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Coburn Details $7 Billion in Waste from 100 Dumb Projects

By: Daniel Horowitz (Diary)  |  December 21st, 2011 at 08:03 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

At some point we will need to go beyond merely cutting waste, fraud, and abuse.  We will eventually have to wind down the welfare state and close government departments and agencies.  However, there is no reason we shouldn’t demand an immediate bipartisan effort to eliminate programs that are just plain dumb, even according to Democrat socialist ideology.

Nobody has been more assiduous and instrumental in identifying silly government projects than Senator Tom Coburn.  Yesterday, Senator Coburn released his annual “Wastebook” profiling 100 “unnecessary, duplicative, or just plain stupid projects spread throughout the federal government.” The total cost of these programs is $6.9 billion.  Cutting these programs would only account for roughly 40 hours of our debt, but why spend a penny on this stuff?

Here are some of the greatest hits:

  • $120 million in retirement and disability benefits to federal employees who have died
  • $30 million to help Pakistani Mango farmers
  • $550,000 for a documentary about how rock music contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union
  • $10 million for a remake of “Sesame Street” for Pakistan
  • $764,825 to examine how college students use mobile devices for social networking.
  • $113,227 for a video game preservation center in New York
  • $765,828 to subsidize a “pancakes for yuppies” program in Washington, D.C.
  • $100,000 for a celebrity chef show in Indonesia
  • $175,587 for a study on the link between cocaine and the mating habits of quail
  • $606,000 for a study about online dating
  • $17.80 Million in Foreign Aid to… China – (Department of State & U.S. Agency for International Development)
  • The Super-Bridge to Nowhere – (Alaska) $15.3 Million

Yes, this is mere pocket change; we will not balance the budget by eliminating these preposterous projects.  Nevertheless, they reveal just how apathetic our lawmakers are in handling public funds.  They are also emblematic of the ridiculous budget process that has been in place in recent years.  If we are going to pass 1200-page bills that fund the entire government with such short notice, we will invariably continue to fund these projects.

Coburn’s report gives us another 100 reasons why we should never pass omnibus bills.

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  • lizzie

    shun him? My observation from the disillusioned fiscal conservative dem back bench is that DeMint has a serious beef with Coburn, whose NINE TRILLION in permanent savings (Back in Black) is the best road map for the Federal fiscal disaster ever published.

    Senator Coburn was an industrial engineer before he decided to become a doctor.

    Anyway, of the list in this post?
    There are two that i think actually may be worthwhile:
    1) rock music – I believe that music, rock or country or Bollywood, will ultimately defeat fundamentalist Islamists like the Taliban. Whether a doc on rock music and the Soviet Union is needed to further my point is indeed questionable, but whoever wanted that is on to a really excellent idea. One of the most successful protest movements inside Nazi Germany, mostly in Hamburg, was an underground movement devoted to Swing music, which had been banned, especially Benny Goodman.

    2) $100,000 for a celebrity chef show in Indonesia sounds like an excellent investment in perhaps the most important nation to cement an alliance with. Geopolitics aside, Indonesia has a LOT to teach the world about a great palette of cuisines. Nasi Goreng and Kari Kapeleh are sublime dishes, with a side of papaya!

  • lizzie

    shun him? My observation from the disillusioned fiscal conservative dem back bench is that DeMint has a serious beef with Coburn, whose NINE TRILLION in permanent savings (Back in Black) is the best road map for the Federal fiscal disaster ever published.

    Senator Coburn was an industrial engineer before he decided to become a doctor.

    Anyway, of the list in this post?
    There are two that i think actually may be worthwhile:
    1) rock music – I believe that music, rock or country or Bollywood, will ultimately defeat fundamentalist Islamists like the Taliban. Whether a doc on rock music and the Soviet Union is needed to further my point is indeed questionable, but whoever wanted that is on to a really excellent idea. One of the most successful protest movements inside Nazi Germany, mostly in Hamburg, was an underground movement devoted to Swing music, which had been banned, especially Benny Goodman.

    2) $100,000 for a celebrity chef show in Indonesia sounds like an excellent investment in perhaps the most important nation to cement an alliance with. Geopolitics aside, Indonesia has a LOT to teach the world about a great palette of cuisines. Nasi Goreng and Kari Kapeleh are sublime dishes, with a side of papaya!

  • chrysostom15

    –Earlier this year, he proposed significant budget cuts — ignored.
    –Earlier this year, he commissioned a GAO report that found over $200 billion in duplication and waste that could be cut from government with no impact the the quality of government programs — ignored
    –Earlier this year, he published a report showing the benefit of GAO –which saves the government $87 for every dollar it costs — congress responded by cutting GAO’s funding by 6%, and leaving it with 40% fewer staff than it had 20 years ago, and a small budget when indexed for inflation than it had 20 years ago — he was ignored.
    –Over the last several years, Coburn has fought the good fight against waste, fraud, abuse and big-government — this fight has been against both the Republicans and the Democrats — he stands largely alone and ignored.

    Hopefully one day people will start to at least listen to him; since we do have a budget problem.

  • http://www.RightFace.us dkolonia

    when is he going to do more than just make up a list? When will anyone on our side really make a stand and get something done? Never is the truth. Republicans seem to be as bad as Democrats they just say different things but the end result is the same, more government spending no matter what. It is time for a real change in Washington. Without it we are going off the cliff. But WHO can lead that charge? No one in the Republican field at the moment I hate to say. Perry says the right things about dismantling Washington but I doubt he would keep saying it if he were elected.

    • circlegranch

      which is why the elite GOP and RNC continue to ignore him and downplay his candidancy. The LAST thing they want is a tough president coming in and slashing and burning their precious ear marks and gluttonous spending.

      Coburn would make a fine complement to Perry as a VP.

    • romansdaughter

      That is mainly the whole reason he got talked into running for President. He wrote Fed Up, have you read that book? Well basically he is fed up with Washington DC and it’s seedy dealings and wants to hit it with a wrecking ball so that his kids and all Americans can have a brighter future. He is definitely not a flip flopper and has principles. I trust him above any other candidate to actually try to do the things he says.

  • johnt

    There never has been a lack of such lists as the one above, they’re depressing for what they don’t or can’t touch.
    Essentially as the federal government has become a loot distribution center, an ongoing theft and vote bribery scam, you can say in fairness that the major bulk of it’s spending is not only waste, but robbery. But as much of the population has been lobotomized,[see left wing net sites] and is now addicted to the mirage of Government as savior, and in the face of monstrous failure and fraud, Normal People will pay the real price in taxes and anguish.

    • ladisney

      1) Does an appropriation promote the General Welfare? Is the money being spent for the benefit of the entire country, or just a select few? If not for all of us it should be cut.

      2) Is the proposed spending to further the government activities delegated to the federal government? If not, cut it.

      3) Would it look really stupid if the general public found out about it and is the politician proposing it trying to keep his name off of it? If yes, cut it out.

      • quad4x4

        To often we, the bloggers, on this site are asked how WE would run the government. Well this is a starter, right after we find a smart leader to really show the way. Putting this test into law is a real problem, it may have to be by executive order first. But you are exactly right. Thank you. la Disney (or is it L.A. Disney?)

  • BA Cyclone

    It might be small potatoes to the federal government, but the entire cost of the state government in Iowa for FY2011 was $5.99 billion. Well, that’s the budget anyway.

    Yes, their waste of our tax dollars, some of those yet unearned, is greater than the cost of government in several entire states, individually.

  • conservativeparrothead

    Is the argument that its only a small amount, YES, it is, but I dont care if its $100 dont WASTE it. It has to start somewhere, when you start to eliminate these things, then all of a sudden, people start to realize “hey maybe my wasteful spending is next?” and they clean up their act. Im not interested that this stuff wont balance the budget, but you must start somewhere.

  • Common_Cents

    Because people hear it all the time and nothing is done about it. It’s always trotted out in the face of epic govt spending and taxation, but never followed up on. Gee, you wonder why CONgress has what, single digit approval now?

  • bonnman

    In the $6.9 billion dollar claim they include ten years of wartime contracting waste at a total of $4.38 billion. They also include an $1 billion in tax credits for home improvements which make your home more energy efficient, the problem is its an estimate extrapolated from an IRS sample not an actual known amount. Subtract those and you have about $1.5 billion spread out over 98 projects, this isn’t to say that these projects aren’t dumb or wasteful but thats a subjective opinion. The $7 billion figure is just sensationalized propaganda.

    • ag8tor

      if it’s $150. These kinds of nonsense programs need to be done away with. Would YOU spend $175000 to link cocaine and quail?
      $17.8 M to freakin’ CHINA? R U kidding?
      So you’re basically saying just forget it. Happens all the time. Just business as usual. I call BS! Think of the money that could have been saved in the past 20 years if crap like this had not been allowed. I think these projects should be gone along with the idiots that proposed funding for them!

      • bonnman

        What Senator Coburn does is take one or two massively expensive programs and conflates them with 98 other programs he personally doesn’t like. Thats why in his report he doesn’t list them high to low by cost, the $4.38 billion wartime contracting waste (the most costly in the list) is buried at number 40. Its a BS tactic.

        But lets take the remainder “nonsense” programs at $1.5 billion dollars per year over 20 years, thats $30 billion dollars and now compare it to our $15 trillion national debt. Congratulations in 20 years you’ve reduced the debt by .002%

  • ag8tor

    When is someone going to do something more about this idiocy than just making a list. I’m calling out the do-nothings! Grow a pair and lead the fight for SOMETHING constructive. You haven’t done anything else since you’ve been in congress except get the perks that you shouldn’t be getting. Is there ONE among you with guts enough to bring this kind of waste up for discussion and de-funding?
    Sadly, I SERIOUSLY DOUBT IT!

  • williamjameson

    Till we have media who fear the bill payers we will never see an end to waste like this let along fiscal anything close to what Coburn has called for time and again.

  • 912defender

    This is the answer in a nutshell. The states send too much money to Washington, then our elected officials have to beg for a few crumbs of it back. Until spending gets under control and Washington learns to live with less, this out of control spending will continue. I can hope, right?

  • travis690

    Here are the main reasons most of his pronouncements are ignored:

    1. He is from a state that has never had much national influence upon politics (exception: Former Speaker of the House Carl Albert);
    2. Most of the state would prefer to be left alone from the damages wreaked by Washington;
    3. Most all these programs have a built-in contingency to fight for their continuation;
    4. People in Washington are expected to spend money;
    5. Most of the national media have major operations in Washington, and the people that hang out there get co-opted by the long-time members of Congress. And most of the long-time members get there by doing what else–introducing spending programs that bring money to their districts;
    6. As Ronald Reagan once said: “There is nothing as permanent as a temporary government program.”
    7. No one gets praise from the Washington press corps (or is it corpse) for suggesting the reduction of spending; they can always find the sob stories to bring out that will perpetuate the spending;
    8. Most members of Congress are lawyers. Lawyers in general are paid on contingency–the more rain you make, the higher your take;
    9. Back to the press people. Most of them have an emotional bias that causes them to think that the only way you solve problems is by throwing money at them;
    10. Dr. Coburn already announced this will be his final term in Washington.

    I know this list is not all-inclusive, but it sure makes a good start.

  • mutantone

    But why so little found? I am sure if they were to really look some waste like the “Fast and Furious” and the tidal wave of money blundering from the same government untold amounts of USA tax payers dollars cleaned millions of drug cartels and terrorist groups money and as a sign on bonus they were all given an arms shipment to a retail location near their head quarters the same for Indiana? Operation Community Shield,? or Operation Castaway” these two projects received three times as many weapons as the Mexican program. Obama knew what the out come will be
    “Nothing illegal here we all do it in congress so move on to an important issue like our reelection ?

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