As the American debt approaches 20 trillion dollars, Congress continues to spend money like Charlie Sheen in Amsterdam.
Senator James Lankford yesterday released Federal Fumbles, a list of Government programs topping $105 billion dollars of ridiculous spending. While it may seem like just a drop in the bucket in the scheme of a Federal Budget, it’s 20% of the Budget Deficit. It’s also the combined net worth of Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.
I also believe the only people who would complain about these programs being eliminated, are the ones receiving the money. That includes Donald Trump, who stands to receive a $40 million dollar tax break for turning the Post Office into a luxury hotel. From ABC News:
It also happens to call out one presidential hopeful: real estate magnate Donald Trump, whose new hotel project in Washington, D.C., housed in the Old Post Office Building, is the recipient of a tax credit for historic structures to the tune of $40 million.
“While the lucky guests of this palatial hotel will be awestruck by its glitz and glamour, taxpayers are unlikely to be amused that they helped foot the bill through a $40 million tax credit thanks to the National Historic Tax Credit,” Lankford wrote.
It seems to me the conversion should be a lot cheaper, since people have been sleeping inside Post Offices for years.
It’s also interesting to put Trump’s stake in perspective: if he were to be elected President, and re-elected in 2020, his take home (provided he didn’t spend it all and wind up broke like the Clintons) would be a paltry $3.2 million. Despite a salary solidly in the top 1%, and unimaginable perks, his most profitable activity in the White House would be insuring that his tax breaks weren’t cut out of the budget by an overzealous Congress.
Also included in the budget is $375 thousand for studying the dating habits of seniors; which seems reasonable considereing that you probably couldn’t pay me enough. From The Washington Times:
The dating habits of America’s seniors might be of interest to online matchmakers and certain pharmaceutical companies, but Sen. James Lankford wants to know why the federal government felt it needed to get involved — to the tune of nearly $375,000 — to conduct its own study.
My personal favorite is the $48,810 spent on solar cells for breweries. Page 62:
Last year, USDA took the association of sun and suds to an entirely new level. In 2014 , USDA awarded a $35,000 grant to install solar panels at a brewery in northern Michigan, which will support seven percent of their annual energy needs. In 2015 a $13,810 grant was awarded to a Wyoming brewery, also to install a solar panel
Even if you believe that Global Warming is going to destroy the planet, you have to wonder if there’s any net gain. Certainly any minuscule ampount of CO2 kept out of the atmosphere by adding a few to solar panels, will be put right back in when the beer is opened. Not to mention: Methane is many times more deadly to the climate, and a common emission of beer drinkers.
Expenditures like these are the reason why fewer and fewer Americans get upset when a budget stalemate triggers a Government shut down. Because even in the absence of the Federal Government, seniors will still date, beer will be brewed, and people will someday sleep on 400 thread count sheets in Donald Trump’s post office.