Federal Government - Sure, they're good stewards of taxpayer monies....#FAIL - Granite Grok

Federal Government – Sure, they’re good stewards of taxpayer monies….#FAIL

 The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.”
– President Barack Obama, Inauguration, 1/20/09

Earlier, Rick posted the news how efficiently our Federal Government was exerting stewardship of our hard earned taxpayer monies:

In October of 2010, The U.S. Government Services Administration spent over $835,000 on a four-day “training” conference for 300 GSA employees…held at a luxury hotel outside Las Vegas.

This was in a post from The Corner that was in response to the same news:

Howdy–

Several years ago I attended church with a guy who was a GSA quasi-big shot. His job, as he explained it to me, was to find ways to donate all the surplus office supplies purchased. Budgets could not get smaller, so people bought new desks, bookcases, etc. every year, often seeking the most expensive ones so as to have to make the fewest purchases. But it was more trouble to replace the existing furniture with the newly acquired stuff, so these top of the line desks and such arrived at the loading dock and then were donated to various non-profits, usually still in the packaging they arrived in. This was his full time job. All he did was re-direct things that were purchased by the taxpayers but not needed to people who would take them.

I was depressed for days after this conversation.

“but whether it works” – I think not, Mr. President.  By your OWN standard, this has to be a #FAIL.  I make a big deal about $16 Trillion in the hole to citizens who are demanding more for bike paths and these clowns are Partying Hardy in Vegas (Vegas?  What – your boss change his mind?) – WHO IS TAKING OUR DEBT SERIOUSLY?

The GSA dude above?  WHY are we paying for such a position?  WHY isn’t his BOSS getting reamed out for allowing this nuttiness, this absolute travesty, to continue?

I’ll tell you why – we, outside of government, are seen as nothing more than the bottomless pit o’money.  Just there for the taking.  It is the problem in always being steeped in other peoples’ money.  I hear it in my little hamlet – you HORRID person!  You don’t SUPPORT the schools (even as the teachers make more than the median income of the town by > 10%)!  You don’t SUPPORT the town (even as I know there are slush funds slopping around but can’t find them).  Funny, that – if you don’t give what is demanded by Govenment, you’re anti-Government (which is a ludicrous assertion).

The fact that the two examples above actually exist shows a huge problem – an entitlement problem at the Government level.  Buying stuff that Government doesn’t need simply to spend a budget.  No, not spending it to actually accomplish anything of value.  Not doing anything constructive.  Not doing anything that anyone in the private sector would do (at least for long and still hold a job).  I sit here aghast – this stuff didn’t make it through the doors????   And where in the Constitution, heck – plain common sense! – does it mean that Government is supposed to support non-profits?

but whether it works” – No, Mr. President, this is not “working”.  This is #FAIL.  You are the President – take ownership of the failure and fix it.

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