Coburn’s 2013 ‘Wastebook’ Features Brothels, NASA and Senate ‘Lifestyle Training’

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., wants Congress to stop spending money on things he deems unnecessary — such as “looking for signs of intelligent life in Congress” by giving NASA $3 million to set up a workshop in Washington, D.C., explaining the legislative branch.

Coburn, the ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released his annual “Wastebook” Tuesday, and if you like a little sass and a lot of cuts in government spending, this is the book for you. Of course, it does not outline a path to make structural changes on either the tax or spending side, but it does highlight approximately 100 projects that cost the government $30 billion, the purpose of which Coburn questions.

A sample of some of the items Coburn would like to eliminate....

READ MORE!   

http://blogs.rollcall.com/wgdb/coburn-wastebook-brothels-nasa-senate-lifestyle-training/

Judges attend lavish conferences on taxpayer dime amid budget cuts - Washington Times

Even as courts warn of job cuts and furloughs to their employees because of the sequester, federal judges continue to attend taxpayer-funded conferences at lavish resorts, according to a top senator who is calling on the courts to change their priorities.

Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican and Congress‘ top waste-watcher, said 150 judges for the federal appeals court based in Richmond last month held their conference at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, spending $270 a night per room — and, Mr. Coburn said, leaving the court closed for business on a Friday.

“In times of limited financial resources and fear that furloughs may cause cancellation of hearings, the AOUSC should prioritize the administration of justice over a conference,” he said in a letter to Judge John D. Bates, director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

The letter is the latest in Mr. Coburn’s effort to make federal agencies square their initial dire warnings about budget cuts with the way they have continued to spend, even after the sequesters took effect on March 1.

Mr. Coburn said that earlier this year, the chief judge of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals complained about the “devastating impact” of sequesters on the federal judiciary, but weeks later his circuit hosted its conference at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa in Georgia.

Meanwhile, Mr. Coburn said hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent on what he said were “unneeded” new or remodeled courthouses.

A spokesman for the courts said they will be drafting a response to Mr. Coburn, but won’t comment until then.

Mr. Coburn asked for records for all judicial conference spending over the past five years.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/5/judges-attend-lavish-conferences-taxpayer-dime/#ixzz2bINS3Bzt

David DeGerolamo: Concerning the economic collapse of the United States, how did we get here?

David DeGerolamo:  Concerning the economic collapse of the United States, how did we get here?

We are where we are today because career politicians have prostituted the founders' clear intention to limit government in …Concerning the economic collapse of the United States, how did we get here? We are where we are today because career politicians have prostituted the founders' clear intention to limit government in the name of "doing good." For decades both parties have grown government well beyond the boundaries of the Constitution and created the very problem our founders sought to avoid - a deeply indebted government that is threatening the very survival of our republic.
~Sen. Tom Coburn, The Debt Bomb

The above assessment may not account for 100% of our economic collapse: we have to include corruption and incompetence in Washington, DC to have a complete accountability of the causes. But here is the incredible part: not only were the people complacent (and therefore culpable) in the demise of the republic, we still argue that political parties are the solution. The small percentage of the people who understand our financial debt crisis are blinded by supporting only one solution: get Obama out of office.

Alright. I agree that this president has not only destroyed our economy and social structure, he has also destroyed the Democrat party. Good. If we destroy the Republic party, we have a chance to save the republic. Step one is to stop arguing for our ignorance. Again both parties have gotten us to this point and neither one will or can fix it. A rather bold statement so let's explore it a little further.

The monetary policy of our country is controlled by an independent banking committee known as the Federal Reserve. Under their control, our dollar has been devalued and manipulated to the point of insolvency. Does the government understand this? Of course but they are impotent to control the situation, let alone fix it. The endgame is close upon us and the prognosis is terminal. How do I know? The government has taken control of your money market assets so that you do not control your private property. If people started to withdraw their cash, our banks would collapse immediately. Think about that statement because that is one of the keys. We no longer have control over our own money. Have you tried to withdraw a large sum from the bank recently?

Most of our banks and brokerage firms are also leveraged with European credit derivatives that are worthless. The recent examples of MF Global, PFG Best and the Sentinel Group proved that these institutions not only stole assets from their clients' segregated accounts, the assets will not be recovered (unless you are Jamie Dimon).

Step two is to understand that the government is not only bankrupt, our financial institutions are bankrupt. This means accepting the fact that the US dollar will collapse. When will this happen? Whenever China revalues their currency on hard assets - mainly gold. At the rate of their gold hoarding, it will not be long before our dollar will no longer be the world's reserve currency.

Step three is to understand that the price increases for gas and food are not going to moderate: they are going to "necessarily skyrocket".

CONTINUE READING:  http://www.teapartynation.com/profiles/blog/show?id=3355873%3ABlogPost%3A2164303&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_post

GAO Finds Rampant Waste in $18B Federal Job-training Program

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) study, commissioned by Sen. Tom Coburn (Okla.), is bringing to question whether taxpayers should finance an $18-billion annual “investment” in federal programs that provide training to unemployed Americans. The 2011 analysis, which observed programs in fiscal year 2009, pinpointed a profuse and overlapping mesh of 47 different job-training programs administered by nine agencies.

“The vast majority of money we spend in job training doesn’t go to job training, it goes to employ people in those job training federal programs,” Coburn said in an interview with Fox News. Some programs are brimming with fraud and abuse, with taxpayer-funded dollars being spent on affairs that are in no way associated with professional training. For example, the study reported:

• Some job training participants spent their days sitting on a bus.
• Some were trained for jobs that didn’t exist.
• Others were paid to sit through educational sessions about jobs they already had.
• High school students were knowingly exposed to the cancer-causing agent asbestos as part of a job training program.
• Funds were misspent to pay a contractor for ghost employees and to purchase video games.
• Job training administrators spent federal funds on extravagant meals and bonuses for themselves.
• In one state, workforce agency employees took more than 100 gambling trips to casinos mostly during work hours.

CONTINUED:  http://thenewamerican.com/economy/commentary/item/11443-gao-finds-rampant-waste-in-$18b-federal-job-training-program

AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY: POLICY ALERT--SUBSIDIES FOR BRAZIL?

It’s bad enough that the U.S. spends $3 billion every year on subsidies to prop up American cotton farmers. Such payments enrich agri-businesses at taxpayer expense, hurt consumers while causing cotton prices to rise, and stand in the way of free trade and the free market.


But did you know that the U.S. also spends nearly $150 million of your taxpayer dollars each year to pay off Brazilian cotton farmers? It’s all part of an absurd scheme detailed in our recent blog post: U.S. Pays Off Brazilian Cotton Farmers to Prop Up U.S. Cotton Industry

Special handouts to cotton farmers—both abroad and here at home—are just a few of several examples of wasteful subsidies that should be on the chopping block, and fortunately Congress will get a chance to take a swing at them summer.

Every five years Congress reauthorizes the various farm subsidies paid out by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in one giant bill—a grab bag of handouts to big agri-businesses and special interests. Given that the last “Farm Bill” was enacted in 2008, debate over the next one will be heating up on Capitol Hill in the coming months.

Eliminating ill-conceived farm subsidies not only takes the government’s heavy hand out of our economy, but it can also save significant amounts of taxpayer money. One proposal by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) would cut back on these special handouts and save $136 billion over the next decade, all while maintaining a safety net for farmers.

Whether it’s in “green” energy or in agriculture, picking winners and losers has never proven to be a wise use of taxpayer dollars. Keep an eye on Congress as they debate the Farm Bill this year—voices like yours demanding an end to wasteful subsidies could make a huge difference.

Americans for Prosperity® (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual's right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP has more than 2 million members, including members in all 50 states, and 34 state chapters and affiliates. More than 90,000 Americans in all 50 states have made a financial investment in AFP or AFP Foundation. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

MARK LEVY: The Reason for the Tea Party Season

2011 has come and gone, and for at least 47 percent of Americans it will be painless come tax time. For the rest of us who will experience some pain, Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn has released his annual "Wastebook" to remind us how excruciatingly wasteful our government is.


Despite Coburn's evidence of government irresponsibility, the tea party continues to be labeled as radical or clueless for wanting to rein in government spending. With that in mind, even the squishiest liberals shouldn't be able to justify the following expenditures, but I'm sure they'll try -- and China loves them for it.


READ MORE ABOUT THE FOLLOWING!
-- $147,000 for the American Magic Museum in Michigan.
-- $48,700 for the 2nd Annual Hawaii Chocolate Festival.
-- $175,000 to the University of Kentucky to study the effects of cocaine on the sex drive of Japanese quail.
-- $50,000 to support the Oregon Cheese Trail.
-- $150,000 to develop a "Rapid Guppy" cellphone game app.
-- $765,000 to study how college students use mobile devices for social networking.
-- $1.35 million for Entrepreneurship training in Barbados.
-- $62,000 to support wine conferences.
-- $55,000 to study Jordanian student hookah smoking.
-- $300,000 to explain the origins of the universe through dance.
-- $606,000 to Columbia University in New York City to study how using the Internet affects sexual behavior.
-- $120 million in benefits checks to deceased former federal employees.

READ THE ENTIRE COMMENTARY:
http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/2012/01/02/levy-the-reason-for-the-tea-party-season/?subscriber=1

Tad DeHaven: Sen. Coburn's 2011 Gov't Wastebook

The office of Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) has released the 2011 edition of its annual “Wastebook.”


The document spotlights 100 particularly ridiculous expenditures of taxpayer money from the past year. From an entertainment standpoint, it’s pure gold. But it’s also infuriating, depressing, and a painful reminder of what happens when politicians and bureaucrats spend other people’s money.

CONTINUED:
http://townhall.com/columnists/taddehaven/2011/12/27/sen_coburns_2011_govt_wastebook

SEN.COBURN: Payback? Was funding for GAO cut because of their report on Govt. Waste?

And has the report that came out in March been ignored by our elected officials because they care more about re-election support from special interests than saving the taxpayers money?  I thought so before the interview, now judge for yourself.

Greta Van Susteren interviews Sen. Tom Coburn

http://gretawire.foxnewsinsider.com/video/uncut-sen-tom-coburn-on-the-record/

The 100 Worst Cases of Government Waste in 2010

The 100 Worst Cases of Government Waste in 2010


by Ben Johnson

Although the United States is $13 trillion in debt, mandatory spending alone exceeds tax revenues, and the Congressional Budget Office is warning of a coming U.S. “fiscal crisis,” Congress felt no need to trim spending. The just-adjourned 111th Congress headed by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi added more to the national debt than the first 100 U.S. Congresses combined. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK, has published his collection of the 100 most wasteful projects his colleagues deemed worthy of your hard-earned tax dollars this year. Among the most offensive, ridiculous, and startling examples of pork in the Year of our Lord 2010, he found:


■Nearly $5,000 of stimulus money to hire goats to graze the weeds at Idaho’s Heyburn State Park;
■$6 billion for ethanol subsidies, which raise food costs;
■$177,000 for Ohio teachers to travel to China to learn about the Chinese “education” system;
■$137,530 for a Dartmouth professor to develop “Layoff,” a video game that encourages its players to fire as many people as quickly as possible;
■$700,000 for New Hampshire researchers to examine “greenhouse gas emission from organic dairies,” which are cause by “cow burps, among other things”;
■$442,340 to study male prostitutes in Vietnam;
■$823,000 to teach South African men how to wash their genitals after sex. (We reported this one earlier this year);
■$55,000 to celebrate HIV Vaccine Awareness Day. Of course, there is no anti-AIDS vaccine, but the “observance is a day to recognize and thank” the professionals “who are working together to find” a cure;
■$571 million — more than half-a-billion dollars — diverted from building roads and infrastructure to plant flowers on the roadsides;
■$2.9 million to study how players of the online game World of Warcraft collaborate;
■$5,000 for the Murfreesboro, Tennessee public library to host video game nights, featuring Rock Band, Wii Bowling, and Mario Kart;
■$609,160 to develop a video game based on the life of a wolf;
■$615,000 for the University of California-Santa Cruz to digitize Grateful Dead memorabilia;
■$10,000 for the Woodstock Film Festival, attended by such elites as Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, and Uma Thurman;
■$150,000 for signs alerting drivers of crossing salamanders in Monkton, Vermont;
■Nearly $1 million to post snippets of poetry at zoos;
■$175 million for unused buildings, including an octagonal monkey house in Dayton, Ohio;
■$239,100 to study how singles use online dating sites while they are lookin’ for love;
■$31,350 for a comic book mouse who teaches children the history of printing;
■$112 million in fraudulent tax refunds for prisoners;
■$1.5 million for a museum in Shelby, North Carolina, to honor bluegrass banjo picker Earl Scruggs;
■$60,000 to renovate a pizzeria in Waterloo, Iowa; and
■$212,735 to study the state of “civility” in U.S. politics in Pullman, Washington. Liberals rediscover the virtues of “civility” every time a conservative criticizes a Democratic president.

These synopses hardly give their projects their proper due. Read about them, and 77 others, in the senator’s report. Download Sen. Coburn’s entire Wastebook 2010: A Guide to Some of the Most Wasteful Government Spending of 2010 here.
http://coburn.senate.gov/public//index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=774a6cca-18fa-4619-987b-a15eb44e7f18