This is not a joke: it was reported before the public impeachment hearings that therapy dogs would be brought in to help Capitol Hill staffers cope with stress caused by the hearings. Cry me a river. This is ridiculous, for a few reasons: A. staffers get to spend other people’s (taxpayer) money; B. staffers have freely chosen these jobs. Nobody is forcing them to work on Capitol Hill; C. staffers receive VERY generous benefits; D. they go to free lunches on a regular basis; and, E. their bosses are gone most of the year, especially during the summer. Have you seen the deficit and debt? Taxpayers, not Capitol Hill staffers, need therapy dogs.
 
 

United States Postal Service Accumulates More Red Ink – Where’s
the Reform?
 
Well, here we go again: another (fiscal) year, another announcement of billion-dollar losses by the United States Postal Service (USPS).  Yesterday, the USPS announced a loss of $8.8 billion for 2019. After incurring $70 billion in net losses since 2007, out-going Postmaster General Megan Brennan promised Congress that the agency would deliver a ten-year business plan by July 1. But this plan never materialized, and more than 130 days later, taxpayers are as worried as ever about the prospect of a bailout.
 
Inefficiencies continue to hobble basic USPS operations that Americans rely on a daily basis. The percentage of first-class mail delivered on-time has slid over the past five years while consumers across the country routinely report neglectful handling of their mail. And even before the mail makes its way from local post offices to consumers, the USPS is spending historically-high sums on subpar performance. Middle-mile contractors routinely overcharge the agency for unsatisfactory services, yet little is done to curb abuses and keep costs down. Without a business plan to tackle these issues, costs will continue to increase as quality declines and consumer satisfaction decreases.  Consumers and taxpayers have little insight as to how the agency prices its products because pricing methodologies are a fiercely-protected agency secret and IG reports examining how the USPS determines prices are heavily classified. The American public is told that secret discount programs with large postage buyers make money for the agency, but reports indicate that the reselling program keeps USPS revenue low without bringing in new business for the agency.  Amidst news of the latest financial loss, the USPS must cut costs and explain its operations to consumers and taxpayers across the country. The American people deserve a reform plan, instead of more red ink.
 
When will Congress demand reform from the United States Postal Service?
 
 
 
Flavored Vaping Ban – The Real Health Risk
 
I don’t smoke and I don’t vape. My father smoked 3 ½ packs of cigarettes a day for 20+ years.  He passed away on November 19, 1999.  Twenty years ago, there weren’t harm reduction products like vapes, e-cigs, or new heat-not-burn technology products like IQOS.  Technology and innovation have brought us new products that are helping smokers quit.  Millions of lives are being saved by these products.  And, some of the folks that are quitting traditional cigarettes are switching to these products because of flavors like mango and cotton candy. Now, as a compete overreaction to vaping illnesses (which we now know are caused by illicit products), the White House and the Food and Drug Administration are considering a ban on all flavored vapes.  To say that is irresponsible is an understatement.

The evidence is overwhelming and indisputable. Reduced-risk products such as e-cigarettes are 95 percent safer than smoking, a point consistently made by leading international medical organizations such as the Royal College of Physicians. There can be no doubt about it: if the ban proceeds as expected, it will cost hundreds of thousands of lives. By reducing access to these life-saving products with inviting flavors, the agency’s decision would result in more ex-smokers taking up their old, deadly habits. Teen smoking rates are at their lowest point in history, having plummeted by 25 percent in the last year alone. Dozens of studies - the latest released recently in the medical journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research - have proven conclusively that e- cigarettes and accompanying flavors do not lead to teens taking up smoking. The evidence shows flavors help adult smokers quit their deadly habit, and that these products are twice as effective as any other smoking cessation product. It is disappointing that the FDA is keen on denying science and acting akin to the anti-vaxxer movement in flatly rejecting the abundant evidence at hand.
Consumers want an FDA that helps smokers quit traditional cigarettes with new, innovative harm-reduction products. Millions of lives depend on the FDA not banning these products.
 



Blogs:
  

Wednesday:  Watchdog Slams FDA Over Planned Flavored Vape Ban 
Thursday:  Watchdog Group Slams Postal Service for $8.8 Billion Net Loss, Calls for Reform
Friday: Watchdog Slams Proposal for 5G Nationalization 


 

Media:

 
November 12, 2019: PJ Media mentioned TPA in their story, “Rhode Island’s Gov. Raimondo Pushes No-Bid Billion-Dollar Video Lottery Terminal Contract.”
 
November 13, 2019: I appeared on 55KRC (Cincinnati, Ohio) to talk about healthcare and FDA reform. 
 
November 14, 2019: I appeared on WBOB Radio (600 AM AND 101 FM Jacksonville, Fla.) to talk about the economy and impeachment.
 
November 14, 2019:  Inside Sources ran TPA’s op-ed, “Out with the Old and in with the New Postmaster General.”
 
November 14, 2019:  I appeared on “The Lars Larsen Show” (nationally syndicated) to talk about Postal reform.
 
November 14, 2019:  WBFF (Fox, Baltimore) interviewed me about a proposed flavored vaping ban.
 
November 14, 2019: The Center Square ran TPA’s op-ed, “USPS leadership must stamp out multi-billion dollar losses.”
 
November 15, 2019: TPA policy director Ross Marchand appeared on KKHT (100.7 FM; Houston, TX) to discuss Postal reform.
 
November 15, 2019: TPA policy director Ross Marchand appeared on KHUL (1440 AM; Santa Maria, CA) to discuss Postal reform.
 
November 15, 2019: Catalyst ran TPA’s op-ed, “A Tale of Two Drug Approvals.”

 

Have a great weekend, 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