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Daily Archives: January 31, 2014

Is Great Barrier Reef in peril due to planned massive dumping of drudged mud

Outside magazine: “The Australian government agency that oversees the Great Barrier Reef approved a plan to expand a major coal port in Queensland by dumping 792,516,157 gallons of dredged mud on the Great Barrier Reef. Environmentalists are infuriated, saying that the reef has already lost huge amounts of coral to storm damage and coral-eating starfish. A 2012 UNESCO report expressed concern about development along the reef and warned that the World Heritage site was at risk as being listed as “in danger,” similar to the Everglades National Park in Florida. Queensland Premier Campbell Newman told reporters that the government would protect the environment, but not at the expense of the state’s economy. “We are in the coal business,” he told reporters. “If you want decent hospitals, schools, and police on the beat, we all need to understand that.”

Treat or Eat: Food insecurity, cost-related medication underuse and unmet needs

Treat or Eat: Food insecurity, cost-related medication underuse and unmet needs. American Journal of Medicine, published online 21 January 2014. Background: ‘Adults with chronic disease are often unable to meet medication and/or food needs, but no study has examined the relationship between cost-related medication underuse and food insecurity in a nationally representative sample. We examined which groups most… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Federal Student Loans, U.S. Merchant Marine

FEDERAL STUDENT LOANS – Borrower Interest Rates Cannot Be Set in Advance to Precisely and Consistently Balance Federal Revenues and Costs, GAO-14-234, Jan 31, 2014: “Total Direct Loan administrative costs grew from $314 million to $864 million from fiscal years 2007 to 2012, but federal costs per borrower have generally remained steady or fallen. The increase in… Continue Reading

Final Report – National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force

“The National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force delivered it final report yesterday.  You can find the full report to the President and Congress here. The Commission’s website has more information including links to the information from various hearings and other information they gathered in doing their work. In 2012 the Commission was congressionally mandated  (PL… Continue Reading

CRS – Overview of the Federal Tax System

Overview of the Federal Tax System, Molly F. Sherlock, Specialist in Public Finance; Donald J. Marples, Specialist in Public Finance. January 23, 2014 “The major sources of federal tax revenue are individual income taxes, Social Security and other payroll taxes, corporate income taxes, excise taxes, and estate and gift taxes. This report describes the federal tax structure, provides some statistics… Continue Reading

USPIRG – Transportation in Transition

Transportation in Transition: A Look at Changing Travel Patterns in America’s Biggest Cities is based on the most current available government data. It is the first ever national study to compare transportation trends for America’s largest cities and lists results for each. Among its national findings: The proportion of workers commuting by private vehicle—either alone or… Continue Reading