Former commissioners tell Congress, ‘The IRS is stretched to the breaking point,’ so stop slashing its budget - The Washington Post

“Over the last 50 years none of us has ever witnessed anything like what has happened to the IRS appropriations over the last five years and the impact these reductions are having on our tax system,” wrote the former commissioners, who served in the Kennedy, Johnson, Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush administrations. “It is clear to each of us that the [reductions] over the last five years materially and adversely affect the ability of the IRS to assist taxpayers who are trying to comply with their tax obligations, as well as the ability of of the IRS to detect and deter taxpayers who have not complied with their tax obligations.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/federal-eye/wp/2015/11/13/former-commissioners-tell-congress-the-irs-is-stretched-to-the-breaking-point-so-stop-slashing-its-budget/

How much do you know about landmark Supreme Court decisions? Take our quiz.

Test your knowledge on some of the most important decisions made by the United States' highest court. ... Read more

Chicago’s Impending Toll Road Strike And How Outsourcing Government Services Can Be A Bad Bet

The publicly-built, privately-managed Chicago Skyway is the fastest way to vacation destinations on the shore. .. Read more

Freedom of Religion: Crash Course Government and Politics #24

Today, Craig is going to take a look at the First Amendment and your right to freedom of religion. We’ll examine some significant Supreme Court decisions and talk about how they’ve affected our interpretations of the law with respect to stuff like animal sacrifice and prayer in schools. As you’ll see, there aren’t always clearly defined, or bright-line, rules in approaching legal questions. Sometimes tests have to be developed to account for the ever-changing nature of the law and it’s applications - so we’re talk about some of those too.
https://youtu.be/Y8dI1GTWCk4

MSPB clears up a few workforce misperceptions

Federal employees can be fired after all. Who knew?
Interview:
http://federalnewsradio.com/workforce/2015/05/mspb-clears-up-a-few-workforce-misperceptions/

Judicial Decisions: Crash Course Government and Politics #22

Today, Craig Benzine is going to dive into the factors that influence judicial decisions. As you may have noticed, the Supreme Court recently handed down some pretty big decisions on same-sex marriage (in Obergefell v Hodges) and the Affordable Care Act (in King v. Burwell). Now, it's important to remember that these decisions are not made in a vacuum, but influenced by the other branches of government, political affiliations, and past court decisions. We’re also talk about a judge’s judicial philosophy - that is their relative restraint or activism in making decisions on laws. Judicial restraint is often equated with conservatism, but as we’ll show you, this is not always the case.
https://youtu.be/QjLcLguoKC4

Paul Krugman Exposes the Folly of Running the Country Like a Business

Why would a country hand over its ailing economy to corporate interests?
...  Read more