We're From the Government...

"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" - Ronald Reagan

Yes, even thirty years ago people approached a government created solution with trepidation. It seems that at best the government is capable of creating a program that will require borrowing trillions from future generations to fund or at worse create a DMV style system that still fails to accomplish the task a newly developed department or agency was created for and charged with doing. I wanted to review some of the more spectacular failures and backfires of the government in this article and in a later post we'll start trying to see if a trend emerges.

1. Cracking down on Hackers

Increasing demonizing of hackers, for example by trying to add an extra layer of punishment on other crimes if they were done "on a computer." High-profile victims of this approach include Bradley Manning, Aaron Swartz, Jeremy Hammond, Barrett Brown and of course Edward Snowden.

Attempt to intimidate an entire community in case anyone there might use computers to embarrass the US government or reveal its wrongdoings is now starting to backfire: The U.S. government's efforts to recruit talented hackers could suffer from the recent revelations about its vast domestic surveillance programs, as many private researchers express disillusionment with the National Security Agency.

Recently, Gen. Keith Alexander of the NSA has claimed that the next great threat against America is a cyber attack, for which he is developing armies of hackers to build not only a national defense against, but also an assault army for. This creates a clash of needs from discouraging hackers and trying to hire them.

In the end, the government tries to cover up how it fights wars at the expense of risking it's effectiveness of fighting wars in the future.

2. Prohibition

For thirteen years, beginning in 1920, the sale of alcohol was banned in the United States. The desire was as potent as 100 proof whiskey hat it passed as a constitutional amendment and was ratified in January of 1920, prohibition went into effect and began what would come to be described as "the bleakest time in American history" by that elderly, alcoholic relative we all have.

Without the evils of alcohol abuse, it was hoped that everything from unemployment to domestic violence would decrease dramatically. People would be free to focus their energy on other things like church, work, finances and raising their kids.

A score of gangster wars fighting over illegal distribution channels, a speakeasy in every town, and another constitutional amendment summarizes this era in American history as the ultimate failure to change American's social habits.

3. Strategic Hamlet Program

All Asians look alike to us, and that politically incorrect and inconvenient truth was never more prevalent then during the Vietnam War were frequently the regular farm folk who we were trying to liberate in South Vietnam, and the commie bad guys we were fighting, were often the same guys. The plan was to place residents in isolated and gated communities under the protection of foreigners armed to the teeth and resentful for being forcibly halfway across the planet from their families, or 'Hamlets' and keep them there until they love us and resent those who would want to do us harm.

In the end, the program somehow led to a decrease in support for the South Vietnam Diem’s regime and an increase in sympathy for the North Vietnamese Communist efforts.

4. Medicaid

The popular program that was designed to not leave anyone behind in the health insurance industry simply because of their inability to pay, sound familiar?

But it was soon realized that basic care wasn't going to cut it. When the Medicaid program’s special hospitals subsidy was added in 1987, it was supposed to cost $100 million annually, but wound up costing $11 billion annually within five years, and Medicaid spending is set to double over the next 10 years from $253 billion in 2012 to $593 billion in 2022. 

Both Medicare and Medicade are exceeding the CPI and inflation, usually doubling it, meaning that this program continues to eat a continuously larger piece of that pie we like to call our wealth. The hope being that at some point here the nation will level out it's expanding healthcare costs, either through government imposed efficiency or scientists developing a pill that cures everything for $5. One of those is more realistic then the other.

5. Green Jobs Initiative

Half a billion dollars of the infamous stimulus plan of 2009 was earmarked to inject some life into the Green Jobs industry. Part of the Obama green energy program had the goal was to train 124,893 people, and place 79,854 (64%) in new green jobs. Two years in, the results of the green jobs program indicate that only 52,762 were trained, and only 8,035 got green jobs.

What does that math come out to? Each job costs tax payers about $62,000, more then the average wage for those jobs. President Obama’s first re-election campaign ad boasts of 2.7 million green energy jobs. But, nothing in the Departments of Energy, Labor or Commerce justifies such job claims. It was concluded that the vast majority of those jobs where either very loosely associated with 'green' industries, or existed prior to the 2008 election.

Of course this is just a smattering of countless other programs; No Child Left Behind (lots of money spent, no real results), Banning DDT (Malaria outbreak in Africa in the wake of banning this malaria killing chemical), The War on Drugs (Trillions spent, drugs are winning), Social Security (Currently running on IOU's.). One could go on and on, but what I'll dive into in part 2 is topics of who gets hurt when government programs go bad, what we learn from them, and what can be done before we leap into another 'fix' program.

Steve King for President?

With the finesse of a three ton boulder, Steve King has taken his congressional vacation and used it to have a 'secret' closed door meeting with some movers and shakers of the state of South Carolina.

Though the fairly short 'will he run' circus for the soon to be vacated U.S. senate seat has finally ended with the clear winner being Democratic contender Bruce Braley, who on top of having no challenger established three months after declaring his intentions to run, would also have my vote for in a heartbeat over Rep. King in a state wide election. In the wake of this decision, Rep. King chose not the route of bowing out of the spotlight, but rather is window shopping for an ever bigger spot light.

The theory goes as such, An Iowa native could have a good showing at the countries first in the nation caucus. Then, skip the Granite State on the theory that they will vote for a moderate McCain/Romney look alike, and then do as well as a southern bell a la Gingrich or Huckabee. Of course, this game plan has little to do with actually winning the Presidential nomination and a lot more to do with another topic that catches Steve King's fancy, Steve King.

Donald Trump has to visit Iowa whenever The Apprentice is getting ready to announce another season. Sarah Palin hints that she may run for this office or that right when it's time for a TV deal or when she's finished writing another book.

With so much xenophobic and loathing rhetoric, he never can really decide which statements he needs to stand by fully and which ones he hopes people accidentally attribute to the writer Stephen King. Perhaps he is just tired of pressing 1 for English, but Rep. King appears to have nothing but contempt for people who come here illegally. Some examples of him making or defending lewd and crude statements on a variety of topics can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, or here. Most of these intentional slips of the tongue have something to do with immigrants, be it likening them to cattle or stating as an authentic fact that 99% of them are drug dealers because he saw a Mexican once lighting a cigarette. He knows, he did spend a few days on the border. I won't ask how he became such as expert on other subject matters like dog fighting and rape.

What I'm trying to say, the message I hope you leave this article with is this: Don't vote for him. Don't vote for him in the South Carolina primary, don't vote for him in the Iowa Caucus, don't even vote for him in the Ames Straw Poll. My guess/hope is that by this point Steve King has to say something that would make your senile southern born great grandfather cringe to stay in the spotlight, and propping himself up by seeking a higher position as a means of obtaining said spotlight. With the senate race and governorship off the list, a presidential bid is the next logical move.

Perhaps this will launch a more lucrative national platform for him, truly following in the footsteps of that aforementioned Palin, Huckabee, Gingrich, and others. He could have a Sunday talk show where he talks about how bad the landscaping industry is or how he wish he knew how to work the parental controls on his TV so he could skip Telemundo. I'm not an advocate for illegal immigration by any stretch, but the lack of decency when addressing the immigration as well as other issues and a general 'looking down his nose' attitude that is reflected in his repeated, unapologetic comments over the years makes me have about as much respect for him as a legislator as I would have for a Mexican drug dealer as a pharmacist.

Alas, I give the man himself the last word about anyone who would call him brash or arrogant;

"My comments are anything but ignorant. They may have been the best informed in the entire United States Congress." - Steve King 7/25/13

National Whistleblower Appreciation Day

The following was part of the Chuck Grassley (R-IA) "Here's the Scoop" Newsletter. I'd like to see more then an 'appreciation day' for whistle-blowers, but it's nice to see a member of congress speak so highly (and rationally) about these individuals.

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It was February 19, 1777. The seeds of democracy were just taking root in America. Aboard the warship Warren, 10 sailors who were putting their lives on the line to help win America’s independence also determined it was their patriotic duty to blow the whistle on wrongdoing.

Understanding that reporting misconduct against their commanding officer would put their careers and good names at risk, the sailors plunged into uncharted waters. With no legal protection or court precedent to shield themselves against reprisal, these brave men ultimately became what we believe to America’s first whistleblowers.

The commander-in-chief of the Continental Navy sought retaliation and filed a criminal libel suit against two of the whistleblowers. The Continental Congress authorized legal expenses and full release of government records to enable the sailors to defend themselves in court.

Fast-forward 200-plus years, and it’s clear America owes generations of whistleblowers a debt of gratitude. While Congress has the constitutional authority to conduct oversight, trillions of tax dollars are sprinkled among some 2,000 federal departments, agencies, commissions and bureaus.

Thanks to the eyes and ears of citizens who have witnessed, investigated and reported waste, fraud and abuse occurring under their very noses, the federal government is forced to run a tighter ship and work harder to protect the integrity of government services and programs funded by taxpayers.

As a longstanding champion of whistleblowers, I have secured legislative protections and financial incentives to encourage private citizens to come forward with information that strengthens good governance, accountability and stewardship of tax dollars. Since passage of my 1986 whistleblower updates to the federal False Claims Act, the federal government has recovered more than $30 billion that otherwise would be lost to fraud.

Whether it’s ripping off the taxpaying public or ignoring the rule of law, whistleblowers stand on the front lines of defense to root out misconduct.

Inside government, too often, federal agencies try to suppress information, shoot the messenger or stonewall efforts for full disclosure and transparency. Landmark updates were enacted earlier this year to permanently extend protections for whistleblower communications with Congress and internal agency watchdogs.

Without the good work of whistleblowers, Congress would be less able to identify and solve mismanagement and fraud.

Since the earliest days of our republic, whistleblowers have stuck their necks out for the public good. Instead of looking the other way, they risk it all for the good of their country.

Consider whistleblowers at:

• the Department of Defense who exposed a too cozy relationship between defense contractors and the Pentagon. Remember the $700 toilet seat?

• the FBI who exposed a culture of intimidation and mismanagement, including Dr. Frederic Whitehurst who revealed flawed forensic science at its crime lab that undermined the integrity of our criminal justice system.

• the FDA who exposed potential conflicts of interest between drug companies and the public interest, alleging the agency was caving to companies seeking regulatory approval.

• the ATF who exposed the flawed gun-walking program known as “Operation Fast and Furious.”

The list cuts across the entire spectrum of Washington’s alphabet soup. From the GSA to HUD and the IRS, both private and public sector whistleblowers let the sun shine in on wrongdoing.

One week after the sailors’ petition was presented to Congress 236 years ago, lawmakers passed a resolution that encouraged all citizens to expose misconduct.

On July 30, 1778, the Continental Congress enacted the nation’s first-ever whistleblower legislation.

“Resolved that it is the duty of all persons in the service of the United States … to give the earliest information to Congress or any other proper authority of any misconduct, frauds or misdemeanors committed by any persons in the services of these states, which may come to their knowledge.”

In salute to our nation’s truth-tellers who in good faith and accordance to federal law come forward with information to uphold the people’s business and hold government to account, I authored a resolution that passed the Senate designating July 30, 2013, as “National Whistleblower Appreciation Day.”

Whistleblowers are pivotal pieces of the oversight puzzle. Their work ensures that our system of checks and balances operates effectively. I’ve asked Presidents to host a Rose Garden ceremony to honor these truth-tellers. Nobody has taken me up on the suggestion. It would do a lot of good to show these courageous Americans that, by telling the truth, they are continuing an important legacy to keep America strong. Let’s honor the whistleblowers who have helped change the course of history for the better.

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Track this simple resolution as it passes the senate and moves to the house here.