry Chao, the Deputy Director and Deputy Chief Information Officer of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), apparently was kept in the dark even though he was the administration’s point-man on the security of the website.

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Read more about the article TPA Sends Coalition Letter Supporting Repeal of Duplicative USDA Catfish Inspection Program in Farm Bill Conference Legislation

TPA Sends Coalition Letter Supporting Repeal of Duplicative USDA Catfish Inspection Program in Farm Bill Conference Legislation

The New Year has just begun, but elected officals are already hard at work looking for ways to spend more taxpayer dollars and one issue that TPA has been focused on for quite some time is the unecessary and wasteful Catfish Inspection program by the US Department of Agriculture. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration already inspects imported catfish, a food it labels as “low risk” for contamination. However, as a payoff to the domestic catfish industry, language was added to the pork-laden 2008 Farm Bill to add a second inspection under the purview of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and this has cost taxpayers $30 million dollars and is estimated to cost upwards of $170 million if it is not eliminated. With the Farm Bill Conference Committee debating a provision that would repeal the duplicative program, today Taxpayers Protection Alliance sent this coalition letter signed by American Commitment, President, Americans for Job Security, Campaign for Liberty, Coalition to Reduce Spending, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Cost of Government Center, Council on Citizens Against Government Waste, Less Government, National Taxpayers Union, R Street Institute, and Taxpayers for Common Sense urging the conferees to repeal the duplicative USDA Catfish Inspection Program. TPA has been a vocal critic of the Farm Bill as the process has unfolded over the last year but a repealing a wasteful program and saving taxpayers money would definitely be something any fiscally repsonsible group could be happy about! To read the full letter, click 'read more' below

Continue ReadingTPA Sends Coalition Letter Supporting Repeal of Duplicative USDA Catfish Inspection Program in Farm Bill Conference Legislation
Read more about the article Hydraulic Fracturing Good for Taxpayers and a Key Component to Energy Independence

Hydraulic Fracturing Good for Taxpayers and a Key Component to Energy Independence

Energy independence and production has an impact on taxpayers, families, consumers, and small business owners. How America produces energy, the kinds of energy that are used, and where the United States receives imported energy resources from can all be linked together and have a collective effect on the economy and American citizens. And, an improving economy helps taxpayers with more people employed (fewer unemployment benefits) and increased tax revenue. One controversial area of how to improve the economy is Hydraulic Fracturing (aka fracking). Fracking is a way of extracting natural gas from shale rock layers deep within the earth. This process makes it possible to produce natural gas extraction were it may have been unreachable in the past with conventional procedures and technologies. There has been a fierce debate amongst many on both sides of the issue and as the technology becomes more commonplace the debate will grow. Letting the market dictate winners and losers is the best approach to make energy more affordable and more abundant. Fracking is one aspect of that approach and the economic impact is quite revealing. For example, according to a report from IHS Global Insights, 1.7 million new jobs will be created by fracking, injecting billions of dollars into several state economies.

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Read more about the article GROUNDED: Funding for MEADS Denied in Defense Authorization Bill

GROUNDED: Funding for MEADS Denied in Defense Authorization Bill

MEADS Battle Manager The final weeks of 2013 gave way to a flurry of activity from Congress as they threw together compromise legislation that found its way to the floor before many folks had time to look over the details of the bills. This was done all for the sake of getting things done before the holidays. One such piece of compromise legislation was the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is used to set the budget of the Department of Defense. Though the House had originally passed a comprehensive defense appropriations bill last summer, the Senate bill was delayed and eventually scrapped altogether in favor of a compromise bill with limited process for debate all in the hopes that it would pass before elected officials adjourned for the remainder of the year. Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) has been outspoken in advocating for a reduced budget at the Pentagon that would allow for responsible cuts that would eliminate waste while preserving the national security interests of the United States. A specific program that TPA has long-identified as outdated and wasteful is the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS), otherwise known as the ‘Missile to Nowhere’. The program, which began in 2005, saw it’s funding prohibited in 2011, 2012, and in 2013 by way of the NDAA; and while President Obama kept the program out of the Pentagon’s budget, that didn’t stop Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel from shelling out $380 million in continuing resolution (CR) funds in 2013 to continue funding design and development of MEADS. Now, just in time to start the new year, there looks to be a major victory for taxpayers as funding for the aptly named “Missile to Nowhere” was left out of the defense appropriations bill signed by President Obama just after Christmas.

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Read more about the article Happy New Year: Action on Internet Taxes Looms Large for 2014

Happy New Year: Action on Internet Taxes Looms Large for 2014

The beginning of the year starts with Congress still on vacation, and as they prepare to return next week one major issue that the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) will be looking for action on will be Internet taxes, and not just usage but also the commerce that occurs regularly nationwide. Access to the Internet is extremely important and taxing the internet by adding certain usage fees (state and/or federal) is harmful to everyone in America who goes online, and in this technological age you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t access the internet on a daily basis. The Internet has become such a crucial part of how we live our lives and impacts so many things that individuals, small businesses, and major corporations do that it’s important not to hinder that access with excessive taxation. Leaving 2013 behind and recognizing that there were both victories and defeats for taxpayers is important in looking at 2014 and what may be in store. Internet taxes is definitely something to pay very close attention to in this new year and the important developments in 2013 that set the tone are a perfect reminder of why this year could be very favorable to anyone who uses the internet. In September, TPA was pleased to see the bipartisan Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act introduced in the House by Judiciary Chair Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D – Calif.), Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio). The bill was a follow-up to the August introduction in the Senate of the bipartisan Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act from Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and John Thune (R-S.D.).

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Read more about the article TPA’s New Year’s Resolutions for 2014

TPA’s New Year’s Resolutions for 2014

Every New Year millions of Americans resolve to change their ways and improve their lives by making New Year’s resolutions such as losing weight or changing their behavior to live a healthier lifestyle. In the spirit of those resolutions, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) urges Congress and the whole federal government to resolve to go on a fiscal diet and change their wasteful spending and regulatory habits. And, we will be following up on each and every one of these issues (and more) in 2014. The list TPA put together includes a wide range of issues that lawmakers have been involved with and the need for action on many of these is more than obivious. The issues include: Telecommunications/Technology, Defense, Taxes, Energy, and Wasteful Spending. Click 'read more' below to see the full list of TPA's New Years Resolutions for 2014!

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Read more about the article Senator Coburn’s ‘Wastebook 2013’ Reminder of DC’s Worst Spending Habits

Senator Coburn’s ‘Wastebook 2013’ Reminder of DC’s Worst Spending Habits

Residence of US Ambassador to NATO in Brussels (Courtesy 'Wastebook 2013') There has been a long tradition of wasteful spending in the nation’s capital for decades and the problem has only gotten worse as each year passes. A recent tradition has done wonders to expose just exactly how bad the spending habits out of Washington have become and how much taxpayers are shelling out for things that they clearly shouldn’t be paying for. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) left an early Christmas present for all the big spenders on Capitol Hill this week when he released his ‘Wastebook 2013’ report highlighting a plethora of examples of how taxpayer dollars have been wasted over the last year. The more than $30 billion dollars the report cites is just the first of many reasons taxpayers should be hoping that politicians get a handful of coal as they return home for the remainder of the year. This report is even more troublesome considering that agencies spent money on these projects despite the fact that agencies instituted furloughs because of sequestration. The rushed worked of Congress over the last few weeks has given way to a slew of less than desirable pieces of legislation. First, the Murray/Ryan Budget Deal altered the sequester caps and set a dangerous precedent for spending cuts moving forward. Next, the compromise National Defense Authorization Act that passed the Senate last night after passing the House last week. Finally, an agreement to push final Farm Bill passage to January 2014; with details scarce. There is very little hope that the Farm Bill will contain much real reform. The ‘Wastebook 2013,’ released by Sen. Coburn’s office this week, is nearly 200 pages of ridiculous and unnecessary spending that everyone should read.

Continue ReadingSenator Coburn’s ‘Wastebook 2013’ Reminder of DC’s Worst Spending Habits
Read more about the article TPA’s New Years Resolutions for 2014

TPA’s New Years Resolutions for 2014

Every New Year millions of Americans resolve to change their ways and improve their lives by making New Year’s resolutions such as losing weight or changing their behavior to live a healthier lifestyle. In the spirit of those resolutions, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) urges Congress and the whole federal government to resolve to go on a fiscal diet and change their wasteful spending and regulatory habits. And, we will be following up on each and every one of these issues (and more) in 2014. The list TPA put together includes a wide range of issues that lawmakers have been involved with and the need for action on many of these is more than obivious. The issues include: Telecommunications/Technology, Defense, Taxes, Energy, and Wasteful Spending. Click 'read more' below to see the full list of TPA's New Years Resolutions for 2014!

Continue ReadingTPA’s New Years Resolutions for 2014
Read more about the article Senator Coburn’s ‘Wastebook 2013’ Reminder of DC’s Worst Spending Habits

Senator Coburn’s ‘Wastebook 2013’ Reminder of DC’s Worst Spending Habits

National Endowment for the Humanities' "Popular Romance" project (courtesy 'Wastebook 2013') There has been a long tradition of wasteful spending in the nation’s capital for decades and the problem has only gotten worse as each year passes. A recent tradition has done wonders to expose just exactly how bad the spending habits out of Washington have become and how much taxpayers are shelling out for things that they clearly shouldn’t be paying for. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) left an early Christmas present for all the big spenders on Capitol Hill this week when he released his ‘Wastebook 2013’ report highlighting a plethora of examples of how taxpayer dollars have been wasted over the last year. The more than $30 billion dollars the report cites is just the first of many reasons taxpayers should be hoping that politicians get a handful of coal as they return home for the remainder of the year. This report is even more troublesome considering that agencies spent money on these projects despite the fact that agencies instituted furloughs because of sequestration. The rushed worked of Congress over the last few weeks has given way to a slew of less than desirable pieces of legislation. First, the Murray/Ryan Budget Deal altered the sequester caps and set a dangerous precedent for spending cuts moving forward. Next, the compromise National Defense Authorization Act that passed the Senate last night after passing the House last week. Finally, an agreement to push final Farm Bill passage to January 2014; with details scarce. There is very little hope that the Farm Bill will contain much real reform. The ‘Wastebook 2013,’ released by Sen. Coburn’s office this week, is nearly 200 pages of ridiculous and unnecessary spending that everyone should read.

Continue ReadingSenator Coburn’s ‘Wastebook 2013’ Reminder of DC’s Worst Spending Habits