When I was a kid, the local school board would biennially warn that football, the band, the honors program and hot lunches would be cut unless a levy was passed to boost real estate taxes.
I remember that – even as a kid – it sounded like a bunch of bull.
Sometimes the levies passed. Sometimes they didn’t.
Regardless of the vote, the stadium lights still glowed brighton Friday nights, the smart kids still got their honors courses, and the cafeteria kept serving up hot slop.
Here is today’s equivalent of football, band, honors and lunches:
According to the Daily Kos, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah testified before the House Appropriations State and Foreign Ops subcommittee that “Adopting H.R. 1 (the budget passed by the GOP House) would lead to 70,000 kids dying.”
Geez.
It’s not even enough these days to warn of seniors eating dog food, schools being shuttered, etc.
Nope. The bidding is up to 70,000 kids dying.
Only children and seniors programs can be cut.
Everything else is more essential, more critical.
Except that is, for the $100 to $200 billion in wasteful spending that the GAO reported last month:
WSJ, Billions in Bloat Uncovered in Beltway, March 1, 2011
A GAO report uncovered billions of dollars in wasteful spending by the U.S. government due to duplicate work done by dozens of overlapping agencies on redundant and ineffective federal programs
For example, the U.S. government has 15 different agencies overseeing food-safety laws, more than 20 separate programs to help the homeless and 80 programs for economic development.
The agency found 82 federal programs to improve teacher quality; 80 to help disadvantaged people with transportation; 47 for job training and employment; and 56 to help people understand finances.
The report took particular aim at government funding for surface transportation, including the building of roads and other projects, which the administration has made a major part of its push to update the country’s infrastructure. The report said five divisions within the Department of Transportation account for 100 different programs that fund things like highways, rail projects and safety programs.
The report chided the government over encouraging federal agencies to purchase plug-in hybrid vehicles while having policies that agencies reduce electricity consumption. It said government agencies have purchased numerous vehicles that run on alternative fuels only to find many gas stations don’t sell alternative fuels. This has led government agencies to turn around and request waivers so they didn’t have to use alternative fuels.
The GAO identified between $100 billion and $200 billion in duplicative spending.
GAO’s prior recommendations have generally been ignored or postponed by federal agencies and lawmakers, particularly when they could require difficult political votes.
Hmmm.
Just not hearing a lot about that report this week …
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To see the full report, click the pic.
The Homa Files 