Oh, the laughter never stops among those government bureaucrats who so enjoy spending your money. Here, compiled by the Republican Study Committee chaired by Mike Spence, are just a few of the recent examples.My guess is that you won't find them quite so funny.
* Congress appropriated $10 million in FY03 for the Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board (AFMB), a non-profit organization, which since its inception has received $30 million in federal funding. Out of its federal funds, the AFMB gave Alaska Airlines a $500,000 grant to paint a Boeing 737 to look like a Chinook salmon.
* As part of their Katrina relief efforts, FEMA distributed $2,000 debit cards to many of the hurricane victims. However, as a recent New York Daily News article outlines, two Katrina evacuees will now be able to carry around their government debit cards in a brand new, $800 Louis Vuitton handbag.
* Following September 11, 2001, Northern Virginia received $13.4 million in FEMA funds, which they were used to pay for gardens and “healing spaces”, peace and anger management workshops, and other therapeutic activities for post-9-11 mental health.
* The Public Broadcasting Service, (PBS), mixed taxpayer dollars with funding from the Playboy Foundation when they accepted a donation from the Foundation to help pay for a movie which they recently aired entitled “The Education of Shelby Knox.” The movie detailed the life of Shelby Knox, who had personally pledged abstinence until marriage, but becomes an advocate for teaching teens about contraception and condom use through sex education. As part of her advocacy, Shelby allies herself with a group of gay students who have been denied the right to form a gay-straight alliance in school.
* According to a U.S Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General the report, USDA employees have significantly abused the use of their government credit cards, which are intended to be used for purchases while on government travel. With the credit cards, employees purchased items such as Ozzy Osbourne concert tickets, an automobile, and tattoos, all paid for on taxpayer credit.
For more, click on the title of this post to go to the RSC web page. Once there, hit the link to "Examples of Government Waste." And then? Well, then you might want to write a letter to your congressman and ask once again for the privilige of keeping some more of your own money. Remind him that you obviously can be trusted to spend your dollars in better ways than he is.
