1. Quarters doubled in odd years, halved again in evens

    By Bill Allison May 7, 2009 4:11 p.m. 1 comment

    This always makes me thing of Lewis Carroll every time I see it. A PAC tells the FEC it's going to file quarterly reports rather than monthly reports. The FEC approves the request, and writes back:

    Read all about it

  2. Congressional ethics committees: What's past is prolog

    By Bill Allison Mar 26, 2009 4:27 p.m. 1 comment

    Glenn Reynolds notes that the two congressional ethics committees are off to a less than rapid start and observes, "It's like it's not meant to actually do anything."

    Read all about it

  3. Disabled adult children

    By Bill Allison Mar 26, 2009 1:06 p.m.

    This morning, while reading a release linked from Recovery.gov, I ran across one of those government terms that make no sense. As part of the stimulus efforts, the Railroad Retirement Board, an independent agency that manages federal benefits for railroad retirees and their dependents (more details on why this board exists here) will send additional checks of $250 to most of its beneficiaries, "including disabled adult children."

    Read all about it

  4. The Gilded Age on congressional investigations

    By Bill Allison Mar 25, 2009 3:25 a.m. 1 comment

    How little things change. In The Gilded Age, by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner, a member of the Senate, Abner Dilworthy, is caught bribing a state legislator to ensure his reelection. Dilworthy knows how to respond:

    Read all about it