Perhaps only the Marines are able to make holding an umbrella over another person look powerful and executed with precision. As these marines stood stoic, Mother Nature reminded her critics on Thursday that she too has a flair for the poetic when rain began to fall on President Obama’s joint press conference with the Turkish … Continue reading
Author Archives: Michael Gruccio
‘Well, at least we’ll have company’ The IRS becomes the latest regulatory agency to spotlight the need for reform.
It’s been a tough May for Federal Agencies. Amid a backdrop of scrutiny over potential regulatory missteps in the Texas fertilizer plant explosion, accusations of document concealment at the Environmental Protection Agency, and lengthy congressional hearings into State Department action in the aftermath of the Benghazi terror attacks, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) finished this … Continue reading
A Drop in the Bucket: the Obamacare Application Gets a Reboot
Flexible and nimble, these are the words chosen by one Obama Administration official as part of the announcement earlier this week that the application to apply for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) shiny new state exchanges would be trimmed to three pages. The presentation of the new form, meant to remind the … Continue reading
“Made in the Shade” Bringing Light to EPA Rulemaking
“My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.” This statement forms the opening paragraph of a pointed memo released … Continue reading
Self-Evident? Walking the path to Citizenship in the United States
Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft together form a vanguard assembly of tech giants known to foster excited anticipation for 21st century innovation. However, at the tail end of 2012 these industry leaders all placed their signatures next to one another on a letter expressing support for a contemporary center-piece of American Politics: Immigration Reform. Up for … Continue reading
“Pump the Brakes.” Statutory Authority and the EPA.
President Obama is secure in his second term. For environmental groups concerned that an alternative result to the 2012 elections would have meant the dismantling of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), January’s inauguration was an undoubted relief. These groups may now turn their attention to the unmitigated expansion of the EPA regulatory apparatus, eyeing the … Continue reading
Hats Off to the EPA: The Important Success of ‘Cap-and-Trade’
President Obama has made clear that in his second term he will make a concerted effort to raise national awareness of the problem of pollution and begin to structure federal activity to respond to the growing danger of climate change. Striking a defiant pose, the President used his State of the Union speech to make … Continue reading
At Minimum, a Call for Reform
During his State of the Union, President Obama’s call to raise the minimum wage generated enough buzz that congressional Republicans were barely to the steps of the capital building before they were voicing concern. Despite the surging popularity of this proposition, new research suggests that minimum wage increases may not benefit employees as matter-of-factly as … Continue reading
Hidden Costs: Regulatory Impacts on Small Businesses
When pitchers and catchers report to spring training sights in Florida and the southwest, it is easy to feel like the sun is just a bit warmer and spring is right around the corner. For millions of small business owners across the United States however, the early months of 2013 have already felt like the … Continue reading
Senator Warren Steals the Show…And Misses the Point.
The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is not often the subject of a million YouTube views. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who ran for office promising change in Washington, may have delivered last week by helping the committee accomplish this feat. The trouble for Sen. Warren, and the committee meeting she hijacked, is … Continue reading
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