I'm sure a lot of people already feel this way, but I just have to say that something is seriously wrong with the way our government keeps screwing things up and squandering taxpayer funds.
On the one hand, some of the things that really matter to Americans, like a first-class education and quality health care coverage, have either become less and less available or more and more expensive, in large measure, it seems, because of ill-conceived government policies and spending decisions.
Meanwhile, we are blowing through extraordinary sums of money on reckless adventures in the Middle East that were started for the wrong reasons and which have brought about all sorts of unwelcome and unintended consequences (e.g., wasn't the invasion of Iraq supposed to enhance the United States' standing in the region?).
In "US war spending 'out of control,'" Agence France-Presse details what a financial mess this tragic fiasco has become.
The Pentagon's internal watchdog office has warned in a report to Congress made public that its auditors are unable to keep pace with a ballooning US defense budget.
The rapid growth of the defense budget to more than $US600 billion ($626 billion) "leaves the department increasingly more vulnerable to fraud, waste, and abuse," the Pentagon's Office of the Inspector General said.
The March 2008 report said the office's ability to adequately cover high risk areas and defense priorities "has become strained due to the fact that our staffing levels have remained nearly constant".
"Furthermore, the demand for IG services to support the GWOT (global war on terrorism) and the ongoing operations in Southwest Asia has forced us to readjust priorities," it said.
The result has been "gaps in coverage in important areas, such as major weapons systems acquisition, health care fraud, product substitution, and defense intelligence agencies".
The agency said that to expand its work force it needed $25 million more in funding in 2009 than the $247 million requested by the administration.
The report was made public by the Project on Government Oversight, a private non-profit group dedicated to exposing waste and corruption in government.
Nick Schwellenbach, the group's national security investigator, said, "it's stunning that we've been spending so much for so long with so little oversight".
Whereas in 1997 there was one auditor for each $642 million in Pentagon contracts, in 2007 the ratio was one auditor for each $2.03 billion in contracts, according to the report.
It said $152 billion in money spent on weapons acquisitions in 2007 received insufficient audit coverage.
I wonder when the Chinese are going to stop funding our wars? What will we do then? Surely no American is willing to pay any additional taxes for them...
Posted by: ArtE | May 30, 2008 at 01:34 AM
I do wonder whether governments would be less reckless if their overspend had to come out of their own salary!
Posted by: Turn One Pound Into One Million | May 30, 2008 at 07:00 AM
When economic prospects are at their brightest,the dangers of complacency and recklessness are greatest, Chairman Bill Martin 1965.
Economic crisis always explode at the peak of prosperity,Karl Marx 18??
Posted by: roger | May 30, 2008 at 10:33 AM
Why would our politicians want to deal with problems like runaway government spending when it is so easy to distract the public with issues such as gay marriage? The recent bankruptcy filing by the City of Vallejo, CA is only the tip of the iceberg. The Federal government is being propped up by foreign central banks, but eventually even the central bank of China will not want to throw more good money after bad.
Posted by: Rocky | May 31, 2008 at 10:12 AM
Well the money must just be going directly to Blackwater, KBR, et. al. Cause it sure ain't goin' to the troops. My buddy's unit is scheduled to return to Iraq in a few weeks and they could get funding for plane tickets from NJ to their departure point in Texas so they are having to rent a bus. Next thing you know they will be asking the troops to chip in for transport and body armour. What a friggin' disgrace
Posted by: Dumpster | June 01, 2008 at 01:00 PM
...oops....meant to say "they couldn't get funding"
Posted by: Dumpster | June 01, 2008 at 01:01 PM
Noticed in the news this week that supposedly the manufacturing numbers have shown an increase in production (although in the list of top stories this was in, two stories down spoke of Ford closing three plants...), and I wondered: Is the real reason Congress won't perform it's mandate of de-funding the reckless invasions and occupations the voters placed them in office for, is because domestic weapon manufacturing is about the only heavy manufacturing showing sustainable orders????
Just a W.O.G......
Posted by: farang | June 05, 2008 at 10:06 AM