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Senator Tom Coburn issues an annual government wastebook but he will be retiring. This year's report (The 100 most outlandish government expenditures this year, costing taxpayers billions of dollars) has been released and it includes (but is not limited to):
Coast guard party patrols – $100,000
Watching grass grow – $10,000
State department tweets @ terrorists – $3 million
Swedish massages for rabbits – $387,000 (personal favorite runner-up)
Paid vacations for bureaucrats gone wild – $20 million (this one already in the news)
Mountain lions on a treadmill – $856,000
Synchronized swimming for sea monkeys – $50,000 (my personal favorite)
Pentagon to destroy $16 billion in unused ammunition -- $1 billion
Scientists hope monkey gambling unlocks secrets of free will –$171,000
Rich and famous rent out their luxury pads tax free – $10 million
Studying “hangry” spouses stabbing voodoo dolls – $331,000
Promoting U.S. culture around the globe with nose flutists – $90 million
And also points out Congressional waste:
Lawmakers attached a rider to a larger bill requiring NASA to build a $350 million launch pad tower, which was mothballed as soon as it was completed because the rockets it was designed to test were scrapped years ago. Similarly, when USDA attempted to close an unneeded sheep research station costing nearly $2million every year to operate, politicians in the region stepped in to keep it open."
Not so long ago, after all, the National Science Foundation (NSF) paid $560,000 to run a shrimp on a tiny treadmill. In fact, the federal government has raced animals, large and small on a treadmill from monkeys,141 to rats, and even cows
and goats.
In this study funded with an $856,000 NSF grant, three captive mountain lions were taught to use a treadmill. It took eight months of training before the cats were “comfortable on the treadmill."
They measured oxygen consumption - and they concluded that they do not have the aerobic capacity for sustained, high-energy activity.
They also monitored the lions with a collar and studied resting and grooming.
Who got the money - the University of California Santa Cruz.
Good for him! I didn't realize the Senator was keeping up the legacy of another former senator (I can't recall his name; was it Scoop Jackson?) who used to publish a report every year detailing the more crazy expenditures.
Senator Tom Coburn issues an annual government wastebook but he will be retiring. This year's report (The 100 most outlandish government expenditures this year, costing taxpayers billions of dollars) has been released and it includes (but is not limited to):
Coast guard party patrols – $100,000
Watching grass grow – $10,000
State department tweets @ terrorists – $3 million
Swedish massages for rabbits – $387,000 (personal favorite runner-up)
Paid vacations for bureaucrats gone wild – $20 million (this one already in the news)
Mountain lions on a treadmill – $856,000
Synchronized swimming for sea monkeys – $50,000 (my personal favorite)
Pentagon to destroy $16 billion in unused ammunition -- $1 billion
Scientists hope monkey gambling unlocks secrets of free will –$171,000
Rich and famous rent out their luxury pads tax free – $10 million
Studying “hangry” spouses stabbing voodoo dolls – $331,000
Promoting U.S. culture around the globe with nose flutists – $90 million
And also points out Congressional waste:
Lawmakers attached a rider to a larger bill requiring NASA to build a $350 million launch pad tower, which was mothballed as soon as it was completed because the rockets it was designed to test were scrapped years ago. Similarly, when USDA attempted to close an unneeded sheep research station costing nearly $2million every year to operate, politicians in the region stepped in to keep it open."
Not so long ago, after all, the National Science Foundation (NSF) paid $560,000 to run a shrimp on a tiny treadmill. In fact, the federal government has raced animals, large and small on a treadmill from monkeys,141 to rats, and even cows and goats.
In this study funded with an $856,000 NSF grant, three captive mountain lions were taught to use a treadmill. It took eight months of training before the cats were “comfortable on the treadmill."
They measured oxygen consumption - and they concluded that they do not have the aerobic capacity for sustained, high-energy activity.
They also monitored the lions with a collar and studied resting and grooming.
Who got the money - the University of California Santa Cruz.
Could have asked any hunter who runs ML with dogs for that well known information
Ever since Jack anderson in the 60s to Tom Coburn today, we have been alerted to colossal government waste. How frustrating is it to be smacked in the face with these flagrant abuses and absolutely nothing ever gets resolved.
The criteria for the electorate to impose collectively on their employees, that is elected candidates, should be items from Tom's list. A hiring manager is not a mind reader and prospective candidates can lie convincingly, but if we state our requirements and they don't meet them there should be a recall.
Tom's list is like someone flaunting their good fortune in front of a less fortunate person. It is cruel.
Location: Democratic Peoples Republic of Redneckistan
11,078 posts, read 15,095,649 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kracer
Ever since Jack anderson in the 60s to Tom Coburn today, we have been alerted to colossal government waste. How frustrating is it to be smacked in the face with these flagrant abuses and absolutely nothing ever gets resolved.
The criteria for the electorate to impose collectively on their employees, that is elected candidates, should be items from Tom's list. A hiring manager is not a mind reader and prospective candidates can lie convincingly, but if we state our requirements and they don't meet them there should be a recall.
Tom's list is like someone flaunting their good fortune in front of a less fortunate person. It is cruel.
Although this waste is by no means insignificant,it runs billions upon billions deeper...grants to Police and Fire depts to buy new vehicles without need(my nearest town has 500 people with a brand new Charger and a brand new Durango fully outfitted with cams on out and 3 other vehicles with less than 100,000 miles on them..over $100,000.00 in a couple of years for just that one tiny little crap hole),millions upon millions spent on staff for politicians,redundant managers at every Fed agency,take home vehicles with supplied fuel for millions of govt employees and the list goes on and on and on...nobody seems to care because they are to worried about wedge issues like gay rights or abortion or food stamps.
Good for him! I didn't realize the Senator was keeping up the legacy of another former senator (I can't recall his name; was it Scoop Jackson?) who used to publish a report every year detailing the more crazy expenditures.
Looks like the pork barrel is not yet dry.
He's been doing it for years. Sort of late to the party aren't you?
I think it' s going to be up to the TAXPAYERS to stop this bull....elect only those who will stop this asinine spending... elect those who are in favor of term limits...reduced pay and NO benefits....this is NOT supposed to be a career...just a temporary, voluntary "help" to our country.
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Although this waste is by no means insignificant,it runs billions upon billions deeper...grants to Police and Fire depts to buy new vehicles without need(my nearest town has 500 people with a brand new Charger and a brand new Durango fully outfitted with cams on out and 3 other vehicles with less than 100,000 miles on them..over $100,000.00 in a couple of years for just that one tiny little crap hole),millions upon millions spent on staff for politicians,redundant managers at every Fed agency,take home vehicles with supplied fuel for millions of govt employees and the list goes on and on and on...nobody seems to care because they are to worried about wedge issues like gay rights or abortion or food stamps.
