- December 15th, 2008, 7:12 pm
#218088
Senator Coburn released a report entitled 2008: Worst Waste of the Year today outlining the wasteful spending from Congress. He proposed the following 7 steps to reduce the problem.
1. Eliminate programs that do not work;
2. Eliminate or consolidate duplicative programs;
3. Eliminate earmarks;
4. Implement stronger transparency measures;
5. Conduct more congressional oversight;
6. End automatic budget increases for federal programs; and
7. Establish independent and enforceable performance measures for every program.
For those of you that will not the entire 49 page report (I did), I have included the highlights of $1,315,476,562 in spending from last year. You can read the details in the report.
Search for Outer Space Aliens - California ($9.4 million), Voicemail for the Homeless - Ohio ($15,000), Training Classes for Casino Workers - Kansas ($784,000), Inflatable Alligator and Under-theSea Waterslide - Texas ($367,000), Tennis Courts and Artificial Baseball Field Turf - New York ($1 million), Cleveland Botanical Garden Green Corps - Ohio ($517,000), Free-Bike Library - Colorado ($66,000), Bridging the Generational Gap with Nintendo Wii - Indiana ($3,905), Portraits of Cabinet Officers ($167,290), FCC-Sponsored NASCAR Events to Promote Digital Television Transition ($350,000), "George Washington Slept Here" Traveling Museum - New Jersey ($49,000), Senate Restaurants Post Huge Loss ($2 million), Scottsville Streetscaping Project - Virginia ($392,000), Constructing the Tampa Riverwalk - Florida ($294,000), Driving Tours and Exhibits for the America West Heritage Center - Utah ($200,000), Restoring Robert Frost Farm - New Hampshire ($205,800), "The check's in the mail" - IRS Mailings for Rebate Checks ($42 million), Remounting "World's Largest Mounted Fish" - New York ($135,000), Redecorating Train Station - New Jersey ($1.9 million), Search for Alaskan Ice Worms - New Jersey ($326,733), Medicare Overpayment for Name-Brand Drugs with Generic Alternatives ($6.5 million), 3-D Space Theater - Indiana ($2.4 million), Bike Path Along Baton Rouge Levees - Louisiana ($1 million), Microchips in Cactuses - Arizona ($???), St. Louis Zoo Bridge to Parking Lot - Missouri ($5 million), EPA Administrator Junket to Australia ($280,000), Revitalization in Cleveland - Ohio ($1.1 million), Visitor Center for National Fish Hatchery - Missouri ($2.8 million), Renovating Old Tiger Baseball Stadium - Detroit ($4 million), Studying American and Chinese Video Game Habits - California ($100,000), Military Funding Diverted to Tentmaker - New York ($1.6 million), Low-Income Student Program Used for Employee Bonuses - California ($3 million), Halloween Signs in Salem - Massachuseets ($50,000), National Drug Intelligence Center - Pennsylvania ($39 million), First Tee Golf Program - South Carolina ($3 million), Teen Club and Whitewater Rafting Trips - Florida ($651,500), Kanjorski Center Parking Garage - Pennsylvania ($5.6 million), B In Tune Youth Music Program - Washington, D.C. ($430,000), Field Trips for School Teachers - Illinois ($918,600), Captain John Smith Water Trail - Virginia ($446,500), Wattstar Theatre and Education Center - California ($294,000), 2010 Decennial Census Bailout - ($210 million), Airplane-Shaped Gas Station - Tennessee ($9,000), The Unwanted Sidewalk - Kentucky ($1 million), Specialty Potatoes for High-End Restaurants - Idaho ($298,068), Train Depot for "Birthplace of American Railroad" - Pennsylvania ($170,000), Mississippi River Flood Memorial Plaza - Illinois ($200,000), Feasibility_Study for Medical School that Will Not Be Built - Mississippi ($478,492), Billings Mustangs Minor League Baseball Stadium - Montana ($328,300), Unwanted Neon Bike Signs - New York ($148,773), Art Museum in Iraq ($13 million), Tibbits Opera House Facelift - Michigan ($500,000), Small Business Loans to Liquor Stores ($82 million), Statewide Barn Census - Vermont ($150,000), Powder to Protect Soldiers from Chemical Attack - Pennsylvania ($5.6 million), High Altitude Airship - Ohio ($3.2 million), Retractable Canopy for Haddad Riverfront Park - West Virginia ($2.4 million), Lobster Institute - Maine ($188,000), Wilson Skateboarding Park - California ($296,601), Fish and Mermaid Mural - Wisconsin ($6,000), Freewheel Midtown Bike Center Café and Bike Shower - Minnesota ($560,000), Congressional Junket to Galapagos Islands ($???), National Park Service 100-Year Birthday Party ($24.6 million), Weed and Seed Program - Department of Justice ($32 million), Transportation Enhancement Grants ($800 million),
Which item on the list is the most absurd?
1. Eliminate programs that do not work;
2. Eliminate or consolidate duplicative programs;
3. Eliminate earmarks;
4. Implement stronger transparency measures;
5. Conduct more congressional oversight;
6. End automatic budget increases for federal programs; and
7. Establish independent and enforceable performance measures for every program.
For those of you that will not the entire 49 page report (I did), I have included the highlights of $1,315,476,562 in spending from last year. You can read the details in the report.
Search for Outer Space Aliens - California ($9.4 million), Voicemail for the Homeless - Ohio ($15,000), Training Classes for Casino Workers - Kansas ($784,000), Inflatable Alligator and Under-theSea Waterslide - Texas ($367,000), Tennis Courts and Artificial Baseball Field Turf - New York ($1 million), Cleveland Botanical Garden Green Corps - Ohio ($517,000), Free-Bike Library - Colorado ($66,000), Bridging the Generational Gap with Nintendo Wii - Indiana ($3,905), Portraits of Cabinet Officers ($167,290), FCC-Sponsored NASCAR Events to Promote Digital Television Transition ($350,000), "George Washington Slept Here" Traveling Museum - New Jersey ($49,000), Senate Restaurants Post Huge Loss ($2 million), Scottsville Streetscaping Project - Virginia ($392,000), Constructing the Tampa Riverwalk - Florida ($294,000), Driving Tours and Exhibits for the America West Heritage Center - Utah ($200,000), Restoring Robert Frost Farm - New Hampshire ($205,800), "The check's in the mail" - IRS Mailings for Rebate Checks ($42 million), Remounting "World's Largest Mounted Fish" - New York ($135,000), Redecorating Train Station - New Jersey ($1.9 million), Search for Alaskan Ice Worms - New Jersey ($326,733), Medicare Overpayment for Name-Brand Drugs with Generic Alternatives ($6.5 million), 3-D Space Theater - Indiana ($2.4 million), Bike Path Along Baton Rouge Levees - Louisiana ($1 million), Microchips in Cactuses - Arizona ($???), St. Louis Zoo Bridge to Parking Lot - Missouri ($5 million), EPA Administrator Junket to Australia ($280,000), Revitalization in Cleveland - Ohio ($1.1 million), Visitor Center for National Fish Hatchery - Missouri ($2.8 million), Renovating Old Tiger Baseball Stadium - Detroit ($4 million), Studying American and Chinese Video Game Habits - California ($100,000), Military Funding Diverted to Tentmaker - New York ($1.6 million), Low-Income Student Program Used for Employee Bonuses - California ($3 million), Halloween Signs in Salem - Massachuseets ($50,000), National Drug Intelligence Center - Pennsylvania ($39 million), First Tee Golf Program - South Carolina ($3 million), Teen Club and Whitewater Rafting Trips - Florida ($651,500), Kanjorski Center Parking Garage - Pennsylvania ($5.6 million), B In Tune Youth Music Program - Washington, D.C. ($430,000), Field Trips for School Teachers - Illinois ($918,600), Captain John Smith Water Trail - Virginia ($446,500), Wattstar Theatre and Education Center - California ($294,000), 2010 Decennial Census Bailout - ($210 million), Airplane-Shaped Gas Station - Tennessee ($9,000), The Unwanted Sidewalk - Kentucky ($1 million), Specialty Potatoes for High-End Restaurants - Idaho ($298,068), Train Depot for "Birthplace of American Railroad" - Pennsylvania ($170,000), Mississippi River Flood Memorial Plaza - Illinois ($200,000), Feasibility_Study for Medical School that Will Not Be Built - Mississippi ($478,492), Billings Mustangs Minor League Baseball Stadium - Montana ($328,300), Unwanted Neon Bike Signs - New York ($148,773), Art Museum in Iraq ($13 million), Tibbits Opera House Facelift - Michigan ($500,000), Small Business Loans to Liquor Stores ($82 million), Statewide Barn Census - Vermont ($150,000), Powder to Protect Soldiers from Chemical Attack - Pennsylvania ($5.6 million), High Altitude Airship - Ohio ($3.2 million), Retractable Canopy for Haddad Riverfront Park - West Virginia ($2.4 million), Lobster Institute - Maine ($188,000), Wilson Skateboarding Park - California ($296,601), Fish and Mermaid Mural - Wisconsin ($6,000), Freewheel Midtown Bike Center Café and Bike Shower - Minnesota ($560,000), Congressional Junket to Galapagos Islands ($???), National Park Service 100-Year Birthday Party ($24.6 million), Weed and Seed Program - Department of Justice ($32 million), Transportation Enhancement Grants ($800 million),
Which item on the list is the most absurd?
- By PAmedic
- By Purple Haize