A Government of Waste

Suppose you leave your garbage can open starting tonight? Do you think maybe a few critters will dive in?

Your government does the equivalent. Only it’s a bin of money. Yours, if you pay taxes. And the word has spread that the lid’s off the bin.

So say the government’s auditors. They looked at our program for helping our working poor — our earned-income tax credit program. (That is a polite way of saying “handout program.” People get tax refunds from the IRS — refunds of money they never paid into the system. Pennies and more from the heaven known as Washington, DC.)

The auditors happened to detect a problem. Government pays $10 to the poor, but $3 is a mistake. The Treasury inspector general reckons the figure is closer to $4. Or, maybe $5.

That’s right, maybe half the money the government doles out in this program is a goof-up. Paid to someone who does not qualify. Or, to a fraud. Or, to a dead person. Or, to the family dog.

Meanwhile, the White House and many in Congress call for more handouts. They insist we need to dramatically expand the earned-income tax credit program. 

They are like the guys who pay $1 each for a truckload of watermelons. They sell them for 89 cents per load. At the end of the week, they realize they have lost money. Their solution for next week is to buy two truckloads.

The watermelon guys are in a joke. Whereas the government guys are … well, I guess they are in a joke too.

There are many such laughs in Washington. The Medicare and Medicaid programs leak like sieves. As do most others. Social Security’s disability program is a joke. Millions collect for disabilities they do not have. And, even Warren Buffett could qualify for food stamps.

What kind of politicians can look at programs so fat with corruption and waste and figure they need more bucks? 

Don’t you with wish your parents and teachers would have had their standards? You would have won B-pluses for getting half the answers right. 

How do you suppose a Government Symphony might sound? Hey, the violins got half the notes right tonight.

Imagine a government airline. “Well folks, we’ve begun our descent into Seattle, I think. I have a bet with the co-pilot that it’s Seattle. He thinks Portland. And the cabin crew believes it’s Spokane, but what do they know?”

Does it trouble you that government wastes so much money? It frightens me that nobody in Washington seems to care. You don’t hear about attack dogs in Washington intent on rooting out waste. 

Instead government auditors say “…the federal government is unable to determine the full extent to which improper payments occur and reasonably assure that appropriate actions are taken to reduce them.” Do they sound like fightin’ words?

These guys may as well run white flags up their poles. They could proudly proclaim their department motto is “Oh well.” 

They hold hands with the guys who run other government messes. The IRS punishes conservative organizations? “We will get to the bottom of this scandal!” The Veterans Administration mistreats patients big time? “We will get to the bottom of this scandal!” Benghazi is a nightmare? “We will get to …” Our Secret Service turns into a hooker hangout? “We will …” 

Does anybody care? Are there any adults at home? 

All this poisons the well for government spending. It is right that government should try to help those of us in need. But when the programs for this bleed money, you cannot blame folks for damning all government spending.

From Tom...as in Morgan.        

Tom Morgan writes about political, financial, and other subjects from his home near Oneonta, in addition to his radio shows and TV show. Contact him at tomasinmorgan@yahoo.com