[VIDEO] Jay Cost: What is Crony Capitalism?
Posted: February 23, 2016 Filed under: Economics, Mediasphere, Politics, Think Tank | Tags: Appointments Clause, Bailout, Bernie Sanders, Crony capitalism, Democratic Party (United States), Export-Import Bank of the United States, Hell, Hillary Clinton, Republican Party (United States), The Weekly Standard Leave a comment
This election season there’s a lot of talk about corruption, about politicians being “bought and sold”, and about “crony capitalism”. What do those terms mean? Why should we care? Is there a way to reduce corruption and restore our trust in government? Author Jay Cost, staff writer at The Weekly Standard, answers these questions and proposes a solution that every society could benefit from.
Ex-Im Officials Blow Through Millions of Tax Dollars on First-Class Luxury Travel
Posted: September 6, 2014 Filed under: Economics, Politics, U.S. News | Tags: BANKING, Boeing, corruption, Ex-Im, Export-Import Bank, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Federal Agency, First Class, General Electric, House Financial Services Committee, NASA, Taxes, Taxpayer subsidies, Travel Budget, United States House Committee on Financial Services Leave a commentWashingtonExaminer reports: Officials of the Export-Import Bank of the United States blew the agency’s travel budget by millions of dollars after taking 400 first-class flights over the last three years, according to records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
“Conservatives in Congress have long sought to defund Ex-Im as a corporate welfare program, while President Obama has defended it as a job creator.”
Ex-Im is a federal agency that provides taxpayer subsidies to U.S. exporters such as Boeing, General Electric and Caterpillar.
“In fiscal 2012, Ex-Im budgeted $1.7 million for travel expenses but spent $2.7 million. In fiscal 2013, Ex-Im budgeted $1.2 million but spent $2.2 million. And in this fiscal year, Ex-Im budgeted $1.3 million but expects its end-of-year spending to total $2.3 million.”
Last month, the Hill reported that “officials with the Export-Import Bank have exceeded their travel budget over the last three years by $3 million, according to disclosures filed with the House Financial Services Committee.
[Also see Timothy P. Carney’s The Export-Import Bank and the German model]
“A NASA employee flew from Frankfurt to Cologne, Germany, for $6,851, a flight that cost almost 52 times more than the $133 coach fare.”
But documents newly obtained by the Washington Examiner show that it was not just the frequency of the travel that caused Ex-Im officials to exceed their budget, but the way they chose to travel. Read the rest of this entry »
[VIDEO] George Will: The Anti-Cronyism Movement Played as Much of a Role in Eric Cantor’s Primary Loss as Immigration Did
Posted: June 15, 2014 Filed under: Mediasphere, Politics, U.S. News | Tags: Crony capitalism, Dave Brat, Eric Cantor, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Financial Services, Republican, Republican Party (United States), Wall Street Leave a commentCantor’s Nexus Between Congress and Wall Street Led to Loss
Cantor’s relationship with the financial industry and his support of institutions such as the Export-Import Bank became a “symbol of crony capitalism” for his challenger Dave Brat and his constituents, Will said on Fox News Sunday…
“Cantor is the nexus between the Republicans in the House and Wall Street and the financial community…this man is an insider not paying attention to normal people.”
…As a result, voters wanted Cantor out….(read more)