Tad DeHaven's Townhall.com Column

The Pentagon as a Jobs Program, Part II

2013-05-13T00:01:00-04:00

Tad DeHaven Column
Last week I discussed the tendency for policymakers to treat the Pentagon like a giant jobs program. It was prompted by an article from the Associated Press on members of Congress shoving unwanted upgraded Abrams tanks down taxpayers’ throats because retooling tanks sustains jobs back in the district.

The Pentagon as a Jobs Program

2013-05-06T00:01:00-04:00

Tad DeHaven Column
Over the past two years Congress has spent almost a half billion taxpayer dollars—and wants to spend another $436 million—upgrading Abrams tanks that experts and the Army itself say aren’t needed.

Rubio Blames GOP for Government Dependency

2013-04-30T00:01:00-04:00

Tad DeHaven Column
Although I think both parties deserve equal blame (food stamps are an example), I give Rubio credit for not going along with the standard Republican delusion that Obama lit the torch of government dependency.

Duplicative Government Programs Are a Symptom of the Problem

2013-04-22T00:01:00-04:00

Tad DeHaven Column
As I often point out, waste always comes with government the same way a Happy Meal always comes with a toy and drink. There is duplication and waste in the federal government because it has become massive and there are virtually no limits on what politicians can spend money on.

Awaiting Obama’s Latest Budget Proposal

2013-04-08T00:01:00-04:00

Tad DeHaven Column
The president will apparently propose modest measures to slow the growth in entitlement spending in exchange for more tax increases. That would raise hopes for what the Beltway class likes to refer to as the “grand bargain,” but for those of us who are looking for considerably less government in our lives it would hardly be cause for enthusiasm.

Budget Problems Continue in Washington

2013-03-30T00:01:00-04:00

Tad DeHaven Column
The President on Tuesday signed the continuing resolution that funds the government through September and (gasp) keeps the sequester cuts intact. Now that it appears sequestration isn't going away (and yet the earth continues to spin merrily on its axis), the focus should be on how this small step might be extended.

Why I’m Not a Conservative

2013-03-18T00:01:00-04:00

Tad DeHaven Column
More effective (or efficient) government is also what liberals stand for

Sequestration and Voter Ignorance

2013-03-11T00:01:00-04:00

Tad DeHaven Column
Saturday Night Live’s mocking of the administration’s sky-is-falling posture is a hopeful indication that the anti-spending cuts politicians might have overplayed their hand.

It's Plane Pork

2013-03-04T00:01:00-05:00

Tad DeHaven Column
This time it’s an obscure grant program administered by the Federal Aviation Administration that dumps money on tiny airports with scant activity

Sequestration: Governors Are a Special Interest Too

2013-03-03T00:01:00-05:00

Tad DeHaven Column
Every federal dollar that a state politician can spend is a dollar that he or she doesn’t have to ask his or her voters to part with.

The Areas Affected by Sequestration Should be Cut

2013-02-22T00:01:00-05:00

Tad DeHaven Column
Many of these areas have been covered by Cato’s Downsizing Government website. The following is a “guide” for those who are interested in alternative points of view (and who haven’t already sought refuge in a bunker).

Those Phantom Spending ‘Cuts’ from 2011

2013-02-19T00:01:00-05:00

Tad DeHaven Column
Fahrenthold’s piece is a good reminder of how unserious politicians from both parties are about cutting spending. But I want to make two additional points.

Local Media Fuels Anti-Sequestration Cuts Hysteria

2013-02-18T00:01:00-05:00

Tad DeHaven Column
Not surprisingly, special interests have been more than willing to assist reporters in spreading the doom and gloom.

Defense Spending Hasn’t Been Cut by $600 Billion

2013-02-11T00:01:00-05:00

Tad DeHaven Column
The following chart illustrates why it is ridiculous to act as if smaller future increases in projected spending amount to realized spending cuts. The chart shows the Congressional Budget Office’s August 2001 baseline estimate of defense spending from 2002 to 2011 versus the actual outlays

Sequestration Cuts Will Lead to Floods, Plagues, and Pestilence

2013-02-04T00:01:00-05:00

Tad DeHaven Column
As if on cue, the sequestration horror stories have commenced. It almost as if the government is incapable of cutting spending.

‘Unthinkable, Draconian’ Spending Cuts

2013-01-28T00:01:00-05:00

Tad DeHaven Column
Alas, the “draconian” spending cuts invariably turn out to be not-so-draconian after all. In fact, it’s often the case that reporters are talking about smaller spending increases rather than real spending cuts.

Federal Money to the States Isn’t ‘Free’

2013-01-27T00:01:00-05:00

Tad DeHaven Column
In addition to not being free, federal subsidization of state spending makes it harder for taxpayers to understand and appreciate where their money is going and how it’s being spent.

Expect More Pork as Shuster Gets the Transport Gavel

2012-12-23T00:01:00-05:00

Tad DeHaven Column
Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA) is the new chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. His father, Bud, chaired the committee from 1995 to 2001 and would have been a first-ballot inductee into the Porker Hall of Fame if one existed.

Report: Sad Federal Employees :(

2012-12-17T00:01:00-05:00

Tad DeHaven Column
Meanwhile, private sector workers – the people whose taxes pay for the salaries and benefits of federal workers – are still dealing with the aftermath of an economic downturn caused in large part by federal policies.

The U.S. Postal Service vs. Greece

2012-12-16T00:01:00-05:00

Tad DeHaven Column
Michael Schuyler, now with the Tax Foundation, examines the analogy between Greece and the USPS in a paper that was released on Monday.