Outrageous U.S. government waste
Every year, Tom Coburn (OK-R) would shed light on the most outrageous government spending in his yearly “Wastebook” reports. Freshman Senator Steve Russell (OK-R) has followed Tom’s example. Russell has released his first “Waste Watch” report and his findings are incomprehensible.
Russell is a member of the Oversight and Government Reform, Spending Cuts and Debt. Committee. His purpose is to expose waste and find opportunities to reduce unnecessary spending in the future. He has found $117 million in squandered expenditures for 2014.
The Humpty Dumpty Institution
This institute is a non-profit humanitarian organization that addresses issues in the U.S. and abroad. Their focus is on newfangled tactics, finding partners, and raising money to solve serious issues. They used $200,000 that was allotted for the U.S. Embassy in Iraq to send five Iraqi filmmakers to the United States.
They were flown from Baghdad to Los Angeles for a week-long training course at the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. The course included training in financing films, distribution, marketing, physical production and visual effects.
They visited the Venice Beach Boardwalk to get a glimpse of the American culture. They had never seen people “Dancing on the beach” or “half-naked women” in Iraq. Each of the trio received an allowance to make a short movie. They used this opportunity to create anti-American short films.
Feds give Afghanistan $100 million handout
Back in 2014, the State Department surreptitiously transferred $100 million to the Afghan government. The money was awarded to bail them out of a financial shortfall. Afghan officials claim that without the cash assistance, they would not be able to pay their half-million government employees.
They went on to say that without the monetary gift, 350,000 police and soldiers would go hungry. Afghanistan supplies just 30% of its own budget while the U.S. and other donors fund the rest. In its own inimitable fashion, the State Department has not given any justification for the payout.
6.5 million SSI cards for Americans over 112 years old
There are approximately 35 humans on planet Earth that are 112 years old or more. Astoundingly, there are 6.5 million U.S. citizens over 112 and they all have active Social Security numbers. Is there something in the American water, or is the Social Security Agency (SSA) completely inept?
The SSA claims that only 13 of these senior citizens are actually collecting a check. It is more probable that they have discovered only 13 fraudulent cases. They claim that they are understaffed and underfunded. Therefore, tracking down the thieves is a daunting task.
These are just a few of the many feckless exhibitions of big government incompetence. The three things big government does well is collect taxes, create taxes, and frivolously spend taxpayer dollars. This is not a left or right problem; it is a left and right problem.
