Weekly Basket: Sham Savings Scam

TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE-As talks on ways to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff meander along, unsurprisingly lawmakers are lining up to protect or promote their special interests. Boosters use a variety of tactics, but one favorite is to claim the policy or program would reduce the deficit and so can be used to offset the across-the-board cuts slated to start on January 2^nd.

But it’s a case of budgetary buyer beware because, like images in your side-view mirror, many of the budget numbers are larger than they appear.