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Us Earmarks $100 M To Catch An Asteroid

isanbirder
in The Lounge

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This can be a fun thread. Showing all the idiotic ways the US government wastes taxpayer money.

I shall return.

This was released on April 1st in the uk papers , and many people including myself thought it was a prank !

  • Author

This was released on April 1st in the uk papers , and many people including myself thought it was a prank !

It certainly sounds like it, but presumably is bona fide if the Guardian posts it on April 6! I looked at many of the comments in the Guardian, and nobody suggests it is a prank. Some good suggestions, though; "drop it on North Korea", ""put George Osborne on it and leave it up there".

Roping a meteorite seems perfectly logical according to the government. Here are some other examples:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More federal funding in the amount of $593,000 went to a primate research center to study where in chimpanzees' brains they get the idea to throw their feces.
A Virginia university received $55,000 to study Jordanian students' water pipe smoking habits.
A new grant of $176,000 joined $350,000 already spent to study how cocaine hurts or helps the sex drive of Japanese quail.
A museum of magic received $147,000 to study the audiences of magic shows.
More than $550,000 of U.S. taxes went to the production of a documentary on how rock bands contributed to the fall of the Soviet empire.
...and these are just from a two minute Google search for 2012.

Typical poppycock about trivialities. The American republican party as stated by one of its own is the party of STUPID. Anti-intellectual, anti-science, anti-gay, anti-women, anti-arts, anti-immigrant, anti-black, climate change denialist, ... you name it.

  • Author

I thought it was the Democrats who were spending this money on silly things.

But this is not really partisan politics; it's about the way Governments of any party have a tendency to spend money unnecessarily, and then complain that they don't have enough. The European Community has been featured in this forum several times; I thought it was time we looked at someone else wasting money.

You're being very naive. This is an age old republican tactic. Focus on silly sounding spending representing less than one percent of the national budget while NEVER favoring one penny of cuts for DEFENSE SPENDING!bah.gif

Also you say this isn't a partisan issue. And you ALSO say it's the democrats fault for spending. You might consider making up your mind, eh?

I'll make it easier for you. If it's an American political issue these days, it is ALWAYS partisan and you can take that to the bank. Guaranteed.

You're being very naive. This is an age old republican tactic. Focus on silly sounding spending representing less than one percent of the national budget while NEVER favoring one penny of cuts for DEFENSE SPENDING!bah.gif

Also you say this isn't a partisan issue. And you ALSO say it's the democrats fault for spending. You might consider making up your mind, eh?

I'll make it easier for you. If it's an American political issue these days, it is ALWAYS partisan and you can take that to the bank. Guaranteed.

Had a little too much caffeine today?

Nothing political about my post as it is the US Government that is spending the money uselessly. Both parties are responsible, unless you want to give the Democrats a pass on this too.

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    • Like 1

    I thought it was the Democrats who were spending this money on silly things.

    But this is not really partisan politics; it's about the way Governments of any party have a tendency to spend money unnecessarily, and then complain that they don't have enough. The European Community has been featured in this forum several times; I thought it was time we looked at someone else wasting money.

    As I said earlier, this is a good thread which I will now devote more attention to.

    • Author

    We have a saying in English, "Take care of the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves." Not that $100m is exactly pennies.

    Politicians of all parties in all countries have one feature in common; they judge their own importance by the size of their budget. And we should be fighting that with everything in our power, ridicule being a good weapon. And I don't care if they're Democrat or Republican or Conservative or Labour or Lib-Dem or Bader-Meinhof or the Raving Monster Loony Party; they're all the same.

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    • Like 2
    • Author

    You're being very naive.

    No, not naive. Not one-track either.

    From today's news. I guess unemployment in Serbia trumps unemployment in the US.crazy.gif

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    U.S. Ready to Spend Up to $300,000 for ‘Workforce Development’--In Serbia
    April 8, 2013
    By Jon Street
    (CNSNews.com) – The U.S. State Department, through the Agency for International Development (USAID), has announced that it will award up to $300,000 for “workforce development” in Serbia.
    The Republic of Serbia is in southeastern Europe, north of Greece and surrounded by Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Croatia and Macedonia. It has a population of 7.26 million.
    • Author

    From today's news. I guess unemployment in Serbia trumps unemployment in the US.crazy.gif

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    U.S. Ready to Spend Up to $300,000 for ‘Workforce Development’--In Serbia
    April 8, 2013
    By Jon Street
    (CNSNews.com) – The U.S. State Department, through the Agency for International Development (USAID), has announced that it will award up to $300,000 for “workforce development” in Serbia.
    The Republic of Serbia is in southeastern Europe, north of Greece and surrounded by Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Croatia and Macedonia. It has a population of 7.26 million.

    Too little..... or too much?

    For utter incompetence and stupidity look no further than the aid money thrown at Egypt and Pakistan, both of whom absolutely detest the U.S. and all it stands for. The aid figure for Egypt alone is an annual $1.5 billion, which buys you a lot of asteroids.

    From today's news. I guess unemployment in Serbia trumps unemployment in the US.crazy.gif

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    U.S. Ready to Spend Up to $300,000 for ‘Workforce Development’--In Serbia
    April 8, 2013
    By Jon Street
    (CNSNews.com) – The U.S. State Department, through the Agency for International Development (USAID), has announced that it will award up to $300,000 for “workforce development” in Serbia.
    The Republic of Serbia is in southeastern Europe, north of Greece and surrounded by Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Croatia and Macedonia. It has a population of 7.26 million.

    Too little..... or too much?

    $300,000 too much.

    Today's latest on federal government fiscal idiocy.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Safe from Sequester: $704,198 for Gardening at NATO Ambassador’s Home
    April 9, 2013
    By Elizabeth Harrington
    (CNSNews.com) - Just over a week after sequestration took effect, the State Department allotted more than $700,000 for gardening at a U.S. Ambassador’s residence in Brussels, Belgium.
    On March 11, State awarded a contract to provide gardening services at an “official residence” of the U.S. Mission in Belgium.
    A State Department spokesperson confirmed to CNSNews.com that the contract is for Truman Hall, a historic property that serves at the residence of the Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The current U.S. ambassador to NATO is Ivo H. Daalder, who was appointed by President Barack Obama in May 2009.

    Two articles today. One small and one larger. The good thing is we will finally find Bruce Wayne's bat cave. cheesy.gif

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    National Park Service to Spend $40,000 Looking for Bat Caves in California

    http://cnsnews.com/news/article/national-park-service-spend-40000-looking-bat-caves-california

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DOJ Spent $58M on Conferences in FY 2012

    http://cnsnews.com/news/article/doj-spent-58m-conferences-fy-2012

    Studying asteroids by capturing one is the kind of research that may save our species! w00t.gif Is that worth some money to y'all? If not, I think that is very sad.

    Studying asteroids by capturing one is the kind of research that may save our species! w00t.gif Is that worth some money to y'all? If not, I think that is very sad.

    I've got no problem with it, but I'd rather they use a tractor beam. Anyway, when is chuckd going to start digging in to that defense budget? That's where the real waste/pork lies.

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    • Like 1

    I just post what pops up on the Drudge report daily. When they have something from DOD I will be happy to post it.

    In the meantime, here is a business opportunity for any of our Scot friends that are in the bagpipe business.

    Homeland Security needs a large supply of bagpipes. Maybe they are going to use them to protect our borders in case of an attack by the North Koreans.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    77--Bagpipe and Drum Supplies
    Solicitation Number: PR20074261
    Agency: Department of Homeland Security
    Office: Customs and Border Protection
    Location: Procurement Directorate - DC

    Partial list only...

    The DHS Customs and Border Protection requires the following items, Brand Name or Equal, to the following:
    LI 001: Carbon Bagpipe Drone Reed Set, 5, EA;
    LI 002: Bagpipe Chanter Reeds-Easy, 12, EA;
    LI 003: Bagpipe Chanter Reeds-Medium, 12, EA;
    LI 004: Deluxe Bagpipe Bag Covers w/ Non-slip Grap Patch and Zipper, 5, EA;
    LI 005: Drone Cords, 5, EA;
    LI 006: Highland Bagpipe Tuner and Metronome with cases, 2, EA;
    LI 007: Combination Tuner and Metronome, 6, EA;
    LI 008: Black Polypenco Bagpipes w/ cases, 10, EA;
    LI 009: Polypenco Bagpipe Chanter, 10, EA;
    LI 010: Bellows Blown Blackwood Smallpipes in "A" w/ cases, 4, EA;

    Most taxpayers, after all, would likely question some of the recent DOD funded research

    such as the determination of the colors of the feathers of prehistoric birds. Likewise, our

    soldiers in combat would benefit more from the development of technologies to detect and

    defeat improvised explosive devices (IEDs) than the creation of a smart phone app to alert users

    when to take a coffee break. While these discoveries may be scientifically intriguing, they do

    not enhance the technological superiority of our soldiers or improve the defense of our nation.

    http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/11/did-jesus-die-klingons-too-and-other-pentagon-projects

    Undoubtedly Herr Naam will take the partisan view on the Klingon pork spending.

    http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=00783b5a-f0fe-4f80-90d6-019695e52d2d

    • 2 weeks later...

    Drudge is back at work. These are from today.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    IRS issued billions in improper refunds, report says
    Posted by Josh Hicks on April 24, 2013 at 6:00 am
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Feds spend at least $890,000 on fees for empty accounts
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Gov’t Spending $152,500 to Study Voice Therapy for Transgenders
    April 23, 2013
    By Elizabeth Harrington
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ...and finally...
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Woman Calls 911, Asks Police For Help Getting Refund From Her Drug Dealer
    The interesting thing about this link is the woman is on Social Security Disability and is using tax money to fund her drug habit.

    Here's one from the DOD. Congress at fault on this one...again. Pork barrel politics at its finest.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ARMY SAYS NO TO MORE TANKS, BUT CONGRESS INSISTS
    BY RICHARD LARDNER
    ASSOCIATED PRESS
    WASHINGTON (AP) -- Built to dominate the enemy in combat, the Army's hulking Abrams tank is proving equally hard to beat in a budget battle.
    Lawmakers from both parties have devoted nearly half a billion dollars in taxpayer money over the past two years to build improved versions of the 70-ton Abrams.
    But senior Army officials have said repeatedly, "No thanks."

    As for the OP, well yes because nothing useful ever came out of the space program or the shuttles or space station and science is such a waste of time.

    • Author

    As for the OP, well yes because nothing useful ever came out of the space program or the shuttles or space station and science is such a waste of time.

    If you hadn't added the last bit, I would have believed you.

    As for the OP, well yes because nothing useful ever came out of the space program or the shuttles or space station and science is such a waste of time.

    If you hadn't added the last bit, I would have believed you.

    Many things have come out of the various military-funded projects that would never otherwise have seen the light of day.

    In the late fifties (must have been 1958/59) I was working in the GEC Research Labs in Wembley on klystrons for advanced radar development. We were hand-making them in various phases and trying to get a factory system going. But we produced only a dozen a day. Now they are the very heart of microwave cookers and are produced in their thousands. Without me you would not have microwave ovens - same as without Maggie Thatcher you would not have soft ice-cream (Mr Whiipy)(SBK please note).

    DuPont developed polytetrafluoroethylene for military use long before it was called Teflon and used to line cooking pans. I used PTFE on the fabric panels on the roof of Swampy airport. The outer and inner panels are woven glass-fibre with a coating of Teflon. The reason the inner (silver) panels are so shitty is that when the basic fabric - the glass-fibre weave - was coated, the coating machine was out-of-line by less than a millimetre, but when the fabric went back for other treatments it was straightened again and thus took on unmatched secondary coatings. We offered to change the linings, but the Airport Authority and Main (Japanese) Contractor refused the fix, just refused to pay for the 'damaged' panels. So one sees a poor internal roof, where there could have been a very smart roof. Our materials and processes had all been developed originally for military purposes.

    Seems irony goes over isanbirder's head. google is your friend, my friend.

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