Your Economy (No Politics)

[mr40]

Wasteful Spending by the Obama administration - if would be funny if it wasn't our tax dollars.

OCTOBER 16, 2012

In 2011, the federal government wasted $115.3 billion of taxpayers’ money in improper payments: money paid in the wrong amount, to the wrong person, or for the wrong reason. Most of these excess payments—$107 billion, or 93 percent—were in just 10 programs, including Medicare fee-for-service ($28.8 billion), Medicaid ($21.9 billion), the Earned Income Tax Credit ($15.2 billion), and Unemployment Insurance ($13.7 billion).

Implementation of updated computer systems and fraud detection
methods and stricter documentation requirements would reduce
payment errors.

The Internal Revenue Service stored 22,486 items of unused furniture in a warehouse at an annual cost of $862,000.



The National Institutes of Health spent $387,000 to give Swedish massages to rabbits with a mechanical machine. Coburn notes that the NIH has a $30 billion annual budget and that the director of the NIH claims an Ebola vaccine would “probably” be ready now but for a lack of funding.

Nov 20, 2012
Over 100 Million for a Harbor and an Airport for Town with no Roads and 75 Full-Time Residents:
Remember Alaska's infamous bridge to nowhere?
Well, another town has upped the ante after building an unused $75.5 million airport and a $29 million harbor with no roads connecting to the town. And along with the missing road, the harbor is also currently lacking electricity, running water, and, well, boats.
The hope is that along with possessing "strategic importance," the harbor will be used by Trident Seafood's, the largest seafood processor in the Aleutians.
The inactive harbor now shares Akutan territory with the nearby airport. Residents are required to stake a six-mile hovercraft ride to reach the airstrip, which is located on a nearby island. However, there are no airlines currently serving the airport.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/alaskan-...03871.html

The 2nd Annual Hawaii Chocolate Festival: Nearly $50,000 in federal money was awarded in 2011 to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to help support the Hawaiian cacao industry and provide outreach during the 2nd annual Hawaiian Chocolate Festival. The 2012 Hawaii Chocolate Festival will highlight the culinary talents and products specifically linked to Hawaii‘s chocolate industry.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...5a5e194365

October 28, 2010
Tighten Controls on Federal Employee Credit Cards and Cut Down on Delinquencies:
A recent audit revealed that employees of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) diverted millions of dollars of taxpayer funds for personal purchases through their government-issued credit cards.
Sampling 300 employees' purchases over six months, investigators estimated that 15 percent abused their government credit cards at a cost of $5.8 million. Taxpayer-funded purchases included Ozzy Osbourne concert tickets, tattoos, lingerie, bartender school tuition, car payments, and cash advances."

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2010...ral-budget

OCTOBER 16, 2012
The Two Million Dollar Intern: The Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Chief Information Officer funded a $2 million intern program. Only one intern was hired full time as a result.

http://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/2012/pdf/SR121.pdf

July 5, 2012
Potato Chip Pork: The USDA awarded a nearly $50,000 Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) to help New York’s Martin Sidor Farms “revamp their marketing strategy to raise brand awareness and increase sales of their North Fork Potato Chips.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...22c7e1a40e

October 24, 2014
Vodka, Bourbon, and Brandy Paid for by Taxpayers: In spite of the robust demand for alcoholic beverages, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded a $99,000 grant to the new Clayton Distillery Company, a New York distillery in 2012. Using taxpayer money, owners plan to buy a copper still and stainless steel vodka column. The distillery believes the grant will cover two-thirds of the equipment cost.

Dead, Duplicate, and Disqualified Food Stamp Recipients: The USDA Inspector General found roughly 2,000 dead people are still receiving food stamps in New York and Massachusetts combined. Additionally, its investigation revealed 7,236 people in these states are receiving duplicate benefits, while 286 are on state lists that should exclude them from receiving food stamps. These unnecessary payments amount to $1.4 million every month.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...22c7e1a40e

October 24, 2014
Corporate Welfare for the World’s Largest Snack Food Maker: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Commerce are spending over $1.3 million to help the world’s largest snack food maker build a Greek yogurt factory in New York. Last year, PepsiCo Inc. earned net revenues of $66 billion. Looking to expand their earnings, the corporation is now teaming up with the German company Theo Müller Group to sell “premium yogurt products in the U.S.”

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...22c7e1a40e

Oct. 24, 2014
The Idaho Firearms and Accessories Manufacturers Association (IFAMA) Received Taxpayer Funds of $24,877 to Study the Economic Success of the Idaho Gun Industry: The group said it spent taxpayer money on what amounted to a gun show. IFAMA’s report intends to boost the perception of the industry by giving information on how many jobs it creates in the state. Yet in Idaho the firearms and accessories industry already supports thousands of jobs.
Over half of the states households own a firearm, well above the national average. Gun sales nationwide have increased in recent years. The industry produces over $4 billion in revenue annually.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...22c7e1a40e

October 24, 2014
Celebrity Chefs in Indonesia: Even though the connection between celebrity chefs and spurring economic growth is tenuous at best, the Washington State Fruit Commission received $100,000 in federal money for a Celebrity Chef Fruit Promotion Road Show in Indonesia. The event is designed to raise consumer awareness through promoting American grown fruit in cooking recipes and demonstrations done by Celebrity Chefs.

Oct. 24, 2014
Grants to Billion Dollar Tire Company: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded the Cooper Tire and Rubber Company nearly $7 million for the development of natural rubber tires using guayule. Guayule is a plant native to the American Southwest and Mexico, with a long history as a natural rubber alternative. Research, development and commercialization of guayule-derived natural rubbers have gone on for more than a century, including during World War II and again during the 1970s oil crises. A history making the grant particularly questionable.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...22c7e1a40e

Oct. 24, 2013
Beer Brewing Lessons in China:
In what should leave taxpayers hopping mad more than $111,000 in federal funds will pay for a delegation of hops and brewing experts to travel to China to conduct a series of classes for Chinese breweries.
In June 2012, the Hop Growers of America (HGA) plans to send a team consisting of three contractors, including a marketing firm with expertise in hops and beer brewing, a US brewing consultant, and a Chinese firm to recruit breweries and to translate to breweries in China. The goal is to target China‘s top 20 breweries and conduct a series of seminars on the benefits of brewing with U.S. hops. The group will make multiple trips to China to conduct the seminars

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...5a5e194365

$181,966 Creating a Smart Phone App for Picking Tennessee Farmers: Yes, there‘s an app for that. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture received $181,966 in taxpayer dollars to create an app for smart phones and tablets to help connect consumers with specialty crop producers. The marketing campaign is designed to help further its "Pick Tennessee Products" campaign and to help consumers find farmers through an online specialty crop directory. The program is aimed squarely at Tennessee residents in the hope they will shop locally at Tennessee farms.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...5a5e194365

$55,000 Federal Grant Pays to Package Grass-fed Cow Butter: Kriemhild Dairy Farms was awarded over $55,000 to purchase and install a new butter packing machine, allowing it to begin offering 8-ounce packages of their Meadow Butter made from the milk of their grass-fed cows. Previously Kriemhild had only offered 2 to 10 pound packages, so the new butter filler machine will allow them to begin selling more of their product to individuals. The farm has received a similar 2010 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to complete a business plan for Meadow Butter, a grass-based butter product, and to pay for packaging and a logo.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...5a5e194365

Online Soap Operas: The Department of Commerce awarded $28.5 million to One Economy Corp. to generate broadband adoption in under-served communities. One of the projects funded by One Economy Corp was to create a web-based television series, Diary of a Single Mom.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...5a5e194365

2009
Biofuel, Only $424 a Gallon: The Pentagon paid Solarzyme Inc. $8.5 in 2009 for 20,055 gallons of biofuel based on algae oil or $424 a gallon.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/02/us-...6X20120702

Going green for $27 a gallon: The Pentagon paid $12 million for 450,000 gallons of biofuel, in order to show off its new "Green Fleet". However at nearly $27 dollars a gallon the fleet probably won't be getting very far.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/02/us-...6X20120702

Over One Billion in Energy Tax Credits for Prisoners and Children: As much as $1 billion or more in tax credits for energy efficient residential improvements are being claimed by individuals with no record of owning a home, including prisoners and underage children.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...5a5e194365

Taxpayer Funded House of Pancakes: Almost $800,000 of federal taxpayer funds went to subsidize pancakes in the nation‘s capital. An International House of Pancakes (IHOP) franchise was built with financial assistance courtesy of Uncle Sam. It was intended to help an underserved community however the new IHOP is not located in an "underserved community" but in the popular Columbia Heights neighborhood.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...5a5e194365

A 45 Million Dollar Camera Surveillance System Codenamed "Project Shield" Failed Because it wasn't Built to Withstand Chicago's Harsh Weather: The $45-million Cook County Homeland Security initiative was supposed to make residents feel safe, but in the end, the troubled Project Shield resembled more of a disaster.
The Cook County initiative was replete with equipment that failed to work because of weather conditions, missing equipment records and untrained first responders, according to a report by the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-01-10...d-security

$285,933 Town of 23,000 Receives Tank to Patrol Annual Pumpkin Festival: Keene, New Hampshire, with a population just over 23,000 and a police force of 40, set aside UASI funds to buy a BearCat armored vehicle. Despite reporting only a single homicide in the prior two years, the City of Keene told DHS the vehicle was needed to patrol events like its annual pumpkin festival.

http://www.washingtonguardian.com/homelands-urban-follies-0

$484,000 Taxpayer Funds to Build a "Mellow Mushroom" Pizza Restaurant: A private developer received nearly half a million dollars in federal funds to build Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers, a nationwide pizza chain, in Arlington, Texas.
Reports indicate the project will cost approximately $1.3 million, with $484,000 in federal funding came from the Community Development Block Grant program at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...5a5e194365

$750,970 Taxpayer Funds for Smuttynose Brewery: A New Hampshire brewery, Smuttynose, will use $750,970 in federal funds from the Community Block Grant to construct a new brewery and restaurant on farmland outside of Portsmouth. The taxpayer money will help the brewery purchase three brew tanks and install sewer connections to its 42,000-square-foot facility.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...22c7e1a40e

$505,000 Pet Shampoo Company Fetches more than Half a Million Dollars: Nebraska steered $505,000 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to Sergeant’s Pet Care Products, Inc., which specializes in pet shampoo and toothpaste. The company spent $500,000 for capital improvements, including machinery to manufacture the pet toothpaste and shampoo and about $5,000 for administrative costs.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...22c7e1a40e

The Labor Department spent $495,000 in stimulus money on 100 television commercials to advertise the Obama Administration’s Jobs Corps Initiative for green jobs.

http://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/2012/pdf/SR121.pdf

$20,000,000 Millionaires Receiving Millions in Unemployment Benefits: There were 2,362 people who earned a million dollars or more in taxable income in 2009 and who also received federal unemployment benefits that year, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service. In fact, these millionaires collectively raked in more than $20 million in unemployment benefits.

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/2362-milliona...t-benefits

State Department sends American Comedy Tour to India: The Department of State paid for an American comedy group to make a seven-city tour across India called “Make Chai, Not War.” The full cost to taxpayers was $100,000.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...22c7e1a40e

Over 700 million dollars to Repair Mosques and other Religious Buildings in Foreign Countires: Part of a program to improve relations with foreign nations the U.S. State Department has spent over three quarters of a billion dollars repairing historical buildings in other countries.

http://www.factcheck.org/2011/03/funding-mosques-overseas/

$150,000 Oklahoma Keeps Unused Airport Open to Collect Federal Checks: The airport averages just one flight per month, has no planes based there, and is situated mere miles from two more heavily used airports.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...22c7e1a40e

$142,419 Free Bus Rides for Super Bowl Attendees: Indianapolis received a $142,419 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to offer free rides on several bus routes for four days surrounding the event, including game day. Full fare for the service typically costs $1.75 per ride

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...22c7e1a40e

Another Bridge to Nowhere: More than ten percent of the bridges in Dayton, Ohio, are deficient and as many as 13 cars drive over one of Dayton’s 184 deficient bridges every second.
Yet, mere miles away from the city, the federal government is spending $520,000 to restore an unused bridge that is not even connected to a road or trail.
Controversy surrounds accepting the federal money because the bridge is not on a road, is in a fairly remote area, doesn’t carry vehicles anymore, and isn’t tied to any park, tourist attraction or walk/bike trail. On one side of the bridge, No Trespassing signs warn people to stay away. The amount being spent to rehabilitate this unused bridge in Xenia Township, Ohio, actually exceeds the township’s entire annual roads budget.

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm...22c7e1a40e

Taxpayers funded a National Institutes of Health study costing $55,382 in 2011, and $170,000 over three years, to study the hookah-smoking habits of Jordanian university students.

http://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/2012/pdf/SR121.pdf

$1,000,000 for an EPA Geographic Program on Lake Champlain: Since FY 2001, there have been 11 earmarks worth a total of $5.8 million for projects on Lake Champlain, including a $650,000 trail construction project.

http://www.cagw.org/reports/pig-book/2012/2012-pig-book.pdf

There's lots more but you get the picture of Obama administration wasteful spending!