Professor Peabody
12-17-2013, 06:41 PM
Government Blatantly Wastes $30 Billion This Year
By Brianna Ehley The Fiscal Times
December 17, 2013
When the sequester cuts slashed $85 billion from the federal budget, crippling federal programs like Head Start and halting crucial research at the National Institutes of Health, the government continued spending tax dollars on things like 3-D pizza printers for NASA, a beachfront property loan program for millionaires, and a $300 million Army surveillance blimp that doesn’t work.
Those are just three of the 100 examples of egregious government waste that cost taxpayers $30 billion this year--all detailed in Sen. Tom Coburn’s (R-OK) annual “Wastebook,” released Tuesday.
The report isn’t just big ticket items, it also includes a spate of rather obscure, little-known projects as well, including a federally funded grant of nearly $400,000 awarded to Yale University to study the “oddity of the duck penis.” Another includes a $200,000 grant from the International Trade Administration was awarded to a group of indie rock execs to travel the world and discover new music.
“Collectively these cost more than $30 billion in a year when Washington would have you believe everything that could be done has been done to control unnecessary spending,” Coburn said in a statement. “Had just these 100 been eliminated, the sequester amount would have been reduced nearly a third without any noticeable disruption.”
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2013/12/17/10-Most-Absurd-Stories-Government-Waste-Year
If it weren't so sick and twisted it would almost be funny. $400,000 awarded to Yale University to study the “oddity of the duck penis.” Yes, they are serious. Here's a few more from the wastebook.
Beachfront Property for Millionaires — $500 million:
A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) home loan program, created to help people with low and moderate incomes afford a home in “rural areas” has been used by many millionaires in “resort communities” in tropical paradises like Hawaii. According to the report, more than 100 individuals or families received loan guarantees for $500,000 or more from the USDA to purchase a home in Hawaii. And here’s the kicker, “if these new homeowners later cannot afford their new homes it’s no problem, the federal government will protect the banks from losses by repaying 90 percent of the loans,” the report says. Last year, it paid nearly $500 million in lost claims.
Fort Hood Shooter Still on Federal Payroll — $53,000 (in 2013):
Alleged Fort Hood Shooter Major Nadal Hasson, continues to get paid federal salary since the Military Code of Justice doesn’t allow a soldier to be suspended until they are found guilty. He made $52,952 in 2013 and $278,000 total since he allegedly killed 13 and injured 32 in 2009.
Half a Million to Spruce Up Block in Kansas Town — $500,000:
The Department of Transportation awarded Rossville, Kansas—a tiny town with a population of 1,150—a grant of $532,000 to make one-block in the downtown area “more decorative and colorful.” According to the report, the “decorative and colorful improvements to one street block in Rossville, Kansas cost U.S. taxpayers $462 per resident of Rossville or $38,000 for each of the 14 businesses located on this block of Main Street.” Hopefully now taxpayers across the country will swarm to Rossville to enjoy the block they helped pay for.
Please remember this when Democrats start crying that they need to raise taxes or how Government cuts will cripple the country. Just remember while the Obama administration was cutting funding to head start, they continued to spend $400,000 to study Duck Penises.
By Brianna Ehley The Fiscal Times
December 17, 2013
When the sequester cuts slashed $85 billion from the federal budget, crippling federal programs like Head Start and halting crucial research at the National Institutes of Health, the government continued spending tax dollars on things like 3-D pizza printers for NASA, a beachfront property loan program for millionaires, and a $300 million Army surveillance blimp that doesn’t work.
Those are just three of the 100 examples of egregious government waste that cost taxpayers $30 billion this year--all detailed in Sen. Tom Coburn’s (R-OK) annual “Wastebook,” released Tuesday.
The report isn’t just big ticket items, it also includes a spate of rather obscure, little-known projects as well, including a federally funded grant of nearly $400,000 awarded to Yale University to study the “oddity of the duck penis.” Another includes a $200,000 grant from the International Trade Administration was awarded to a group of indie rock execs to travel the world and discover new music.
“Collectively these cost more than $30 billion in a year when Washington would have you believe everything that could be done has been done to control unnecessary spending,” Coburn said in a statement. “Had just these 100 been eliminated, the sequester amount would have been reduced nearly a third without any noticeable disruption.”
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2013/12/17/10-Most-Absurd-Stories-Government-Waste-Year
If it weren't so sick and twisted it would almost be funny. $400,000 awarded to Yale University to study the “oddity of the duck penis.” Yes, they are serious. Here's a few more from the wastebook.
Beachfront Property for Millionaires — $500 million:
A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) home loan program, created to help people with low and moderate incomes afford a home in “rural areas” has been used by many millionaires in “resort communities” in tropical paradises like Hawaii. According to the report, more than 100 individuals or families received loan guarantees for $500,000 or more from the USDA to purchase a home in Hawaii. And here’s the kicker, “if these new homeowners later cannot afford their new homes it’s no problem, the federal government will protect the banks from losses by repaying 90 percent of the loans,” the report says. Last year, it paid nearly $500 million in lost claims.
Fort Hood Shooter Still on Federal Payroll — $53,000 (in 2013):
Alleged Fort Hood Shooter Major Nadal Hasson, continues to get paid federal salary since the Military Code of Justice doesn’t allow a soldier to be suspended until they are found guilty. He made $52,952 in 2013 and $278,000 total since he allegedly killed 13 and injured 32 in 2009.
Half a Million to Spruce Up Block in Kansas Town — $500,000:
The Department of Transportation awarded Rossville, Kansas—a tiny town with a population of 1,150—a grant of $532,000 to make one-block in the downtown area “more decorative and colorful.” According to the report, the “decorative and colorful improvements to one street block in Rossville, Kansas cost U.S. taxpayers $462 per resident of Rossville or $38,000 for each of the 14 businesses located on this block of Main Street.” Hopefully now taxpayers across the country will swarm to Rossville to enjoy the block they helped pay for.
Please remember this when Democrats start crying that they need to raise taxes or how Government cuts will cripple the country. Just remember while the Obama administration was cutting funding to head start, they continued to spend $400,000 to study Duck Penises.