“In 2005, a retired army reserve officer complained to the Pentagon’s fraud hot line that the Defense Department had overpaid for kitchen appliances, shelling out $1,000 for popcorn makers and toasters and $5,500 for a deep-fat fryer that cost other government agencies $1,919. Although he provided a four-page spreadsheet showing 135 cases of higher prices, the Defense Department dismissed his tip without checking with him.”
–David Isenberg, research fellow at the Independent Institute — Budgeting for Empire
So this is where our money is being spent.
Say what you will about the Democrats. They are holding hearings on everything from global warming and censoring scientific research to wiretapping and Iraq spending. The White House is FINALLY being held accountable for their BS. They’ll keep feeding the ‘war machine’ for as long as they can, but at least the info is on record.
Gotta love Fiscal Conservatives:
“The levels of deceit and ignorance are so high that we cannot even begin to understand how bad overall American fiscal irresponsibility is,” said Mr. Isenberg.
Please read this and forward it on. The final spending report is scheduled to be released next week. On February 6, Rep. Henry Waxman plans to hold hearings on Iraq contracts. The committee has asked executives from Halliburton to testify. Waxman presided over the most famous hearings in ’94 when the 7 tobacco CEOs said they didn’t add nicotone to their cigarettes.
Here are a few highlights from the Independent’s new Budgeting for Empire report:
Front line equipment is wearing out–and there is no budget to replace it. “Senior marine officials admitted that if the war in Iraq ended tomorrow… it would cost $12.8 billion to reequip … vehicles and gear lost in combat and through wear and tear. That outlay would take up a significant portion of the corps’ yearly budget….”
The Army’s plan to boost combat power is built on the unlikely assumption that “no new major demand will arise for U.S. soldiers at home or abroad”–yet the U.S. military is spread thin around the world, and the political climate is volatile.
The final tally for earmarks–spending inserted in a bill to benefit a specific Member of Congress– in the 2006 Defense Appropriations bill are expected to top $12.2 billion. This is a record high.
In 2005, the Defense Department paid $1,000 for popcorn makers and toasters and $5,500 for a deep-fat fryer. When a retired Army officer with evidence of the problem came forward, he was dismissed without any investigation.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan cost even more than the public thinks because of accounting “tricks” and questionable budget rules used by both the executive and legislative branches, such as excluding the costs of the war from regular budget appropriations.
Nearly two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and despite Defense Secretary Rumsfeld’s proclaimed mission of transforming the military, every single Cold War weapon system that was previously in the procurement pipeline remains.
