New Report Exposes Ludicrous Items in Federal Budget


Do you remember that scene from The Jerk, when Steve Martin’s idiotic character is collecting the “bare bones” items he “needs”? “This ashtray is all I need! And this paddle game. This ashtray and this paddle game. That’s all I need! …” That’s sort of what the federal budget talks must have looked like. A new report on the federal budget exposes the embarrassing excesses of our comedically unrestrained civil government:

Among the nearly $30 billion of unnecessary spending that the Oklahoma Republican [Tom Coburn] identified in this year’s “Wastebook” were taxpayer dollars going to buy human urine, to purchase crystal goblets at the State Department, and to pay $18,000 apiece to “pillownauts” — people whom NASA recruited to lie on a bed for two straight months.

Man, I want to be a pillownaut! I guess I could still be one if I could just sign up for welfare. Anyway, all jokes aside, this is ridiculous. The budget deal that Paul Ryan rubber stamped would cut 23 billion from the federal budget over the course of the next ten years. According to Coburn, we could cut 30 billion right now without affecting anything even remotely useful to anyone. Coburn especially zeroes in on defense spending:

“DOD grounded the Air Force Thunderbirds and Navy Blue Angels, yet still spent $631.4 million to construct aircraft they never intended to fly,” he said.

The biggest item was $7 billion in equipment in Afghanistan that the Pentagon says it will destroy rather than bring home or give away, feeling it doesn’t have a use for the materials in the U.S. and doesn’t want to turn them over to allies.

Mr. Coburn also found $10 million spent by the Army National Guard on Superman movie tie-ins, even as plans were being made to cut the strength of the Guard by 8,000 soldiers.

No wonder the civil government can’t shrink the federal budget. There are just too many important things to cling to: “This human urine, these crystal goblets, this aircraft prototype… That’s all I need!” Meanwhile, their revenue is shrinking every year as businesses suffer from their mismanagement. Way to go this year, guys!

24 responses

    • As the comedian Will Rogers said long ago (slightly paraphrased), America has the “best congress money can buy”! Would you like to bet they vote themselves a pay raise next year for all the “hard work” done this year.
      Remember, NEVER vote for ANY incumbent!

  1. it must be obvious to anyone with a brain that our government wastes a major portion of the tax money they take from us, meanwhile the liberals in charge want more tax money.

    • What about all the money Feinstein and her husband will be making from their inside bid rigging when the post offices are paid for and could be rented out for years and re-coup some of our tax dollars, and if we need them again as population grows we have buildings that don’t have to be built, and some senator or congress person make an inside deal to build new with no thought of how much the cost! What we have in Washington is STUPIDITY and GREED taken over our government, with NO THOUGHT ABOUT THE TAXPAYERS, and that has to STOP! Semper Fi.

      • Excellent examples ! Who in California elected the Austrian, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to the governorship a second time ? He needed a second term to totally bankrupt California. Do the same confused people re-elect the female scrouge, Feinstein, repeatedly? Obviously, they do not comprehend that California is a U.S. state, and that money sucked by Feinstein from the USGOV is paid in by Californians, and they are contributing to the bankruptcy of the U.S. by continuing to re-elect comrade Feinstein.

  2. 7 billion in equipment destroyed. Unless it’s bombs and automatic weapons couldn’t someone solicit bids from surplus stores? Naw, that would make sense!

  3. I’d like to know if these requests must be accompanied by a justification, and if so, what is the justification for purchasing urine??

    • I am a veteran of the USMC also.Are any of you Marine veterans interested in banning together to help this country protect itself from this admin that wants to destroy us.They are planning to do some very serious destruction to the people.The Homeland security is larger than our military.Any guess as to why?Over 800 concentration camps already built.What are they for?The good of the people?Google it if you don’t believe me.Look up FEMA Camps and see for your self.Thousands of four man coffins.Are they for the good of the country.Look it up

      • Gene, thank you for your service brother. In my opinion the best way to band together with fellow brother and sister patriots, many of whom are veterans like us, is to join a Constitutional militia. To find an active militia in your neck of the woods do a search for the Modern Militia Movement website and signup. Our country needs American patriots like you. Semper Fi.

  4. These people should be locked up. If not for stealing then for acute stupidity.The morons have no idea how to balance what is not theirs. They have no intention of changing yet we continue to let these idiots run the country!

  5. Government total waste of tax dollars and then they pick on military folks = who are the only ones worth everything.
    They have no heart or reason, just blab & blab…

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