Senator Tom Coburn's Report on Government Waste... This is Funny

I didn't know it existed, but Tom Coburn's 2011 Wastebook (I'm assuming this is a yearly thing) is worth the read.

It can be found on his website here: http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/6946d43b-bccf-4579-990e-15a763532b40.html

Follow this link to get to the actual report: http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public//index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=b69a6ebd-7ebe-41b7-bb03-c25a5e194365

First, let me start by reviewing a few staggering numbers:

The government spent approximately $3,818,800,000,000 (yes, that's TRILLIONS) in 2011. Breaking that down, it equates to:

$10,462,465,753 per day

$435,936,073 per hour

$7,265,601 per minute

$121,093 per second

This comical report (the narrative is comical, the amount of government waste is not) highlights 100 wasteful or duplicative government-funded projects in 2011 totaling $6.9 billion. To put that in to perspective, granted, $6.9 billion would only cover about 15 hours and 49 minutes of government spending. But, with approximately 160,000,000 taxpayers in the U.S., cutting $6.9 billion equals about $43 in savings per person. Say, wasn't Obama asking taxpayers how much an extra $40 would mean to them??? Sure, he was referring to $40 per pay period (every two weeks), so 26 total pay periods of $6.9 billion in cuts equals $179 billion, or $1,121 per taxpayer. I'm sure the government can easily cut $179 billion (4.7%) yearly from its over-bloated $3,818,800,000,000 budget. Heck, if one congressperson alone found $6.9 billion in wasteful spending, imagine what 535 of them could do!

Anyway, I read the entire report and like I said, not only is it worth the read for entertainment purposes, but every concerned taxpayer should read it. My top 5 favorite wasteful government projects:

#5 (report page 55): Air Force Academy Builds "Stonehenge-like Worship Center - (CO) - $51,474
          - Yes, definitely important!

#4 (report page 22): Rockin' Robins: Study Looks for Connections Between Cocaine and Risky Sex Habits of Quail - (KY) - $175,587
          - This is a no brainer; we don't want the sex lives of cocaine-addicted quail to get crazy now.

#3 (report page 14): Remake of "Sesame Street" for Pakistan - (U.S. Agency for International Development) - $10 million
          - Perhaps they didn't notice we were coming for Bin Laden because they were too busy watching Sesame Street?

#2 (report page 47): Taxpayer-Funded Snow Cones for Emergencies (and Promotions) - $6,279
          - From the report: "According to the Michigan state government, the Snow Cone ice-making machines were intended to assist with treating heat exhaustion and other illnesses during large events (including possible terrorist incidents or similar emergencies). WHAT!? FEMA or DHS will be handing out snow cones if a terrorist strikes Michigan? Oh boy...

#1 (report page 7): Paying for Pancakes - (D.C.) - $765,828
          - I've heard of living off government "cheese," but pancakes? I don't like this; I prefer waffles!

Hopefully everyone reads through this report. It really should be passed on; I know I had a good laugh. Coburn's pictures are well-selected, too. Give your favorite wasteful projects in the comments section below. Be sure to tell a friend. Thanks!

Oh yah, in the time it took to read this, the government wasted $21,796,803 on snow cones and Sesame Street. Just thought I'd let you know!