TPA Director of Policy Ross Marchand here, filling in for David this week. This week was a week of great triumph, but it was also a week of failed hopes and diminished expectations. Let me explain.

On Tuesday morning, I flew from Washington, D.C. to Kansas City, Missouri, a place rife with reputable BBQ establishments. In my hubris, I “knew” that I would find a BBQ place where I could find classic favorites such as pulled pork and brisket. I polled some KC locals on Facebook but wound up mostly ignoring them and made my decision to go to [REDACTED] after finding out they served steak fries. Well, I certainly saw the fries on the menu, but alas no pulled pork nor brisket. In a moment of folly, I took the cashier up on her recommendation and got a (decently cooked) burger doused in BBQ sauce. Verdict: 6/10.

I’ll do better next time.

But, yes, I had a real reason for being in “Missourah.” And thankfully, that mission went considerably better than my failed foray into Kansas City BBQ.

Runaway Cable Fees Bleeding Missourians Dry

After grief-eating my burger, I high-tailed it to Jefferson City, MO to testify before the State Senate on the pressing problem of runaway cable franchise fees. Missourians have to pay a 5 percent fee on top of their cable bills, which have increased ten-fold since the 1980s. Now, I wasn’t around back in the 1980s, but I’m told by wise elders such as TPA President David Williams that people had it pretty good back then. You could tune into shows such as “Cheers” and “Family Ties,” while paying less than $10 a month on your cable bill. Now, that monthly total is more than $100, and all of a sudden, that 5 percent franchise fee starts to add up. Fortunately, there’s relief on the way. State Sen. Ed Emery’s (R-Lamar) proposed S.B. 526 would ensure that the 5 percent franchise fee would only apply to the first $20 of each cable bill. Therefore, even as cable bills continue to increase, consumers across the state would have an assurance that their monthly fees would remain the same.

Even as the State Senate kicked off its proceedings, people kept coming in and pretty soon the Senate Lounge was standing room only. Missourians have clearly been feeling the pain of price hikes in all areas of their lives, as healthcare costs increase $100 a year and driver’s license fees regularly double. Survey data shows that 1 in 8 Missourians report having trouble affording basic expenses. State residents want to know that their lawmakers will protect them against further tax and fee increases, and clearly want to see franchise fees brought under control. Even if I couldn’t obtain the BBQ of my hopes and dreams, I’m glad to have had the opportunity to help make Missouri a better place.

My testimony can be read here ([link removed]) .

Earmarks May Return…Wait, What?

Yes, a new report indicates that Democrats in the House may be trying to bring back earmarks. Republicans tried to do this when they were in control of the House, so this is a bipartisan problem. For many years, earmarks were business as usual in Washington, D.C. That changed in 2006 when Republicans lost control of the House in large part due to their excessive spending on earmarks. Responding to that voter outrage, Congress instituted transparency rules for earmarks starting in 2008. And then in 2010, the House and Senate agreed to a two-year moratorium on earmarks. The moratorium was extended and most earmarks disappeared, except for continued giveaways in the Defense spending bill.

Earmarks have been the bribery currency of Congress for many years, as both parties used them to buy votes. Former members of Congress including Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.) were sent to jail for accepting bribes to secure earmarks. Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff also spent time in jail in connection with earmarks promised to clients. Last decade, the notorious “Bridge to Nowhere” earmark became a national symbol of government waste. The project, spearheaded by two powerful members of Congress, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), sought to connect the town of Ketchikan, Alaska, with Gravina Island, an island with 50 residents and the Ketchikan International Airport. The price tag for this boondoggle topped $223 million. Even though strong public sentiment and common sense were against the carveouts, the Alaska duo fought hard to keep the funding intact. When Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) tried to reassign the funds for the Bridge to Nowhere to the hard-hit Gulf
Coast states following Hurricane Katrina, Sen. Stevens threatened to resign if his pork project wasn’t funded. Grassroots outrage and the sheer stupidity of the project ultimately killed the Bridge to Nowhere.

Unfortunately, our nation’s history is now full of examples of wasteful spending due to the practice of congressional earmarking. Some of the most egregious examples include: $50,000,000 for an indoor rain forest in Iowa; $500,000 for a teapot museum; and $100,000 for the Tiger Woods Foundation. But earmarks don’t become earmarks because of their silly-sounding names, they are earmarks because they circumvent established budgetary processes and procedures.

We thought they were gone, but here we go again as we continue to play this game of Whack-A-Mole (earmark) with the House of Representatives.

Blogs:

Monday: Phony ’emotional support’ animals should give regulators paws ([link removed])

Tuesday: Avant-garde pension reforms can turn around trillion-dollar deficits ([link removed])

Wednesday: TPA’s Director of Policy Ross Marchand Testimony Before Missouri Senate ([link removed])

Friday: TPA President David Williams Testimony Before Virginia House of Delegates ([link removed])

Media:

January 16, 2020: The Cullman Times (Cullman, Ala.) ran TPAF investigative reporter Johnny Kampis’ piece, “FCC consumer committee suggests caller ID authentication to combat robocalls.”

January 23, 2020: Radiology Business mentioned TPA in their article, “Conservative groups launch ad blitz to stop surprise medical billing proposal opposed by radiologists.”

January 28,2020: The Tennessee Star (Nashville, Tenn.) quoted TPA in their article, “Lamar Alexander Persists on Surprise Medical Billing Legislation, Despite Opposition from Free Market Groups.”

January 28, 2020: The American Conservative ran TPA’s op-ed, “Passing The Coal Hat At The Church Of Greta Thunberg.”

January 28, 2020: DotMed mentioned TPA in their article, “Conservative ads oppose healthcare 'surprise bill' protections.”

January 29, 2020: The Washington Examiner ran TPA’s op-ed, “Don't 'fix' surprise billing at the expense of coronavirus readiness.”

January 29, 2020: I appeared on “The Morning Edition” (WDUN 102.9 FM and 550 AM; Atlanta, GA) to discuss Postal reform.

January 30, 2020: WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed TPA President David Williams about a new report by the National Taxpayer Advocate.

January 30, 2020: Inside Sources ran TPA’s op-ed, “Time to Admit it: The Postal Service Has a Union Problem.”

January 20, 2020: Townhall ran TPA’s op-ed, “'Watergate the Sequel' Is Good Business for Boeing.”

Have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for your continued support.

Best,
Ross Marchand
Director of Policy
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
1401 K Street, NW
Suite 502
Washington, D.C. xxxxxx
www.protectingtaxpayers.org ([link removed])

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