The Federal Government owns more than 77,000 buildings which are currently not being used. Some of them have even been condemned. These properties should be sold at auction or simply bulldozed if they are unsuitable for sale. Basic upkeep on these buildings is costing US taxpayers.
Annual Savings to the US Taxpayer: $1.5 Billion
Election season is approaching and as it nears you will hear more talk of campaign finance and the need to reform it. Here are 10 facts that cut through the rhetoric. Photo by Vince Alongi 1. Free Speech and Campaigning If political speech and the printing press are protected under the First Amendment, by extension…
On November 9th, 2014 the world celebrated the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The event not only led to the liberation of millions of people and the fall of the Soviet Union, but it effectively ended a near 50 year old cold war nuclear standoff between the USSR and the United…
1. Korea Once a united peninsula and people, the Koreans were split apart by the polarizing effects of Communism which were imported from the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. After World War II ended, the Soviet Army advanced into Korea and left troops in the North. Kim Il-Sung, considered to be the first Korean Communist, began to…
Photo by OSU Master Gardener 1. Collecting rainwater If you live in Oregon, don’t even think about diverting that rain water on your property into any sort of container. One Oregon man was sentenced to 30 days in jail because he had three ponds on his property. His ponds were deemed “illegal reservoirs.” According to…
The idea that higher revenues can be raised by lowering tax rates seems counter intuitive to many. In fact, politicians who campaign on lowering taxes are often derided as liars, especially in light of budget deficits. It is often asked: how can anyone promise to cut taxes when the government is already short on revenue?…
Photo by mbs120898 10. Thomas Jefferson President Jefferson was publicly accused of fathering the children of his slave Sally Hemings, by journalist James Callender (who had also publicized Alexander Hamilton’s affair) in the Jefferson–Hemings controversy. Hemings was the half-sister of Jefferson’s wife Martha, and based partly upon DNA evidence, there is now a scholarly consensus…