The War on Waste

USA Today reports:

President Obama seeks to revive an old war today -- the war on government waste.

Obama has appointed Vice President Biden to head up the Campaign to Cut Waste, a renewed effort to eliminate what the president called unnecessary government programs and "stupid spending that doesn't benefit anybody.

Anthony Gregory responds:

I do not want to understate the evil of government waste. A billion dollars stolen from taxpayers and sent down the drain is an injustice and a moral disgrace of national importance. But government is an organ of plunder, economic dislocation, mass imprisonment, social destruction, persecution and mass murder. Given that it steals our money—certainly a great evil in itself—we’re generally much better off the larger portion of its budget goes purely to waste.

read the essay

Stimulus Package: Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

So they've done it. Lawmakers passed a nearly $800 billion stimulus plan - roughly the equivalent of an entire year's of discretionary government spending - in just over a month.

Now who's going to make sure all that money isn't wasted?...

The White House, again leveraging an online savvy that helped get them elected, created http://www.recovery.gov/ - a site where anyone can go and supposedly see exactly who is getting what...

We can't rely solely on the administration to self-police," he said...

"Generally, Congress had no record of ever actually doing anything with the oversight reports they get," said Brian Riedl...

read the CNN article

My thoughts: While attempting to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse is a good goal. A bailout bill that was passed out pure economic ignorance will do far more harm than a little waste.

Cartoon: Bailout Pork

Cartoon: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Cartoon: Government Planning

And You Thought Mailing a Letter was Expensive

Pentagon Paid $999,798 to Ship Two 19-Cent Washers to Texas

"A small South Carolina parts supplier collected about $20.5 million over six years from the Pentagon for fraudulent shipping costs, including $998,798 for sending two 19-cent washers to a Texas base, U.S. officials said...

A review of paid shipping invoices showed that fraudulent billing is ``is not a widespread problem,'' she said."



The people who it took 6 years to discover the billing fraud say the problem is not widespread. Is anyone else having doubts?

Dead Farmers Got Subsidies

The Agriculture Department sent $1.1 billion in farm payments to more than 170,000 dead people over a seven-year period, congressional investigators say.

source: Seattle Times

Raise your hand if you are surprised.