New Report by Sen. Coburn Exposes $18 Billion in Government Waste

Attention: all who are stuck in reliving your high school glory days – think Matthew Mc Conaughey’s character in Dazed and Confused – the federal government wants to help you!  Prom was likely the cherry on top, the event to top all events, for most seniors in high school.  There’s a good chance the local government via funds from the school district may have helped fund a high school prom.  But when it comes to an adult prom, that’s an event that needs more money and from a bigger government, the federal government.  According to an oversight report, “Wastebook 2012,” recently released from Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-Okla.), the federal government has generously provided just over a half-a-million dollars to fund “Prom Week,” a video game that allows adult taxpayers to relive prom night.

Despite the fact our government has huge entitlement programs on the verge of collapse, Washington has no problem when it comes to sending a clear signal of what it sees as a priority – laughable programs like video games to relive prom.  The problem is this stupid program is one of many, which in sum cost taxpayers more than $18 billion in 2012 alone.  Sen. Coburn’s “Wastebook 2012” provides 99 other examples of “unnecessary, duplicative and low-priority projects spread throughout the federal government.” Here are a few highlights from the report:

• “Government-funded study on how golfers might benefit from using their imagination, envisioning the hole is bigger than it actually is ($350,000)

• Tax loopholes for the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL) and Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) – professional sports leagues that generate billions of dollars annually in profits ($91 million in taxes)

• Oklahoma’s layover boondoggle, a scarcely used airport in Oklahoma receiving nearly half-a-million in taxpayer dollars only to transfer funds elsewhere in the state ($450,000)”

The very best (as in the most egregious) has to be $505,000 to promote specialty shampoo and other beauty products for cats and dogs.  Congress supposedly vowed to end to the practice of pork barrel spending but it seems like ridiculous spending keeps on piling up.  Just add these examples to the list of broken promises by Washington politicians and bureaucrats.

Senator Coburn explained the crux of the issue well when he noted, “Until Congress has the guts to cut specific programs we will never get our debt under control.”  A news flash for Washington: this isn’t high school anymore; this is the real world.  Just like you can’t hide behind the excuse that the dog ate your homework, you can’t spend money you don’t have like you may have done on your prom attire. Members of Congress must be responsible for their actions and start acting like adults.  Tonight’s presidential debate provides a perfect forum for the candidates to explain what they’ll do to end programs like those brought to light in “Wastebook 2012.”

Given our nation’s treacherous fiscal path, taxpayers can still hold out hope that at least one of our branches of government will begin to say no to wasting and abusing our money.