Accountability Redux

The last time the Government Accountability Office (GAO) assumed a high profile in the news media was last December, when it reported on a list of potential abuses by financial institutions of the terms attached to then Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s...

Senators Nelson/Collins Amendment Gets an F – Political Opinion

The bipartisan amendment to the Senate recovery plan eliminates several of the best targeted, most stimulative provisions in the bill.  Nothing is more important at a time of cascading job losses than to help states avoid the need to lay off employees...

U.S. Treasury Receives Tongue Lashing From Capitol Hill Over TARP

Last week, the Treasury Department took a tongue-lashing from Capitol Hill lawmakers over a lack of appropriate measures to ensure that institutions receiving taxpayers money are putting the cash to use for the intended purposes.

Former Bush Fish And Wildlife Service Official “tainted Nearly Every Decision Made on the Protection of Endangered Species” Over a 5 Year Period

A new report from the Inspector General’s Office (IG) at the Department of the Interior finds that former deputy assistant secretary Julie MacDonald, who oversaw the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), “tainted nearly every decision made on the...

An Account of Accountability

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 An Account of Accountability BBC NEWS has become a useful source for stories that give the lie to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s promises that his $700 billion bailout package would be judiciously applied and scrupulously...

Nursing Home Industry Launches Campaign to Derail Protections for Elderly Residents – Political Opinion

On the eve of a key U.S. Senate committee vote on legislation to help protect residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities from abuse and neglect, the nursing home industry has launched a campaign of deception about the legislation.

Apex Oil Company Ordered to Perform $150 Million Environmental Cleanup

Apex Oil Company Inc. has been ordered to remediate extensive soil and groundwater contamination from its former refinery operations in Hartford, Ill., the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced. In a decision issued...

Oversight Lacking in Aid to Pakistan

The Government Accountability Office released a report Wednesday that details troubling lapses in the oversight of U.S. Coalition Support Funds to Pakistan, funding provided to the government of Pakistan as reimbursement for its counterterrorism activities....

Insurgent Activity is Increasing Sharply in Afghanistan And has Spread Into Once Stable Areas

According to new U.S. military data, “insurgent activity is increasing sharply in Afghanistan and has spread into once stable areas, with attacks up almost 40 [percent] in the eastern provinces alone.”