More of your tax dollars at work...

joe biden is a scumbag or more of your tax dollars at work...

This is great. joe biden is charging US, the TAXPAYERS, $2200 dollars a month for HIS protection! WTF? Seriously, this is bullshit. What are they protecting him for anyway? Except for those of us that pay attention to the stupid things that come out of his mouth, most of this Country doesn't even know who he is.

This is wrong. Another example of government waste, fraud and abuse. The worst part about it is that it is being perpetrated on us by the vice president. This is a guy who seriously has no regard for this Nation or the tax payers.

From FoxNews

In between keeping Vice President Biden and his family safe, the Secret Service is also cutting him a rent check every month.

The Secret Service pays the vice president $2,200 per month to rent a cottage next to his waterfront home outside Wilmington, Del., FoxNews.com has confirmed.

The Washington Times first reported that Biden has raked in more than $13,000 since April from the agency tasked with protecting him, and under the terms of their contract could make up to $66,000 by the end of 2013.

Though taxpayer watchdogs questioned the arrangement, it may be a matter of convenience.

"Having our command post in close proximity to the vice president's residence affords us a level of security that we wouldn't have otherwise," Service spokesman Edwin Donovan told FoxNews.com.

Biden's mother used to live at the cottage before she died in early 2010. According to the Times, Secret Service agents assigned to Biden had previously been renting properties in the area, but a year later the Service approached him about renting the cottage instead.

While the arrangement is rare, Secret Service agents apparently rented property from the Clintons in Chappaqua, N.Y., a decade ago -- however, the Clintons reportedly declined to accept payment from the Secret Service at the time.

Your tax dollars at work...

I have no words... If this was an isolated case it might be different.

Government waste, fraud and abuse...

Here are 50 examples of government waste, fraud and abuse. If at least one of these doesn't piss you off, check your pulse, you may be dead.

While the numbers represented here aren't TRILLIONS of dollars, it is BILLIONS. And this is just one set of examples. You can bet this is only a drop in the bucket. Our lawmakers act as if balancing the budget is an impossible feat. This list would be a hell of a good start. But looking down this list, it's pretty easy to tell that the people in washington don't give a flying fuck about where the money comes from. They don't care at all abotu the tax payers in this Country. The blatant theft and just total disregard for any fiscal discipline is disgusting.

I've highlighted a few of the ones that REALLY make my blood boil.

I found this list at The Heritage Foundation website...

1. The federal government made at least $72 billion in improper payments in 2008.

2. Washington spends $92 billion on corporate welfare (excluding TARP) versus $71 billion on homeland security.

3. Washington spends $25 billion annually maintaining unused or vacant federal properties.

4. Government auditors spent the past five years examining all federal programs and found that 22 percent of them–costing taxpayers a total of $123 billion annually–fail to show any positive impact on the populations they serve.

5. The Congressional Budget Office published a “Budget Options” series identifying more than $100 billion in potential spending cuts.

6. Examples from multiple Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports of wasteful duplication include 342 economic development programs; 130 programs serving the disabled; 130 programs serving at-risk youth; 90 early childhood development programs; 75 programs funding international education, cultural, and training exchange activities; and 72 safe water programs.

7. Washington will spend $2.6 million training Chinese prostitutes to drink more responsibly on the job.

8. A GAO audit classified nearly half of all purchases on government credit cards as improper, fraudulent, or embezzled. Examples of taxpayer-funded purchases include gambling, mortgage payments, liquor, lingerie, iPods, Xboxes, jewelry, Internet dating services, and Hawaiian vacations. In one extraordinary example, the Postal Service spent $13,500 on one dinner at a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, including “over 200 appetizers and over $3,000 of alcohol, including more than 40 bottles of wine costing more than $50 each and brand-name liquor such as Courvoisier, Belvedere and Johnny Walker Gold.” The 81 guests consumed an average of $167 worth of food and drink apiece.

9. Federal agencies are delinquent on nearly 20 percent of employee travel charge cards, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

10. The Securities and Exchange Commission spent $3.9 million rearranging desks and offices at its Washington, D.C., headquarters.

11. The Pentagon recently spent $998,798 shipping two 19-cent washers from South Carolina to Texas and $293,451 sending an 89-cent washer from South Carolina to Florida.

12. Over half of all farm subsidies go to commercial farms, which report average household incomes of $200,000.

13. Health care fraud is estimated to cost taxpayers more than $60 billion annually.

14. A GAO audit found that 95 Pentagon weapons systems suffered from a combined $295 billion in cost overruns.

15. The refusal of many federal employees to fly coach costs taxpayers $146 million annually in flight upgrades.

16. Washington will spend $126 million in 2009 to enhance the Kennedy family legacy in Massachusetts. Additionally, Senator John Kerry (D-MA) diverted $20 million from the 2010 defense budget to subsidize a new Edward M. Kennedy Institute.

17. Federal investigators have launched more than 20 criminal fraud investigations related to the TARP financial bailout.

18. Despite trillion-dollar deficits, last year’s 10,160 earmarks included $200,000 for a tattoo removal program in Mission Hills, California; $190,000 for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming; and $75,000 for the Totally Teen Zone in Albany, Georgia.

19. The federal government owns more than 50,000 vacant homes.

20. The Federal Communications Commission spent $350,000 to sponsor NASCAR driver David Gilliland.

21. Members of Congress have spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars supplying their offices with popcorn machines, plasma televisions, DVD equipment, ionic air fresheners, camcorders, and signature machines–plus $24,730 leasing a Lexus, $1,434 on a digital camera, and $84,000 on personalized calendars.

22. More than $13 billion in Iraq aid has been classified as wasted or stolen. Another $7.8 billion cannot be accounted for.

23. Fraud related to Hurricane Katrina spending is estimated to top $2 billion. In addition, debit cards provided to hurricane victims were used to pay for Caribbean vacations, NFL tickets, Dom Perignon champagne, “Girls Gone Wild” videos, and at least one sex change operation.

24. Auditors discovered that 900,000 of the 2.5 million recipients of emergency Katrina assistance provided false names, addresses, or Social Security numbers or submitted multiple applications.

25. Congress recently gave Alaska Airlines $500,000 to paint a Chinook salmon on a Boeing 737.

26. The Transportation Department will subsidize up to $2,000 per flight for direct flights between Washington, D.C., and the small hometown of Congressman Hal Rogers (R-KY)–but only on Monday mornings and Friday evenings, when lawmakers, staff, and lobbyists usually fly. Rogers is a member of the Appropriations Committee, which writes the Transportation Department’s budget.

27. Washington has spent $3 billion re-sanding beaches–even as this new sand washes back into the ocean.

28. A Department of Agriculture report concedes that much of the $2.5 billion in “stimulus” funding for broadband Internet will be wasted.

29. The Defense Department wasted $100 million on unused flight tickets and never bothered to collect refunds even though the tickets were refundable.

30. Washington spends $60,000 per hour shooting Air Force One photo-ops in front of national landmarks.

31. Over one recent 18-month period, Air Force and Navy personnel used government-funded credit cards to charge at least $102,400 on admission to entertainment events, $48,250 on gambling, $69,300 on cruises, and $73,950 on exotic dance clubs and prostitutes.

32. Members of Congress are set to pay themselves $90 million to increase their franked mailings for the 2010 election year.

33. Congress has ignored efficiency recommendations from the Department of Health and Human Services that would save $9 billion annually.

34. Taxpayers are funding paintings of high-ranking government officials at a cost of up to $50,000 apiece.

35. The state of Washington sent $1 food stamp checks to 250,000 households in order to raise state caseload figures and trigger $43 million in additional federal funds.

36. Suburban families are receiving large farm subsidies for the grass in their backyards–subsidies that many of these families never requested and do not want.

37. Congress appropriated $20 million for “commemoration of success” celebrations related to Iraq and Afghanistan.

38. Homeland Security employee purchases include 63-inch plasma TVs, iPods, and $230 for a beer brewing kit.

39. Two drafting errors in the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act resulted in a $2 billion taxpayer cost.

40. North Ridgeville, Ohio, received $800,000 in “stimulus” funds for a project that its mayor described as “a long way from the top priority.”

41. The National Institutes of Health spends $1.3 million per month to rent a lab that it cannot use.

42. Congress recently spent $2.4 billion on 10 new jets that the Pentagon insists it does not need and will not use.

43. Lawmakers diverted $13 million from Hurricane Katrina relief spending to build a museum celebrating the Army Corps of Engineers–the agency partially responsible for the failed levees that flooded New Orleans.

44. Medicare officials recently mailed $50 million in erroneous refunds to 230,000 Medicare recipients.

45. Audits showed $34 billion worth of Department of Homeland Security contracts contained significant waste, fraud, and abuse.

46. Washington recently spent $1.8 million to help build a private golf course in Atlanta, Georgia.

47. The Advanced Technology Program spends $150 million annually subsidizing private businesses; 40 percent of this funding goes to Fortune 500 companies.

48. Congressional investigators were able to receive $55,000 in federal student loan funding for a fictional college they created to test the Department of Education.

49. The Conservation Reserve program pays farmers $2 billion annually not to farm their land.

50. The Commerce Department has lost 1,137 computers since 2001, many containing Americans’ personal data.

Your tax dollars at work...

Read the headline below...

NIH-Backed Study Examined Effects of Penis Size in Gay Community

There is an article over at FoxNews that talks about how our tax dollars were used to study the size of gay men's penis's and how it affects their sex life. This has really got to fall into the WTF category. Who exactly is this study for? Did the national institutes of health really think this was a study that should be funded by taxpayers? Don't you think this is information that fags already have? And who the hell else cares?

Shit like this is exactly what put our Country into borderline bankruptcy. The people that we entrust to spend our money wisely DO NOT GIVE A FLYING FUCK. They will spend our money on the most idiotic things and then wonder where it all went.

Imagine a 10 year old with a credit card. Take his little ass to the mall first thing in the morning and before lunch he will have charged up ten thousand dollars worth of nintendo games, bubble gum and rap cd's. This is our government, a ten year old with OUR credit card.

If you want to read the article,  here it is.

President obama Doesn't Know the First Thing About Economics

Isn't this what I have been saying for almost 2 and a half years? The democrat method for getting more money to spend is to increase taxes. While there are BILLIONS of dollars in waste in our government, raising taxes requires no research or due diligence, it's a simple stroke of the pen.

With redundant and wasteful programs by the hundreds, you would think that the very first thing our government would do is ensure that the money they are already spending is being done so wisely. That is never the plan, ever. That's why there are so many ways OUR money is being wasted.

obama has no clue. Every time he opens his mouth concerning the economy the stock market tanks and a company lays off a thousand people. At this point, it would be better if he just didn't say anything. obama doesn't even understand the most basic pieces of our economy. If he doesn't realize that by now, someone should tell him. And if his advisors have tried that, maybe something a little stronger is in order.

It's been painful to watch what has happened to our Country of the past couple of years. And there are no signs that it will get better any time soon...

By Iain Murray - FoxNews

As the Oscar buzz surrounding actress Meryl Streep keeps growing -- thanks to her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher, it’s worth remembering one of the real Iron Lady’s most famous observations: that any housewife could manage the British economy.

President Obama should heed that advice, and realize that economy begins at home. Unfortunately, his recent statements on the economy give little reason for hope on that front.

The president’s press conference on Monday epitomized the “do something” nature of his administration. He wants to do something about … well, everything—from getting more kids into college to fighting global warming (although the latter is less evident these days, at least in public). The trouble is that he thinks he needs more and more of our money to do it, so he wants any budget deal to include tax rises.

Let’s take the example of college education grants, which the president suggested should be funded by an increase in taxes on millionaires like himself. The president’s budget request for 2012 contains an allocation of $36 billion for increased Pell grants for students from poor backgrounds to attend college. That’s out of an entire federal budget request of $3.7 trillion, which makes Pell grant expenditure just 1 percent of the total.

Looking at that from the viewpoint of Mrs. Thatcher’s proverbial housewife, we can compare it to the median household income of about $46,000, which, after taxes, is about $3,000 a month.

The size of the problem that President Obama singles out as requiring tax increases is equivalent to a household budget shortfall of $30 a month. A competent economic manager should be able to deal with that sort of problem by tightening his or her belt elsewhere. The president’s seeming incapability to contemplate this demonstrates just how out of control the federal spending machine is.

Potential budget savings abound. The Heritage Foundation has identified about 90 programs that can be reduced or eliminated entirely at a savings of $343 billion annually. If the president were to agree to half of these, he could keep his Pell grant increases and still reduce discretionary spending by about $170 billion, no tax increase needed.

When it comes to his justification for tax increases, the president’s ignorance of basic economics shows through even more.

He has suggested that tax increases would stop him personally from keeping hundreds of thousands of dollars that he doesn’t need. So now we know what the president does with his book money – he throws it on a pile, like Tolkien’s dragon Smaug.

However, that’s not what wealth creators do. They either spend that “excess” money, providing jobs for people who make or import the things they spend it on, or invest it, thereby creating more jobs and more wealth which they can reinvest.

The obstacle in this virtuous circle is government’s intervention, which either makes the investment unviable owing to too much regulation, or takes away the profit through taxation, which is what Obama seems to want more of.

The president’s “do something” government is grossly exacerbating the great jobless recovery he laments. Sixty-four percent of small businesses will not hire any new employees over the next year, while 79 percent state that taxation, regulation, and legislation make it harder for them to hire more employees, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Read the rest at the link above...

$1.15 Billion Going to Whom? Investigate 'Fraud-Plagued' Settlement With Black Farmers, Congressman Says

If there was a way to stop all of the fraud and abuse in our government, we wouldn't have a budget problem in this Country. It doesn't seem like very many people are interested in addressing the misuse of tax dollars. Steve King seems willing to take it on.

The pigford case is a prime example of how abuse of our system costs tax payers BILLIONS of dollars. How is it, exactly, that there were 33,000 black farmers in the period of time in question, yet there are over 94,000 claims for damages? If the number of claimants were 35,000 or even 38,000 one could imagine errors in the record keeping. But nearly three times the number? And 78 republicans don't see a need to put this on hold while an investigation takes place?

Here is some history and a little more on the case. The federal government steals our tax dollars for their own use and we are supposed to remain silent and let it happen, over and over again. It sure is easy to spend money that isn't yours. Our government should be responsible enough with our tax dollars to ensure that they are spent wisely, but it seems that is rarely the case...

By Susan Jones - CNSNews

An effort to stop more than a billion dollars of taxpayer money from being redistributed to "anonymous claimants" failed in the House this week, but it may have set the stage for a congressional investigation.

Rep. Steve King's amendment to block $1.15 billion allocated for the "fraud-plagued" Pigford II discrimination settlement with black farmers failed on a vote of 155-262 on Friday.

All 155 votes in favor of blocking the money came from Republicans. And 78 Republicans – including Reps. Darrell Issa (Calif.) and Alan West (Fla.) -- joined Democrats in killing the amendment. (See roll call)

Rep. King (R-Iowa) offered the amendment to an Agriculture Appropriations bill because of concerns about widespread fraud in the Agriculture Department's second settlement with black farmers who claim they were discriminated against in getting USDA farm loans and benefits in the 16-year period from Jan. 1, 1981 to Dec. 31, 1996.

Although his amendment failed, King noted that 155 Members of Congress "are prepared to join me in pulling the plug on funding" for the settlement, dubbed "Pigford II" after the name of the lead plaintiff.

"In light of the strong showing of support for my effort to block funding for Pigford II, the House should now be prepared to initiate a Congressional investigation. The 155 votes my amendment received indicate that the stage has been set for this Congress to investigate Pigford II fraud fully," King said.

As CNSNews.com previously reported, the federal government in 1999 paid out about $1 billion to 15,640 black farmers who claimed the USDA had discriminated against them by refusing to provide them with federally subsidized farm loans and benefits in the years 1981-1996.

In 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama got another $100 million appropriated through that year's farm bill to compensate African American farmers who alleged discrimination by USDA during the 1981-1996 period but had missed the 1999 filing deadline under the original Pigford case.

Then in 2010, President Barack Obama signed a bill awarding another $1.15 billion to African American farmers who supposedly missed the Pigford I deadline -- and on top of the earlier $100 million. It is this $1.15 billion that Rep. King is seeking to block.

King has said the settlement with black farmers has morphed into a “modern-day slavery reparations programs.”

Critics also say the numbers don't add up. Members of Congress and attorneys for the plaintiffs said there could be as many as 94,000 potential claimants for the $1.25 billion Pigford II settlement, but the U.S. Census Bureau reports that from 1981 to 1996, the number of African American farmers peaked at 33,000. As noted, more than 15,000 of them already have received settlements under Pigford I.

"How is it possible that (Agriculture) Secretary (Tom) Vilsack can identify 94,000 ‘victims’ of USDA discrimination against black farmers from a total universe of only 18,000 black farmers?" King asked on Friday.

Read the rest at the link above...

Report Claims White House Gave Kickback Administration Jobs to Donors

Unless you're just an idiot, you don't need a new report to know that obama is a crooked scumbag that uses his power to grant favors to his supporters. And it's not just campaign donors, it's also his batshit crazy, liberal, thug friends. Who do you think all those "czar" positions went to? Hire your buddies without any kind of congressional or voter approval, pay them big salaries, put them in charge of billions of dollars in tax money, wow, what a concept.

obama did bring a new kind of government to washington. A corrupt, chicago thug kind of government. This is the most corrupt administration in the history of our Country...

by Kimberly Schwandt - FoxNews

A new report by iWatch claims the Obama administration gave 200 of its biggest campaign donors key assignments within the government or granted their business interests with federal contracts.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was pressed about the issue at the White House briefing Wednesday and said that giving money doesn't qualify someone for a post, but also doesn't disqualify them and that decisions were based on merit.

"You asked me about supporters of the president who may have been donors who have gotten positions and I would point out to the fact that the people who got those positions got then because of their credentials. They also happen to be donors in some cases. There are obviously numerous and far many more cases of people who weren't donors who were appointed the jobs," Carney said.

Some are charging that the new report is at odds with President Obama's claims on the campaign trail that he would bring a new kind of government to Washington and not cater to special interests.

"They write the checks and you get stuck with the bill," Obama said of "cynics, lobbyists and special interests" when he announced his candidacy in February of 2007. "They get the access while you get to write a letter. They think they own this government. But we're here today to take it back."

"The time for that kind of politics is over," Obama added. "It is through. It's time to turn the page right here and right now."

Carney Wednesday stated that the administration has held the highest ethical standards and has had bold transparency.

"[O]ur ethical standards are unmatched by any previous administration," Carney said at the White House press briefing. "Our efforts at transparency are unprecedented. And that's not just me saying it, it is outside groups who have said that. So I think that the fact that individuals who have been appointed also supported the President is hardly a story."

The investigation revealed that the donors, or so-called "bundlers" were able to raise $50,000 to more $500,000 for Obama's 2008 bid, and of course that the White House wants them back on board for 2012.

iWatch notes the example of Donald. H. Gips, telecom executive of Level 3 Communications LLC who gave more than half a million dollars to the Obama campaign along with two fellow execs who gave at least $150,000.

After the 2008 Obama win, Gips got the gig of hiring for the administration, and was later named the ambassador to South Africa.Level 3 also was able to nab $13.8 million in stimulus money. iWatch reports that Gips had stock in Level 3, but claimed he was completely unaware of the stimulus money.

The report also stated that some donors didn't expect anything in return, quoting a hotel CEO Stewart Bainum who got invited to the White House St. Patrick's Day party.

Read the rest at the link above...

The Truth About the GM Bailout

Remember when Ed Whitacre, the ceo of GM said that GM had paid back the taxpayers in full?



Umm, not so much. Read the article below. It tells a little different story. You know, I really hate being lied to. If you have spent any time on this blog, you know I am a DIE HARD Chevy guy. I will NEVER buy another new GM product, ever. I will still buy the hell out of the old stuff though.

GM still owes us, the taxpayers, BILLIONS of dollars, and, just like most things obama does, the entire bailout adventure was unConstitutional...

By Matt Kibbe - FoxNews

With Chrysler and GM announcing they have repaid their government loans, it did not take long for Democrats to crow that the federal auto bailouts were a clear success. Indeed, the president and his supporters hope to make political hay from these efforts for the 2012 elections.

Never mind that the bailouts were a use of taxpayer dollars not even within the initial scope of the constitutionally questionable TARP. Never mind that taxpayers are still a major shareholder in GM. And never mind that these bailouts have ingrained a “too big to fail” strategy among American businesses, who now feel entitled to federal funding should they fall short in the marketplace.

In reality, GM’s claim about paying back bailout money is misleading. Much of the $50 billion in federal assistance came in the form of equity purchases, with the government taking a 61-percent stake in the company. The cash loan totaled “only” $6.7 billion in taxpayer dollars. For taxpayers to recoup their investment, the federal government would have to sell its 365 million shares at a profit. The break-even price would be $55 a share, but GM is currently selling at $28.90.

And it doesn’t look like share prices are increasing any time soon. The stock market is up since mid-November by about 8 percent. But the stock of General Motors has bucked the trend. It’s down more than 16 percent since its initial public offering on November 18, 2010.

That’s the bad news—especially bad for the taxpayers, because it means we’ve lost roughly $11 billion in the government’s experiment in big business, with no real prospect that the market performance of GM will turn around anytime soon—not as long as the government is calling the shots, anyway.

There is no justification for sticking the taxpayers with the bill for this misadventure. The taxpayers didn’t want the bailout in the first place—every poll, not to mention the 2010 elections—confirms that view.

As things now stand, the taxpayers are innocent victims of the fraud that the bailout constituted from the beginning. Therefore, the only fair way to correct the injustice is to require General Motors to repay the taxpayers the $11 billion, or whatever the final amount turns out to be.

Since the automaker clearly doesn’t have that kind of cash lying around, one solution would be some type of long term debt financing. Such a settlement would not only be good for both the taxpayers and General Motors, it would also have the salutary effect of chilling the desire of any future big businesses from running to the government for a bailout.

The Washington Post got it exactly right when it wrote that, “The mere fact of government ownership is a drag on GM’s profit potential.” Consumers don’t want to buy from “Government Motors,” and top-notch executives don’t want to work for it. In addition, the bailout has brought unstable leadership: from its founding in 1923 until the government takeover in 2009, GM had a total of ten CEO’s, an average tenure of 8.6 years each. None of the three CEO’s since then has lasted even a year.

Worst of all, corporate leaders have been forced to base their decisions not on market considerations, but on the political/ideological prejudices of their government handlers. The Obama administration is ideologically committed to “green” development, and so GM has produced virtually unsalable hybrid Volts, which even at a non-competitive $41,000 lose money each and every one.

Read the rest at the link above...

After U.S. Postal Service Complaint, Burger King Agrees to Modify Ad

Have you ever seen that show where the boss of a company goes undercover as an average worker to see what really goes on day to day in his business? Maybe some of the head guys in charge of the postal service should do that. They think that a Burger King ad shows postal employees in a "less than favorable light" because an employee is distracted by his breakfast. They might be surprised by how "less than favorable of a light" their employees are in when they make people wait in line forever. Or when they treat customers in a rude manner at the counter.

Most letter carriers I have met in my life have been great people, very hard working. The same can't be said of the people in the post office. I have had some nasty experiences there and know many others who will say the same thing.

Also, the total misuse of tax dollars by the post office doesn't sit to well with a lot of people either. I think this Burger King ad might be the least of their worries...

From FoxNews

The U.S. Postal Service wants Americans to know that even the temptation of French toast sticks and a Double Crossain'wich wouldn't stop its letter carriers from delivering the mail on time.

After unleashing its lawyers, USPS has struck a settlement with Burger King over an ad campaign launched last year that featured a letter carrier getting distracted from his job by delicious Burger King breakfast food.

Apparently, the Postal Service did not appreciate the portrayal. In the ad, a letter carrier in a uniform resembling that of a Postal Service employee sang about the joys of Burger King's new breakfast menu. The offending verse was: "With pancakes and eggs on my plate, the mail has to wait."

According to a Postal Service statement issued Friday, the agency asked the fast food giant to stop airing the ad, arguing that Burger King used its logo and uniform without permission while portraying a letter carrier in a "less than favorable light."

Though Burger King denied wrongdoing, they reached a settlement allowing the company to use a uniform similar to the official Postal Service garb, minus the logo. Burger King is expected to air a "revised" and "more positive" commercial -- one that presumably leaves viewers feeling better about the work ethic of their letter carriers.

Read the rest at the link above...