Wasting Money bothers me. I am appalled when I see others doing it. I am of the opinion that one can avoid this if they take the time and effort needed to search out an alternative. But I am actually a bit angered by it when I see my taxes paying for ridiculous things. Our government budget never seems to cut out any waste, they just seem to keep adding on crazy expenditures that are a waste of money.
And while I have a short list of a few of the wasteful ways below, I also think there are lots of valuable things our government does with their money — I just can’t think of one right now.
Last time I checked the US Debt Clock, we were over 15.7 trillion in debt. Their continuously updating site shows debt of each citizen at $50,090. So why don’t we cut some of the waste! My belief is that each representative wants as many dollars in his district/state as possible any way he can get them? Let’s face it – it creates jobs, keeps the economy going and the voters on his side….but ladies and gents, enough is enough!
These are some of the more ridiculous things our government wasted money on (in my opinion) in the past few years.
1) An Internet Dating Study – really? Somehow they needed to know how Americans use the internet to find love. I could have told them, Americans aren’t searching for actual “LOVE” , they use it for something else ….ahem. This is where I think they should mind their own business and just butt out. Cost $250,000.
2) Super Bowl Commercial no one really understood. The Census Bureau sponsored a Super Bowl Ad to the tune of $2.5 million that tanked because it was too ironic to actually be understood by most who watched it. Duh?
3) Replacing 36 Toilets in Alaska’s Denali National Park – 1.49 million dollars. They might have needed toilets, I know I’d like one in the if I had to go while at the National Park, but an outhouse with a roll o f TP would have filled my needs.
4) A pedestrian bridge 20 steps from an existing pedestrian bridge in Puget Sound $260,000. And next year they may build another, after all there might be more pedestrians who want to cross. I wonder who’s brother in law owns the company that builds those?
5) National Institute of Health spent $55,000 dollars to promote awareness of a vaccine that doesn’t exist.
6) Funding the creation of a video game to the tune of $600,000 – to be called WolfQuest.
7) They funded $120 million for federal retirement benefits to retirees — seems Ok on the surface, until you find out that those retirees are already dead. AND one retirees’ son collected his father check for 37 years until he also died. My fix… Spend 1 million to fund new employees to find these kind of system abusers and put the $119 million towards the debt.
8)How about the $3.4 million to create an underground turtle tunnel, or eco-passage, in Lake Jackson, Florida – Really! Were they endangered turtles or regular ones? This is money that could have been better spent feeding the hungry in America, but don’t get me started on that.
Is there never going to be an end to this. I remember when they used to call it pork belly spending. Spending by any name is spending. And we need to rein in government spending NOW!
Other Articles in the Waste Series:
Stopping Waste in Our Home Part 1 ~ Click here
Stopping Waste in Our Home Part 2 ~ Click here
Stop Wasting Your Money ~ Click here
All opinions in this post are 100% mine and have not been influenced by anyone.
Ugh, we pay over 30% of our income for this crap. Sigh!
This may not be a popular stance, but I think there’s waste everywhere. Even in my own household there’s waste. I buy lots of crap that I will never use. The numbers above look bad because the budget that they are working off of is so big. Yes it’s bad, but I’m pretty sure there will always be waste, and it happens everywhere.
I think the majority of government activity should be cut out – and transferred to private companies who know {well, usually, lol} how to run a successful business without wasting half their money.
The government is too big, has too much of an entitlement complex, and just can’t work efficiently. Sucks.
I am 100% in agreement with you! Business has a reason to look for ways to save money, the government doesn’t.
So much of this waste can be used for better purposes!
Agreed!
I don’t think this can be blamed on any one person…I think that as an entire country that we need to look at what each one of us can do to eliminate waste in our own lives, and pressure the government to do the same. Stick to their budgets as much as possible and all of that.
No way this is one persons fault… there is not one thing that can be changed without the majority of the Congress, Senate & President – thing is they aren’t truly working together for these changes. If anyone should point the finger of blame ~ our representatives should only point it at each other.
Good HEAVENS! This makes me sick to my stomach to read! The toilets in Denali are (in my humble opinion) much needed. That said, I am an Alaska native and keeping up with port-a-potties in a highly populated bear area is not really a wise idea. Outhouses perhaps? But then there’s the ongoing cost (and environmental impacts of) chemicals and lye. Yuck.
The rest? RIDICULOUS.
This is some ridiculous stuff that they are paying for to have that is not needed. I’m sure if these things would have come out of their pockets to pay for, they definitely would think twice in what they are putting their money into.
Yes, there is always waste in government. They have watchdog groups that monitor things like this but still it happens. So many needing in this country right now and they throw money away.
An interesting discussion is worth comment. I think that you should write more on this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but generally people are not enough to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers
WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..more plz..