E-News From Citizens Against Government Waste

	Porker of the Month: Sen. Harry Reid Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has named Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) Porker of the Month for his absurd belief that a federally-funded Cowboy Poetry Festival in Elko, Nevada (pop. 17,000) constitutes essential government spending.  The festival receives a portion of its budget from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), whose $146 million budget was defunded under H.R. 1, the Full-Year Continuing Resolution for fiscal year 2011, that Sen. Reid helped defeat in the Senate.  During a floor speech on March 8, 2011, Sen. Reid described the proposed termination as "mean-spirited," stating that were it not for NEH's federal money, the Cowboy Poetry Festival and "the tens of thousands of people who come there every year, would not exist."  In response, Western Folklife Center Executive Director Charlie Seemann commented that NEH funds just 7 percent of the festival and that he and his fellow cowboys "could certainly continue if we lose that funding."  For undervaluing the individual, entrepreneurial spirit that makes America great and believing that federal taxpayers should pay for everything, even those programs that can stand on their own, CAGW names Senate Majority Leader Reid the March Porker of the Month.  Read more about the Porker of the Month. CAGW Rereleases "Chinese Professor" Ad On March 21, CAGW rereleased its critically acclaimed "Chinese Professor" ad depicting one possible future outcome of Washington's continued fiscal irresponsibility.  The ad, which takes place in 2030 when America has defaulted on its massive debt to China and uses English subtitles, "presents a scenario that should be considered a real possibility," notes CAGW President Tom Schatz.  "We have time to alter our destiny, but we risk insolvency if we continue on our current path."  The ad originally aired for two weeks in the fall of 2010 and again on January 24 and 25, 2011.  It has been airing since March 21 on CNN, FOX News Channel, CNBC, and on a number of other cable and select broadcast channels nationwide.  Make a tax-deductible contribution today to help CAGW keep broadcasting the "Chinese Professor" ad's warning that Washington must get its runaway, deficit spending under control. ObamaCare Still Unhealthy to Nation's Bottom Line On March 23, the one-year anniversary of the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare), CAGW President Tom Schatz reiterated the organization's continued opposition:  "President Obama has pledged to tackle the deficit and restore the budget to a sustainable path.  However, his two most prominent achievements since taking office – ObamaCare and the Recovery Act – dramatically raise the present and future burden for taxpayers.  CEOs and business owners at Starbucks, White Castle, IHOP, and the National Council of Chain Restaurants, have reneged on their previous support for ObamaCare and stated that it will reduce employment and profits.  As the nation shakes off a recession, the 'cure' of ObamaCare is worse than the disease.  Taxpayers now fully appreciate the fiscal ruse…perpetrated [by] President Obama and his allies in Congress… [This] bill does not control costs or improve healthcare outcomes.  To date, 1,040 organizations have received waivers exempting 2.5 million individuals from [ObamaCare]…Clearly, these groups – many of which lobbied for ObamaCare – do not view the bill as an expansion of choice or affordability in health care."  Read more of CAGW President Tom Schatz's statement on the one-year anniversary of ObamaCare.     CAGW Applauds GAO Report on Government Waste CAGW this month applauded the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) newly released report on wasteful or duplicative federal programs, "Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue."  The report identifies 34 agencies, offices, and initiatives that provide similar or identical services to the same populations, along with 47 programs that are either wasteful or inefficient.  CAGW has documented much of the waste highlighted in its Prime Cuts database for many years.  "We consider this report further proof that eliminating government waste can be done without a fine-tooth comb," said CAGW President Tom Schatz.  "Congress cannot claim ignorance of these duplicative, bloated programs.  One of the most absurd examples is the 56 programs in 20 different agencies promoting financial literacy, while the government itself is on the verge of bankruptcy."  Read more about the new GAO waste report. L Take Action! Vote for Our April Fool! Help Stop $2.9 Billion in Defense Waste! Tell Treasury Secretary Geithner:  Stand Up for Taxpayers! Tell Congress to Sign the No Pork Pledge! Commentary "Tax Dollars Disappear into Black Hole" by CAGW Vice President of Policy & Communications Leslie Paige, The Daily Caller (March 30, 2011) "Future Shock Inevitable from Foreign-Owned U.S. Debt" by CAGW President Tom Schatz, The Hill (March 24, 2011) Visit CAGW's Blog! Give us your opinions and tips about government waste in your area on "The Swine Line." State Piglet Books Arizona  Wastewatcher Read the monthly newsletter online. This month's issue includes the articles: Earmark Moratorium Backlash A-Maize-ing Waste: Why Ethanol Subsidies Must Be Repealed  Federal Real Property: Buried Alive! In the News... CNBC (March 25, 2011): "U.S. Postal Post Digital Age" Bloomberg Businessweek (March 24, 2011): "The Bid to Eliminate Dollar Bills" Chicago Tribune (March 23, 2011): "NASA Still Ordered to Waste $1.4 Million a Day" The Washington Post (March 17, 2011): "Obama Signs Short-term Spending Measure that Includes Some Easy Cuts"

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Scott's Contracting
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com

Efficiency and Weatherization: The Gateway Drug of Energy Policy

On Fri, Apr 1, 2011 at 10:50 AM, Scott's Contracting <scottscontracting@gmail.com> wrote:

	Mar 31, 2011	Huffington Post
	Energy Security Day at the White House. In a speech at Georgetown University, President Obama underscored his commitment to reducing our dependence on foreign oil and boosting the production of clean, renewable energy here on American soil. The speech was mainly about oil. But I'm glad to see that energy efficiency is a part of this discussion. In the nebulous rhetoric about America's "clean energy future," we often lose sight of energy efficiency, something we can invest in right here, right now, that will dramatically reduce energy costs for both homes and businesses. Energy efficiency is really the first renewable: the gateway drug, if you will, that can hook American consumers on the benefits of an energy-smart lifestyle by showing them the impact that energy has on their everyday lives. Encouraging American home and business owners to be more energy efficient places them on what I call the food chain of sustainability. Your ask starts small, with compact fluorescent light bulbs and turning down the thermostat a degree or two. Once consumers see how easy and impactful these actions can be, they are more likely to move up to bigger ones, like purchasing energy efficient appliances and upgrading their insulation. Then, they'll want to talk to their friends about how much they're saving. And further along the food chain, they will be knowledgeable enough about their energy use to understand the benefits and cost savings associated with purchasing or generating their own clean energy. These energy-smart consumers become a grassroots army that will help us accomplish the ambitious energy challenges that President Obama has put on the table: putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015, cutting U.S. oil imports one-third by 2025, and using 80 percent clean energy by 2035. Here's what President Obama's press office says about energy efficiency in a fact sheet released earlier today: Our homes, businesses and factories consume over 70 percent of the energy we use. By making smart investments in energy efficiency in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors, we can improve U.S. competitiveness and protect our environment, while saving consumers money on electricity bills. That is why the Administration is on track to weatherize 600,000 low-income homes through Recovery Act investments, and why we remain committed to a series of policies that increase efficiency across sectors - including a HOMESTAR program to help homeowners finance retrofits, a "Better Buildings Initiative" to make commercial facilities 20 percent more efficient by 2020, and steps to promote industrial energy efficiency. My staff and I are working closely with two Better Buildings campaigns in Connecticut and New York (the Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge and Energize Bedford, respectively) that are related to the initiative mentioned above. These campaigns are landmark commitments by the federal government to create jobs and put money back into local economies by making it possible for people to increase the efficiency of their homes and businesses. They're also points of town and state pride. At an event last week in Hartford, leaders from 14 towns participating in the Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge were commended by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney and Connecticut's newly minted Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, Daniel C. Esty, formerly of Yale University's Center for Business and the Environment. Like President Obama, these public officials know the difference that energy efficiency will make for their constituents. What's more, Esty is leading by example by joining the Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge himself. He's scheduled to get an home energy audit of his own later this week. After all, good policy is good politics! With energy efficiency, everybody wins. So today, let's take a moment apart from the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the Libyan conflict and the rising price of gasoline to reflect on Obama's plan for addressing American's long-term energy security. And let's not forget the vital role that energy efficiency will play in that security. Brian Keane is the President of SmartPower, a non-profit marketing organization funded by private foundations to help build the clean energy marketplace by helping the American public become smarter about their energy use.

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Scott's Contracting
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com