This week, I decided to research the Farm Bill to write a little bit about some of the “reforms” House Republicans who support the bill are so proud of. The CBO estimates savings of $35 billion over the next ten years (vs. the current baseline). The CBO is also notorious for underestimating costs, and it looks like this time won’t be any different. 

This Thursday, FreedomWorks will host the first field hearing for the newly-formed Tea Party Debt Commission in Salt Lake City. The hearing will take place at Noah’s meeting and conference center, 322 West 11000 South, South Jordan, UT, 84095.

On May 16, 2011, the US public debt once again reached the debt ceiling (the legal cap set by Congress for how much the United States is allowed to borrow). The United States’ debt now stands at around 14.3 trillion dollars.  A quick visit to usdebtclock.org shows that the United States now owes around $46,000 dollars per citizen and over $129,000 per taxpayer. Those are big numbers; numbers big enough to get many lawmakers on both side of the aisle talking about reducing the deficit.

Settled science rarely is. Except to those with a vested policy interest in the debate. True to form, a recent diatribe by Michael F. Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest acknowledges none of the widely available data that conflict with his passionate crusade against table salt. However, to a debate that has endured for decades, Jacobson does bring a modern twist: