This is the last Weekly Update of the year. Not to worry, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) will still be monitoring what’s going on in Washington, D.C. and around the country. In fact, there are still unresolved issues that need to be addressed.
Needless to say, it has been an interesting year. In the first Weekly Update of 2020 way back on January 2nd I wrote, “TPA is committed to being a rapid response taxpayer/consumer organization that will continue to look past partisan politics and make sure every elected and non-elected official is help accountable for their actions.” As crazy of a year that it’s been, this message remains the same. Being non-partisan is important to everyone at TPA. As Patrick Hedger (VP of Policy) says, “we’re here to call balls and strikes and advocate for taxpayers and consumers.” Indeed we are.
We sincerely hope that you and your family are healthy and enjoy some nice holiday time. We look forward to 2021 and hope that we can bring back a little bit of fiscal sanity.
Naughty and Nice
We made a list and we checked it twice. We have come up with our Naughty and Nice list for 2020. It was difficult coming up with a nice list, but, as you can imagine, the naughty list we have is only a fraction of what we could have done.
Naughty
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.): Rep. Hoyer is the House Majority Leader which means that he has a lot of influence in legislation that is offered or not offered. In that capacity, Rep. Hoyer wants to bring back pork barrel earmarks. Plainly and simply, earmarks are corrupt giveaways that unnecessarily burden American taxpayers. At their worst, earmarks have cost the American people more than $30 billion on an annual basis. Legislative votes should be won or lost on their merits, not on the basis of who can strong-arm the most money for pet projects in must-pass legislation. In others’ words, they are the closest thing to a legal bribe that exists in Washington. 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. 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. Congress’ reckless spending habits grow further out of control by the day. The last thing we need is to re-introduce earmarks to the equation. The 2010 moratorium stands as one of the few bright spots in government spending policy over the past decade. As former Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) put it, earmarks are the ‘gateway drug to a spending addiction.’ Our nation cannot afford to be any more addicted to this reckless habit than it already is.
Kanye West and Robert De Niro: What a strange choice, huh? Not exactly. Both of these wealthy individuals received taxpayer money through the Paycheck Protection Program. You know, the program that was supposed to help small businesses. Kanye West claims to be worth $3 billion while De Niro used the money for his high-end restaurants. De Niro is worth $500 million. Yes, there were other wealthy folks who received money, but these two deserve special “recognition.” Congress and the current and future administrations have a responsibility to do strong oversight and ensure that money is spent to help the more than 30 million small businesses in the country.
The Year 2020: Enough said.
Nice
Ok, this was difficult. It wasn’t easy finding too many nice people. I do want to say that doctors, nurses, and all essential employees will forever be on TPA’s nice list.
Rep. Justin Amash (L-Mich.): You may not have heard of Rep. Amash, but he has been very nice to taxpayers and consumers and since he is retiring we want to recognize his leadership and bi-partisanship. Like many members of Congress, Rep. Amash got his start in politics by representing his constituents in state government. Rep. Amash maintained a transparency website where he listed the taxpayer-funded salaries of his staff. Amash was able to work with Democrats in the state House. In 2010 when Rep. Amash won his election, he hit the ground running, advocating for spending reform and transparency at a time of unprecedented “stimulus” spending. Rep. Amash was a powerful advocate for taxpayers in the House Budget Committee, championing a requirement that federal agencies publish budget request justifications at a central location on their websites. Rep. Amash also fought for a requirement that the Congressional Budget Office disclose the economic models used to score bills. Unfortunately, not everybody was excited about the new reform-minded representative. Establishment GOP lawmakers feared that Rep. Amash was rocking the boat too much and dubiously claimed that his ideas would impair bipartisanship. As a result, the “rebellious right-winger” was booted from the House Budget Committee at the end of 2012. In 2019, Rep. Amash left the Republican Party to become an independent. Then, in 2020, Rep. Amash joined the Libertarian Party and became the first member of that party to hold a seat in Congress. This political trailblazer, however, will soon retire. Taxpayers and consumers will dearly miss the lawmaker, but long remember his dedicated efforts to bring about good government reforms.
Baltimore Inspector General (IG) Isabel Mercedes Cumming: By highlighting IG Cumming, we are actually highlighting all IGs and those who conduct oversight at every level of government. IG Cumming has had a particularly tough task in Baltimore with the rampant waste, fraud, and abuse that has occurred in the city. Last year, Charm City taxpayers found out that then-Mayor Catherine Pugh was doling out contracts and selling influence to companies and interest groups that would buy her “Healthy Holly” books at inflated prices. The corruption ran deep as money was funneled to businesses that Pugh had a financial interest in and her campaign. Earlier this year, Pugh was sentenced to prison. Fortunately, Baltimore’s IG office is more than up to the task of holding these wrongdoers accountable. IG Cumming has left no stone unturned in rooting out wrongdoing and bringing a semblance of justice to a deeply troubled city. From the start of her career, Cumming was determined to hold crooks and cheats responsible for their misdeeds. In 1984, Cumming was hired by KPMG Peat Marwick in Baltimore City to examine and audit the finances of large financial institutions. This fraud fighting acumen would serve her well during her six-year stint as an Assistant State Prosecutor with the Maryland State Prosecutor's Office. During that time, she helped take down prominent, corrupt public officials such as former Comptroller Jacqueline McLean, who was hiring and paying sham consultants and research groups and directing city leases toward properties she owned. Days after being chosen as Baltimore’s IG in 2018, Cumming made clear that “nobody is off limits. Overtime situations, theft of time. Purchase cards. There are so many areas that need to be looked at…I love going after white collar criminals.” At the time, then-Mayor Pugh sung her praises, stating Cumming “knows how to operate independently to be fair and just.” Maybe Pugh would not have been so effusive if she knew that Cumming would be actively investigating the Mayor’s Office for fraud. After media reports revealed that then-Mayor Pugh had cozy financial ties to the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), the IG’s office began to take a closer look at the city leader’s money dealings. Baltimore City taxpayers can rest easy knowing that the bad guys are always being watched by the Inspector General.
Our supporters, partners, and allies: Thank you for sticking with us in such trying times.
BLOGS:
Monday: Protecting IP and Rapid Vaccine Development Go Hand in Hand
Tuesday: Latest Defense Bill May Irreparably Damage Our Greatest Asset, Tech Dominance
Thursday: Watchdog Critical of Texas-Led Google Goose Chase
MEDIA:
December 12, 2020: The Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine) ran TPA’s op-ed, “It is time to move Inauguration Day closer to the election.”
December 14, 2020: VP of Policy Patrick Hedger appeared on the Chris Salcedo Show on Newsmax TV to discuss Section 230 and “Big Tech."
December 14, 2020: Inside Sources ran TPA’s op-ed, “Time to Move Up Inauguration Day.”
December 14, 2020: WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed me about the lawsuits against Facebook.
December 15, 2020: I appeared on The Scott Sands Show on WSPD radio 1370 AM (Toledo, Ohio) to talk about electric vehicle subsidies.
December 15, 2020: I appeared on KRC Radio (Cincinnati, Ohio) to talk about vaping, the Green New Deal, and the United States Postal Service.
December 15, 2020: Arcamax.com ran TPA’s op-ed, “Protecting the filibuster is protecting democracy.”
December 15, 2020: The Marietta Daily Journal (Marietta, Ga.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Protecting the filibuster is protecting democracy.”
December 15, 2020: The Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News (Canton, Ga.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Protecting the filibuster is protecting democracy.”
December 15, 2020: The Center Square ran TPA’s op-ed, “Postal service needs reform, not a bailout.”
December 16, 2020: The Jacksonville Journal-Courier (Jacksonville, Ill.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “It’s time to move Inauguration Day.”
December 16, 2020: The Telegraph (Alton, Illinois) ran TPA’s op-ed, “It’s time to move Inauguration Day.”
December 16, 2020: The Edwardsville Intelligencer (Edwardsville, Illinois) ran TPA’s op-ed, “It’s time to move Inauguration Day.”
December 16, 2020: The New Canaan Advertiser (New Canaan, Conn.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “It’s time to move Inauguration Day.”
December 16, 2020: The Bedford Gazette (Bedford, Pa.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Protecting the filibuster.”
December 16, 2020: Townhall.com ran TPA’s op-ed, “Time to Finally End Solar and Wind Subsidies.”
December 16, 2020: The Center Square ran TPA’s op-ed, “Voters unhappy they didn’t get say in Colorado city’s broadband plans.”
December 17, 2020: The Livingston Parish News (Denham Springs, La.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “The Postmaster General is here to stay – and that’s a good thing.”
December 17, 2020: WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed me about the Omnibus and COVID relief bill.
December 17, 2020: VP of Policy Patrick Hedger appeared on the Fred Holland Show on WTKI 105.3 FM/1450 AM (Huntsville, Ala.) to discuss vaccines and intellectual property.
December 18, 2020: Issues & Insights ran TPA’s op-ed, “Market Reforms Keep Health Care Prices In Check.”
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
