Pick an Agency, Any Agency: BBG

As fiscal conservatives continue to seek avenues through which to derail the federal gravy train, it helps from time to time to take a look at the mind-numbingly long list of federal departments and agencies that are on board. Of course, this list is hardly exhaustive – just one that is publicly available – but it can certainly give us some concrete ideas on how and where to cut the spending.

Today: The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) 

About: “On October 1, 1999, the Broadcasting Board Governors (BBG) became the independent federal agency responsible for all U.S. government and government sponsored, non military, international broadcasting. This was the result of the 1998 Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act (Public Law 105-277), the single most important legislation affecting U.S. international broadcasting since the early 1950s.”
FY 2010 Budget: $745.5 million (Source)

Pick an Agency, Any Agency: GIPSA

As fiscal conservatives continue to seek avenues through which to derail the federal gravy train, it helps from time to time to take a look at the mind-numbingly long list of federal departments and agencies that are on board. Of course, this list is hardly exhaustive – just one that is publicly available – but it can certainly give us some concrete ideas on how and where to cut the spending.

Today: Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration

About: “The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) facilitates the marketing of livestock, poultry, meat, cereals, oilseeds, and related agricultural products, and promotes fair and competitive trading practices for the overall benefit of consumers and American agriculture. GIPSA is part of USDA's Marketing and Regulatory Programs, which are working to ensure a productive and competitive global marketplace for U.S. agricultural products.”
FY 2010 Budget: $84 million (Source)

You read that correctly. The USDA essentially has a marketing department called GIPSA, established in 1994. While they speak of a “competitive global marketplace,” however, they don't deal with foreign marketing or exports; no, for that, you'd have to go down a couple floors to the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). But that's another article for another day. If GIPSA is in the business of marketing, but there's a separate agency to improve American agriculture in foreign markets, then what does that leave GIPSA tasked with?

Reasons Not to Praise Financial 'Reform'

In light of the Senate's passage today of financial 'reform,' here's a video from Reason.tv noting 3 reasons new regulations won't fix anything:

Washington State Devotes $1.32 million to Develop Electric Highway

Washington State has recently proposed construction of electric charge stations along the I-5. They are able to do this with a $1.32 million grant from the federal government. The thinking here is that if they build the infrastructure, then people will purchase more electric or hybrid vehicles. That seems to me to be a very broad assumption -- a broad assumption made at the expense of taxpayers.

The fact is that electric cars are still very much a fantasy and are at this point neither practical nor desirable for the average American motorist. However, that is not the main issue here. The issue is that taxpayer money is being wasted on this fantasy.