10 Ways The Government Wastes Your Money: Part 1 | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

10 Ways The Government Wastes Your Money: Part 1

"Nobody spends someone else's money as wisely as he spends his own." — Milton Friedman

17
10  Ways The Government Wastes Your Money: Part 1

The government is inefficient. This can largely be attributed to politicians arguing over how to spend tax payer dollars properly. Being nearly $20 trillion in debt it is not hard to find someone to agree that our current system is in need of reform, but every time budget cuts are proposed many insist there is no place to cut. The federal government took in over $3 trillion from Americans in 2015 alone. Where does this money go? You won’t believe some of the ridiculous ways the government wastes your money.

1.Take The Monkey for A Run — $8 Million

“Take The Monkey and Run,” is the title being given to a study detailing how the Southwest National Primate Research Center trained twelve marmoset monkeys to run on a treadmill. The study was funded with a whopping $8 million by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). While primate research may further scientific understanding, it should not be done at the hands of the tax payers pocket, and what practical use this info serves, no one really knows.

2. Smoking Hipsters — $5 Million

The “Help A Hipster” movement has received $5 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) over the past five years. The project pays for parties at bars and night clubs in an effort to encourage “Hipsters” that tobacco is not “Hip.” When the efforts failed to create a movement, the “Quit Smoking, Get Cash,” project was created and funded by the NIH as well. This project gave $100 in cash to “Hipsters” who agreed to quit smoking ... Guess what? When the partying was over, the lead researchers determined that … wait for it ... nothing changed, and the smoking continued in every participant’s case.

3. Salute The Troops — $53 Million

America’s favorite sports have been paid upwards of $53 million in tax payer dollars to honor our troops before games over the past three years by the Department Of Defense. The paid tributes have included enlistment ceremonies, color guards, full-flag details, ceremonial first pitches, and performances of the national anthem. Though well intentioned, any group that genuinely wants to honor our nation’s heroes should do it without being at the expense of the tax payers. Can you imagine what good could be done to better the lives of our military personnel with $53 million. It is not a funding issue, it is an appropriations issue.

4. Koozies actually keep drinks cold. — $1.3 Million

In the article, “Condensation, atmospheric motion, and cold beer” published in Physics Today, researchers investigated how a koozie keeps a beverage cold with almost $1.3 million in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Though you may enjoy your ice cold beverage of choice, I doubt you wanted your hard earned tax dollars to be spent on research that reassures you that a doozie actually "insulates the can” and in some cases even “absorbs condensation.”

5. Empty and Unused Buildings Need A/C Too — $110 Million

The U.S. is spending $110 million a year to maintain hundreds of empty, unused, and excess buildings in Afghanistan. Footing the bill to light, heat, and repair nearly 360 facilities that were suppose to be disposed of doesn’t seem to be the best way to spend tax payer dollars.

6. Railroad Lights — $2.8 Million

LED lights now cover the full length of the RJ Corman Railroad bridge in Clarksville, Tennessee, thanks to the $2.8 million dollars from tax payers. The main purpose of this project was to “light up the nights” for special occasions, sporting events, or holidays. Tax payers are lucky though, the lights can “Vary in intensity with a push of a button” according to Richard Davis of the Ardee Design Group.

7. California Zipline — $1.8 Million

The longest zipline in California opened last year with the help of a $1.8 million federal grant. The money was provided by the Economic Development Administration to the La Jolla Band of Luiseno Indians to make improvements to the recreational area that was destroyed by flooding in 2010. Even though tax payers may have funded the project, you can bet that we still have to pay to ride.

8. Overpriced Bar Coasters — $2.5 Million

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is distributing drink coasters at some bars in the Washington, D.C., area with the slogan "See something, Say something," urging customers to report suspicious activity. Most would assume that a $2.5 million set of coasters would be pretty nice. Too bad they made a mistake when printing them and forgot to add any form of contact information if a customer was to see something. Government spending at its finest.

9. Federal Funding for Goat Milk Truffles — $124,000

Big Picture Farm’s goat milk truffles have always only been available at farmers markets but now the candies will be coming to a store near you. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) gave Big Picture Farms a grant of $124,000 to process, package and ship their candies to stores across the U.S. Big Picture Farms should thank the tax payers for picking up the bill for their distribution. The candy may be great, but why is the government involved in their processing and distribution?

10. Cheese Heritage Center — $300,000

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provided a $300,000 interest free loan to Plymouth, Wisconsin, to create a cheese themed retail store. The sole purpose of this project was to “provide tourists with an opportunity to buy cheese” that is manufactured in the local communities.



Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Relationships

10 Facts All People In A Large Family Can Confirm During The Holiday Season

The holiday season can be the best and most stressful time of the year, especially when more people are involved.

122
kids jumping

The holidays are full of lights, sweets, sweaters, and your favorite movies. There's nothing quite like this period from the beginning of December through January. Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years. The fun of it all.

I don't know about you but with my large Italian family something is always going on during this season. It can be the most wonderful time of the year while also being the most hectic. These are a few things you know if your family is anything like mine during this time.

Keep Reading...Show less
10 things that happen the second Thanksgiving is over
reference.com

To those who celebrate, you just spent an entire day cooking an elaborate meal with all of your favorite foods. You probably ate your body weight in pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes. What happens now? Oh yea, Christmas. It’s time to take out all of the decorations and Christmas themed things that have been sitting in the attic since last year; it’s time to make a reappearance. So, here are 10 things that happen the second Thanksgiving is over.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

18 Things I Want To Do Now That I'm 18

I'm technically an adult, so I'm legally required to live a little, right?

3652
Happy Birthday Cake

For the entirety of my high school career, I was always seen as the goody-two-shoes. I never got in trouble with a teacher, I kept stellar grades, and when I wasn't doing extracurricular activities, I was at home studying. Even when I did go out, it was usually with a bunch of fellow band geeks. The night would end before 11:00 PM and the only controversial activity would be a fight based on who unfairly won a round of Apples-to-Apples when someone else clearly had a better card (I promise I'm not still holding a grudge).

Now that I'm officially an adult, I want to pursue some new things. I want to experience life in a way that I never allowed myself to do prior to entering college. These are the years that I'm supposed to embark on a journey of self-discovery, so what better way to do that than to create a bucket list?

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics

The holiday classics that shaped my life

2232
10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics
Flickr

The holiday season is full of stress, debt, and forced conversation. While we rush through the month of December, it's important to take a step back and enjoy the moments before they're gone. Most families love to watch Christmas movies, but these beloved films provide more than entertainment. Here are 10 life lessons that I've learned from the holiday classics we watch every year.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

201562
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments