IS IT TRUE DECEMBER 4, 2015

IS IT TRUE this week “Readers Poll”is: “Are you pleased with the way Governor Pence has conducted himself over the last four (4) years”?

IS IT TRUE we are hoping to have at least 2 million page views by the end of the year?

IS IT TRUE you can expect some redesign layout activity on our site spearheaded by our Webmaster? …we urge you to be patient with us over the next couple of days?

IS IT TRUE that starting next Monday IIT will posted twice a week? …you can expect to read IS IT TRUE on Monday and Thursday of each week?

IS IT TRUE we would like to share with you a new publication called FEDERAL FUMBLES-100 Ways The Government Dropped The Ball? …this publication was created by United States Senator James Lankford form Oklahoma? …you can Goggle it to read the entire publication? …heres a few TID BITS from this publication that we thought you would enjoy?

MORE MONEY, FEWER RESULTS

 No funds for failed state exchanges; repeal Obamacare Under Obamacare states were given the option to set up their own health insurance exchanges to buy and sell insurance or to allow the federal government to operate an exchange within the state. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia established their own exchanges. The Obama Administration, eager to support their efforts, shelled out $4 billion from taxpayers for planning, establishment, and innovator exchange grants—more than the federal government spent on the nationwide federally facilitated marketplace. Most taxpayers would reasonably expect that a higher investment would yield a higher return, but that was not the case. When the 14 states that established exchanges opened for business, seven were dysfunctional, disabled, or severely underperforming. 79 For example Oregon’s exchange failed to enroll a single person through its online platform, despite spending $304 million80 in taxpayer dollars. Oregon eventually gave up and turned its exchange over to the federal government. Maryland’s exchange failed almost as soon as it launched. Massachusetts, which already had a functioning state website for health insurance, received $184 million81 in federal funds for a boondoggle that flopped so spectacularly during its first open enrollment that its executive director “wept at a board meeting, where it was disclosed that 50,000 applications for health insurance are sitting in a pile, and have yet to be entered into a computer system.”82 Obamacare, “despite all the massive brainpower behind it, had some ‘glitches,’ in the same sense that the universe has some ‘atoms.’”83 So where did all of the money go? GAO reports, “[T]he specific amount spent on marketplacerelated projects was uncertain, as only a selected number of states reported to GAO that they tracked or estimated this information.”84 RECOVERY Unimpressed by this display of spending malfeasance and mismanagement, Congress declined to offer further funds for state exchanges. The entire system continues to drive up healthcare costs and healthcare complexities. It is time to stop wasting Americans’ money on a failed policy

RUSSIAN CIGARETTES

NIH’s stated mission is “to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.”  Perhaps running counter to the mission, in April 2015 NIH announced a $48,500 grant to produce a book entitled, Cigarettes and Soviets: The Culture of Tobacco Use in Modern Russia. 54 While the title harkens images of a James Bond movie, the grant will go to pay a historian to write “the first solo-authored monograph in Russian or English to explore the history of tobacco use and government initiated cessation programs in Russia in the context of the country’s complex social, cultural, and political changes of the past 130 years.”

In order to compile the book, the author will “reconstruct the culture of tobacco using newspapers, journals, industry publications, etiquette manuals, propaganda posters, popular literature, films, cartoons, and advertising images.” The supposed hook into NIH and public health relevance is that “understanding Russia’s distinctive history may suggest different strategies for U.S. policy initiatives” and that it can “provide insights into the successes and failures of government-led tobacco control efforts.” While subjective, it is likely that most taxpayers would find the merits of the history of Russian smoking habits outside the scope of NIH’s mission and American national interests.

Recently NIH made major medical advances in Ebola research, gene therapy to treat hemophilia, blood tests for early detection of Alzheimer’s. Four men even regained muscle control from paralysis after spinal stimulation therapy.57 These advances truly make a difference and help families across the nation. Instead of funding the publication of niche history books, Congress should push NIH to continue to concentrate its resources on more transformative research to provide public health breakthroughs for the American people. Leave the study of Russian cigarettes to the Russians.

 TOY GUNS: REGULATORY

When asked to think of an industry that faces particularly duplicative and complex federal regulations, the financial or energy sectors come to mind first for most Americans. However, the federal government’s arm extends into every industry, including toy gun manufacturers and importers. It is important to ensure the safety of every child, but perhaps it can be done in a more efficient manner without sacrificing safety. GAO’s 2015 annual report to Congress on federal duplication and overlap describes multiple examples of duplicative regulations, but the toy gun industry example stands out in particular.

In order to distinguish toy guns from real firearms, NIST within DOC holds primary regulatory jurisdiction over toy guns and imitation firearms. This is a serious and important safety responsibility to protect the lives of millions of children. However, the 2015 GAO report found an interesting loophole in the regulatory structure of the toy gun industry, confirmed by the regulating agency itself: “NIST staff also noted that because there are few, if any, domestic manufacturers of toy and imitation firearms and because most are imported, NIST regulations on the markings for toy and imitation firearms are enforced almost entirely by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).” GAO also noted the possibility for inefficiency, stating “because the regulation of toy and imitation firearms falls outside the scope of NIST’s primary mission and functions and because NIST has no physical presence at ports of entry, NIST staff stated the regulation and oversight of toy and imitation firearm markings may better be administered by another federal agency.”

The difference between a toy gun and a real gun can result in fatal consequences. When it comes to children’s safety, the federal government must get this right.

The regulating authority of the toy gun industry should be transferred to the entity that actually has enforcement capability: CBP. Removing duplicative responsibilities will ensure regulations are implemented appropriately and keep toy costs low for parents.