We all know that our government is not the most efficient entity on the planet. In fact, it sets the classic example on how to waste money without even trying.
Recently, there was an article that I read written by Emily Goff who is a researcher at The Heritage Foundation. She entitled her article, “10 ways the federal government has wasted your money”. Her ten are good examples but I added an 11th that takes the cake.
We know that our politicians negotiate over how much to spend on government operations or the government’s borrowing limit. We always hear that there is absolutely no room to cut federal spending.
Let’s see – millions were spent on the Bridge to Nowhere. Then, competing with the “Theater of the Absurd”, the federal government spent millions of dollars promoting the eating of caviar. Who in their right mind would even consider eating Russian fish eggs? Ugh!
Despite the government wasting our tax dollars like that, it doesn’t even come close to the following:
>> In 2010, the IRS (Incredible Retard Service) spent $4.1 million on a conference for over 2,600 employees who received payoffs worth $64,000 in free meals, cocktails, and hotel suite upgrades what to speak of the $50,000 spent on line-dancing.
>> Our beloved government spends $800,000 a year just to keep almost 14,000 empty bank accounts open. That breaks down to roughly $65 per year, per account.
>> The National Science Foundation spent $500,000 on developing a video game that simulates a high school prom. I guess that will make it so that kids that do not attend a prom can just make believe in the comfort of their homes.
>>While a good wine or a painting done by a renowned and past away artist will increase in value over time, unused TSA equipment does not. The TSA left 5,700 pieces of security equipment, such as baggage screening machines, sitting idle in a warehouse for months, and in some cases, years to the tune of $3.5 million a year to lease and manage the facility.
>>Even though the TSA spends $1.8 million a year to lease 440,000 square feet of storage space in three warehouses in Texas, it left 72,074 square feet unused. That’s more square footage than a football field.
>>Oh yeah, the amount spent to encourage caviar consumption in 2012 was $300,000. I wonder what it cost to clean up the diarrhea?
>>Amtrak, the federally subsidized passenger rail service, only earned 44 cents on the dollar for the food and beverages it offers on long-distance routes. Those routes are also money losers, which poses an interesting question: would McDonald’s or Starbucks sustain such losses and stay in business?
>>Poor oversight resulted in 1,000 prisoners in Pennsylvania collecting weekly unemployment benefits over a four-month period to the tune of $7 million.
>>The Department of Health and Human Services awarded $340 million in loans to Freelancer’s Insurance Co. to establish health care co-ops. Regulators ranked the company dead last among New York’s insurance companies.
>>The Office of Navel Research spent $450,00 on a study that concluded that unintelligent robots cannot keep a baby’s attention. Why couldn’t they put that money toward sustaining current defense capabilities and modernizing the military?
Compared to the country’s $16.7 trillion debt, these waste examples may seem like petty cash. But cutting waste would build momentum for reforming Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, which are programs that make up the lion’s share of the federal budget and drive the nation’s spending.
Take a look at the Washington politicians. They do not contribute to social security, they receive free medical care after retirement, their retirement pay is at least $250,000 a year, and the live happily ever after. Imagine the savings to us and the country if they, like the rest of us, collected social security when they were done with politics, collected what they contributed to a pension plan, and had to enroll with Medicare and Medicaid?
In a government of, for, and by the people, when politicians are elected to serve, it is still a job. Why can’t it be treated as such?
In the months ahead, these “hookers’ will have multiple opportunities to debate over government spending as to whether increase or decrease government spending and have the opportunity to scale back government spending on both small and big-ticket items.
Inaction would only mean that more debt would be piled onto the shoulders of our kids and grandkids.
Isn’t it about time for them to get their s**t together, pass on the lip service, and give up on the same ol’ tired excuses?
I can’t resist adding this classic: In Hawaii we thought we got rid of shithole of a Governor, Neil Abercrombie, who served for years as one of our Representatives (ha ha ha) in Washington. He did nothing in Washington and even less in Hawaii and was booted out after serving one term. He was the first guy in Hawaii’s history to get the bounce after one term.
Enter David Ige (pronounced e gay), the mild-mannered reporter from the Daily Planet.
He was a Hawaii State Representative for eons. Soft spoken, unassuming, and as close to Jimmy Dolittle as you can get. It turns out that three of the people Jimmy picked to head major state agencies were registered lobbyists for companies, organizations or clients whose interests likely will intersect with the departments they were nominated to oversee.
Sometimes payback can be a real bitch!
Aloha!
About Hesh:
I have been doing a radio show in Honolulu since 1981 called “Health Talk”. To listen to the show please tune into 1080 or 108 am or go to www.kwai1080am.com on your computer at 8am Hawaii time. FYI, 8 am Hawaii time is 10 am on the West coast and 2 pm on the East coast. To call in, the number is (808) 524-1080.
Now, American Voice Radio will be picking up my streamed show and playing it all week until the next one takes place. To listen, go to americanvoiceradio.com and click on my link at AVR 2. Starting in December I will be doing another radio show on AVR at 9:00 am Hawaii time on Thursday mornings. Just go to the website, click on AVR 1, and listen live or tune in later and listen via the archive to Health Talk with Hesh. My shows are also on Utube under Hesh Goldstein with Hawaiiana scenery photos as a slide show.
See you on the radio!
In 2007, I was “forced” to get a masters degree in Nutrition to stop all the doctors from calling in asking what my credentials were. Besides that, they never liked it when I asked them what their credentials were that would enable them to treat an illness without drugs or surgery.
If you go to www.healthtalkhawaii.com and click on Podcasts and Articles, there are years of shows there as well as hundreds of health related articles that are completely free to listen to and read.
I am an activist. I am vehemently opposed to GMOs, vaccines, processed foods, MSG, aspartame, fluoridation, and everything else that the “pimps” (big pHarma, Monsanto, and the large food companies), and the “hookers” (the doctors, the government agencies, the Public Health officials, and the mainstream media) thrust upon us, the “tricks”.
At 75, I am in 3 softball leagues, racewalk, do stand-up paddling, hike, swim, do weights and cardio, and teach women’s self-defense classes based upon 20 years of Wing Chun training. I have been a vegetarian since 1975 and a vegan since 1990, have no illnesses and take no meds.
After being vaccinated with the DTP vaccine as a child, I developed asthma, which plagued me until 2008 when I learned about and started taking the organic sulfur crystals. My asthma was reversed in 3 days and has not come back.
So far, 26 cases of autism that we know about have been reversed, as has cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, asthma, osteoarthritis, joint pain, gingivitis, and erectile dysfunction. The sulfur has increased sexual activity, eliminated toxins, heavy metals, radiation, and parasites. It speeds up athletic recovery time, increases blood circulation, reduces inflammation, increases resistance to the “flu”, reduces wrinkles, allergies, PMS, monthly period pain, migraines, nausea, lowering high blood pressure, raising low blood pressure and way more, because the oxygen that the sulfur releases floods and heals the cells in the body.
The sulfur, as proven by the University of Southampton in England, enables the body to produce vitamin B12 and the essential amino acids.
You can find out more about this on my website under Products.
My book, “A Sane Diet For An Insane World”, which has been published, can be viewed and purchased at www.asanediet.com. The book clearly explains why what you eat, for the most part, is designed to keep you in a state of declining health.
I have recently discovered two amazing super foods – Zeal and Shakeology – Zeal contains 30 amazing probiotics, anti-oxidents and more, all designed to build and strengthen the immune system and Shakeology contains 42. What’s great about Shakeology is that it is filling, replaces one meal and keeps you full for hours and helps with weight control and loss. For more info about Shakeology please email me or go to www.beachbodycoach.com/heshgoldstein. The good news about Shakeology is if you are not satisfied after 30 days the company will refund you.
And now I have come across an amazing bee pollen that is so soft it melts in your mouth and has so many benefits. It is rich in vitamin B12 and all B vitamins, proteins, minerals, beneficial fatty acids, carotenoids, bioflavenoids, antioxidants, antihistamines, enzymes, antibiotics, and natural phenylalanine, which acts as an appetite suppressant, and more.
My daily regimen consists of one teaspoon of the crystals twice a day, one scoop of the Zeal in cold water, one packet of Shakeology either in 8 to 12 ounces of water or added to my smoothie and a heaping tablespoon of bee pollen.
For more about Shakeology please go to www.beachbodycoach.com/heshgoldstein.
Hesh Goldstein, MSNutri
“Health Talk” Moderator, K-108 Radio
POB 240783, Honolulu, Hi 96824
(808) 258-1177
www.healthtalkhawaii.com
www.asanediet.com
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