Red Ink Record. The federal deficit has hit an all time record -- $395.8 billion. And we still have two whole months of spending to go on the fiscal year to raise it even higher. Hooray! Higher deficits lead to higher real interest rates which reduce investments which in turn mean fewer jobs, less pay, less buying power for your dollar. Think of it as a tax increase.
The Dog Days of Summer. They’re everywhere since 9/11 – bomb sniffing dogs. And government agencies are turning to contractors to meet demand. They don’t come cheap. Rates are up to $125 an hour. A year long contract for a dog and his handler can top $200,000. But there’s no government regulation of the industry. And there have been cases of dogs never trained for bomb sniffing palmed off on unsuspecting clients. (NYT)
The Pharmaceutical Companies Have Already Won. One day after the Kaiser Family Foundation announced that 80% of seniors like the idea of allowing prescription purchases from Canada, the FDA – long opposed to the idea – links Canadian drug imports to terrorism. FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford claims that "cues from chatter" indicate terrorists might try to tamper with imported drug shipments. Because we all know terrorists would rather hijack the prescription delivery system than break into a good old US drug store and tamper with the Tyenol overnight. (USAToday)
It was Even Money This Would Happen. The Federal prosecutor in Las Vegas is sticking up for casino owners. Justice Department memos show that investigators had tapes two years ago of possible terrorists casing casinos. But they never warned the public. (WashPost)
The Fox in the Henhouse. As I pointed out earlier, President Bush appointed a former spokesman for a Muslim group with ties to Libya and the Hamas terrorist group to a nifty job at the Department of Homeland Security. Now Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and John Kyl (R-AZ) both want to know why. They fired off a letter demanding some answers. (FOX News)
A Voice for 9/11 Survivors. A 9/11 survivor has become a lobbyist for other 9/11 survivors. April D. Gallop, who was at the Pentagon during the attack, has lobbied independently for survivor causes. Now she’s started a consulting firm to take her fight full time. (WashPost)
Bipartisan Legal Action. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) has hired lawyer who represented President Clinton at his impeachment trial. Gregory Craig will represent Shelby in the investigation of whether Shelby leaked classified information about the War on Terror. (CNN)
Nuking the Chemical Weapons Study. A new General Accountability Office report says the Defense Department can’t support it’s claim that troops were exposed to chemical weapons in the 1991 Gulf War. The DoD conducted a study that concluded more than 100,000 troops were exposed to chemical weapons. But the GAO now says the study the Pentagon used was flawed.
All Wet. Environmentalists claim the Bush administration has drained thousands of acres of wetlands under a new policy. It stems from a 2001 Supreme Court decision. The Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA both say the ruling ties their hands in protecting wetlands from developers. (WashPost)
