Another Crisis...It's Getting Old

Laughing at a Government that Can't Live Within Its Means

Like many of you, I've been following the news lately regarding the newest buzz word....SEQUESTER...

...which in layman's term are the cuts that will automatically take place in the next few days unless this latest "crisis" is solved.

The Las Vegas Sun's February 27, 2013 edition even spelled out the doom and gloom this represents to our very own Silver State.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/feb/26/automatic-federal-spending-cuts-could-hit-military/

The battle has begun....AGAIN... between Republicans and Democrats, and the latest is the release of undocumented criminals because....we can't afford to house and feed them.

Come on Mr. President, you're going to unleash criminals in the country ??? 

Oh, the frightening ramifications that face us all !

Sure....I believe that ! (he said sarcastically)

So, I jumped on the "google" machine and did a bit of homework about giving the president and congress a few ideas on WHAT to cut, rather than dooming us to all those criminals; and frankly, I couldn't believe what I uncovered in some of the ways our tax dollars are spent..

...and I would like these categorized for a new governmental agency called...

To our Congress and President, here are a few ways that you might "shave" a few bucks, rather than endangering the lives of the American people.

1. Every four years, the federal government spends $100 million to subsidize political party conventions...FOR EACH PARTY.

2. The Department of Agriculture spent $2 million to establish an intern program.  They hired ONE.

3. We're spending $2.6 million training Chinese prostitutes to drink more responsibly on the job.

4. Federal employees cost taxpayers $146 million each year when they upgrade to business class flights. 

Here are a few others I was able to uncover.

Federal Spending in 2012:

1. A reality TV show in India. The Department of Agriculture’s Market Access Program spends $200 million a year to help U.S. agricultural trade associations and cooperatives advertise their products in foreign markets. In 2011, it funded a reality TV show in India that advertised U.S. cotton.
2. Studying pig poop. The Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $141,450 grant under the Clean Air Act to fund a Chinese study on swine manure and a $1.2 million grant to the United Nations for clean fuel promotion.
3. Amtrak snacks. Federally subsidized Amtrak lost $84.5 million on its food and beverage services in 2011 and $833.8 million over the past 10 years. It has never broken even on these services.
4. Using military exercises to boost  biofuels. The U.S. Navy bought 450,000 gallons of biofuels for $12 million—or almost $27 per gallon—to conduct exercises to showcase the fuel and bring it closer toward commercialization. It is the largest biofuel purchase ever made by the government.
5. Conferences for government employees. In 2008 and 2009 alone, the Department of Justice spent $121 million to host or participate in 1,832 conferences.

Some additional expenses that might be saved in order to avoid those nasty criminals running amuck !

1. “ROBOSQUIRREL”.... $325,000 was spent on a robotic squirrel named “ RoboSquirrel.” This National Science Foundation grant was used to create a realistic-looking robotic squirrel for the purpose of studying how a rattlesnake would react to it.
2. Cupcakes. In Washington, D.C., and elsewhere across the country, cupcake shops are trending. The 10 cupcake shop owners who received $2 million in Small Business Administration loan guarantees.
3. Food stamps for alcohol and junk food. Though they were intended to ensure hungry children received healthy meals, taxpayer-funded food stamps were instead spent on fast food at Taco Bell and Burger King; on non-nutritious foods such as candy, ice cream, and soft drinks; and on some 2,000 deceased persons in New York and Massachusetts. Food stamp recipients spent $2 billion on sugary drinks alone. Improper SNAP payments accounted for $2.5 billion in waste, including to one exotic dancer who was making $85,000 per year.
4. Beer brewing in New Hampshire. Despite  Smuttynose Brewery’s financial success and popularity, it is still getting a $750,970 Community Development Block Grant to build a new brewery and restaurant facilities.
5. A covered bridge to nowhere. What list of government waste would be complete without a notorious “bridge to nowhere”? In this case, it’s $520,000 to fix the Stevenson Road Covered Bridge in Green County, Ohio, which was last used in 2003.

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OK, I did my part, anyone else have any others to add?

Dick Arendt