2020 Taxpayer Turkeys

I really enjoy Thanksgiving. It’s a time to gather with friends and family and give thanks. Even though 2020 has been quite a year for us at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA), I am very thankful for everybody who works at TPA, the generous folks who have donated to the organization, and all of you who have showed support in one way or another this year.

This Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without some turkeys. There’s no shortage of turkeys in the halls of power, wasting hard-earned taxpayer dollars and pushing for needless regulations to reduce options for consumers. And, just as no tech company is a monopoly (sorry, antitrust zealots), no political party or institution has a monopoly on implementing fowl policies. Below, TPA presents the Taxpayer Turkeys of 2020:

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D)

“Practice what you preach,” is a basic rule of life that most people do their best to follow. But, apparently Mayor Bowser never got the memo that she should follow her own policies and restrictions. After stipulating that out-of-state visitors and Washington, D.C. residents returning from “high risk” states such as Delaware are required to quarantine for 14 days, Mayor Bowser left town ([link removed]) to go to a Biden victory celebration in…Delaware (on November 7). Neither the Mayor nor the crowd were keen on social distancing, because evidently photo ops are more important than staying six feet apart. On her return to Washington, D.C., Mayor Bowser failed to communicate to her constituents whether she would quarantine after her trip and stated that her trip was an “essential travel” exception to D.C. rules. But the Mayor clearly hasn’t been quarantining and has been
spotted giving public addresses ([link removed]) that she could have easily delivered via Zoom.

Meanwhile, Bowser’s administration continues to fine businesses for failing to adhere to onerous coronavirus restrictions. Instead of spending time defying her own restrictions, perhaps Bowser should stay indoors and focus on winding down the $200 million, 2.2-mile
streetcar boondoggle ([link removed]) . But by all indications ([link removed]) , this Taxpayer Turkey will continue gobbling up residents’ hard-earned dollars to fund failed endeavors.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)

Sen. Hawley is living proof that neither major political party is above proposing abysmal public policies. Since assuming office in January 2019, the lawmaker has been on a crusade ([link removed]) to hold “big tech” accountable for allegedly abusing their market power to stifle Americans’ freedom of speech. In Sen. Hawley’s muddled worldview, free speech is now dead ([link removed]) in America because platforms such as Facebook and Twitter sometimes limit content on their websites. He must’ve not paid much attention in his Constitutional Law class, because the First Amendment prohibits the government from using force to prohibit free speech and expression, not private companies from deciding what to host on their websites (which users can voluntarily join or leave). But simple
facts and logic haven’t stopped Sen. Hawley from trying to use the coercive power of the federal government to punish tech companies for tailoring their platforms as they see fit.

Hawley has also pushed for a criminal probe by the Justice Department into Amazon’s alleged “predatory data practices.” As more than 110 million U.S. Amazon Prime subscribers
can attest ([link removed]) , consumers could simply cancel their service and shop on other websites (or physical stores) if Amazon fails to meet consumer expectations. It just so happens, though, that consumers tend to like Amazon’s fast deliveries and myriad offerings. And for Sen. Hawley wantonly plucking taxpayer dollars for nonsensical probes and investigations, the Missouri lawmaker is a Turkey.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom

By now, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) epic mishandling of the coronavirus is old news. The WHO infamously tweeted ([link removed]) on January 14 that Chinese authorities had seen “no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus,” despite brave whistleblowers such as Wuhan physician Li Wenliang sounding the alarm ([link removed]) about a disease that appeared to be spreading from patient to patient. Despite China’s track-record in covering up the disease and waiting two weeks to allow a WHO advance team into the country to analyze cases, WHO Director-General Tedros praised Chinese President Xi Jinping’s alleged political commitment, leadership, and transparency pertaining to the pandemic response.

And let’s not forget the WHO’s refusal to acknowledge Taiwan’s superb handling of the coronavirus. The island-nation (population: 23 million) has had just 7 COVID-19 related deaths, yet Tedros refuses to invite Taiwanese officials to pandemic response meetings. It turns out that the WHO isn’t even capable of containing coronavirus cases among its staff. On November 16, the Associated Press
reported ([link removed]) 65 COVID cases among staff based at WHO headquarters, despite previous, official assurances that there was no evidence of transmission at headquarters. Oh, and Tedros still refuses ([link removed]) to get tested. Under the failed leadership of Director-General Tedros, the WHO has a festering credibility problem. Taxpayers around the globe have had enough of this Turkey.

In conclusion….

It’s time to hold our Turkeys accountable and end the gravy train of runaway taxation and regulation. TPA wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving and hopes that politicians will stop gobbling up taxpayer money.

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

Best,
David Williams
President
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
1401 K Street, NW
Suite 502
Washington, D.C. xxxxxx
www.protectingtaxpayers.org ([link removed])

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