DOES ANYONE CARE ABOUT TOM COBURN WASTE BOOK ???

TOM COBURN annual “Wastebook”

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=b69a6ebd-7ebe-41b7-bb03-c25a5e194365

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. 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

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.
Republicans are 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 the country is going off the cliff. But WHO can lead that charge ??? No one in the Republican field except R0N PAUL at the moment I hate to say. FEW say the right things about dismantling Washington but I have no doubt he would shake things up if he were elected !!! 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 Paul as a VP.

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.

If the mind is to emerge unscathed from this relentless struggle with the unforeseen, two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect that, even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmerings of the inner light which leads to the truth; and second, the courage to follow this light wherever it may lead.”

Karl von Clausewitz