Mindless Government Waste... Just the tip of the Iceberg

An Iceberg that isn't being affected by global warming, would be that of the government waste.  As we watch the news over the next month about the battle over raising the debt limit and which programs to cut or not, keep in mind some of these wonderful government programs that aren't in the MSM news.

"You've probably heard of shrimp on the barbie, but what about shrimp on a treadmill?
The National Science Foundation has, and it spent $500,000 of taxpayer money researching it. It's not entirely clear what this research hoped to establish. "

"It's not just shrimp on a treadmill. The foundation spent $1.5 million to create a robot that can fold laundry. But before you try to buy one to save some time, consider that it takes the robot 25 minutes to fold a single towel. "

"The list goes on. Lots of people love to use FarmVille on Facebook, but lots of people probably don't love the government's spending $300,000 in taxpayer money to study whether it helps build personal relationships. "

"The National Science Foundation has its headquarters in Arlington, Va., just across the river from Washington, D.C., a building it pays $19 million a year to rent. But now that the 20-year lease is nearly up, it has decided that it is time to move; into a new building that will cost $26 million annually to rent. "

I'm clearly in the wrong business, I need to buy land and sell it to the government.  $19 million a year to rent??  That must be some property, I hope it comes with a happy ending, just not for the American taxpayer.


"We have 12 different agencies doing pure research, and we're duplicating and we're not sharing the information across and it's siloed," he said.

In response to Coburn's report, the National Science Foundation launched a vigorous defense of its projects. Agency officials said they "have advanced the frontiers of science and engineering, improved Americans' lives, and provided the foundations for countless new industries and jobs."

You can read the full article here.

I can attest to this, my life has dramatically improved since I found out they were testing shrimp on a treadmill, just don't ask me for specific examples how.


"A federal audit reveals that the U.S. government’s dysfunctional system for annually dispersing hundreds of billions of dollars in grants lacks transparency and is rife with waste, fraud and abuse.  

As a result, federal agencies reported an estimated $125.4 billion in “improper payments” for fiscal year 2010 alone. Just what taxpayers wanted to hear in the midst of record-high unemployment and a daunting $14 trillion national debt."

"Grants account for one-fifth of federal spending yet the awards process is a disaster and the government doesn’t even bother to monitor if the money is being spent properly, according to a report issued this week by the investigative arm of congress, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO)."
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11773t.pdf (extremely long boring article on the grant waste)

I wonder if they have a website to sign up for "improper payments", I sure could use a few of those. Update- they don't, I googled it.

"This year Obama’s Labor Department also dished out $76 million in grants to give low-income juvenile delinquents a “second chance” by helping them get high school diplomas and jobs. The Department of Health recently issued more than $100 million in Obamacare grants to “reduce health disparities” between minorities and whites and the Department of Agriculture has distributed millions to revolutionize the inner city diet by providing affordable, healthy foods in poor neighborhoods."
http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2011/may/76-mil-give-poor-juvenile-delinquents-second-chance

It's all good, pay no attention to the 9.1 unemployment rate, or the 24 million people underemployed(part-time or less), because America's juvenile delinquents are going to save our country.

"The program, the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act [FECA], which the government launched in 1916, is supposed to cover lost wages for federal employees who suffer on-the-job injuries.

But many federal workers stay on the program for decades, well into their retirement. Those federal workers on disability can get nearly 75% of their salary tax-free for the rest of their life if they have one dependent, with annual cost of living adjustments.

That compares to regular federal retirees with 30 years of service who get much less, 56% of their gross wages, which is taxable. “FECA has no limits on the amount of time spent in the program or the amount of money given to recipients,” the Senator notes in her statement, and adds: “FECA has no caps or cut-off periods, which is why there are reported cases of recipients in their 90s and 100s still receiving workers' compensation benefits.“

Stunningly, the program does not require regular third-party certifications of continued need for payments, which “expose the FECA program to possible fraud,” the Senator, ranking member on the Senate Homeland Security panel, said in her letter to the GAO."

 

Full article here.

 

If I had only known, when I got in my car accident, if I was working for the government, I would never had to work again. 

 

So while the WCW like pro wrestling continues on Capital Hill, as they fight over medicare, SS, and our national security.  I would like to offer my services to the government to help weed out the obnoxious waste, for a smooth $500K per year, clearly a bargin.