What do you think is the biggest waste of money?

[kelroy55]

How about the war on poverty? LBJ started the war, and its only gotten worse after trillions and trillions spent

I don't think of it as a waste of money and I believe it could have been managed better but it was a government program...........

A recent study from economists at Columbia broke down changes in poverty before and after the government gets involved in the form of taxes and transfers, and found that, when you take government intervention into account, poverty is down considerably from 1967 to 2012, from 26 percent to 16 percent:

In fact, without government programs, poverty would have actually increased over the period in question. Government action is literally the only reason we have less poverty in 2012 than we did in 1967.

What's more, we can directly attribute this to programs created or expanded during the war on poverty. In 2012, food stamps (since renamed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) alone kept 4 million people out of poverty:


Much more at Everything you need to know about the war on poverty - The Washington Post

[OKCretro]

so since it was a gov't program we should expect corruption, wasteful spending and mismanagement?

I hold the gov't more accountable than just to say, "its just the gov't being the gov't"

[kelroy55]

so since it was a gov't program we should expect corruption, wasteful spending and mismanagement?

I hold the gov't more accountable than just to say, "its just the gov't being the gov't"

I don't believe I said anything about corruption did I? Government programs have a history of wasteful spending and often times mismanaged and no that should not happen but it does, the DoD is a good example. Government should be held accountable but rarely is.

[ctchandler]

I remember reading that the total waste of spending really only comes in three areas military, healthcare and social security. Everything else is too small to notice if we cut.

I enjoyed that puzzle from the New York Times about balancing the budget. It was hard and I can see why people in power would be afraid to cut anything from health care, military or social security. They might as well lose all older generation votes.

FighttheGoodFight,
Please explain to me how Social Security is a big "waste" of money. My late wife and I paid in excess of $200,000 and our companys matched that and there is no way I will ever get that amount back. If the money wasn't going into the general fund, and was at least drawing money market interest, the system wouldn't be in the shape it's in. Please don't blame me for simply wanting an average return, or at least what I paid in to the system. The massive debt is due to congress that spends the money intended for Social Security on pork.
C. T.

[TaoMaas]

I'm going to re-submit my vote for middle management. Some are good...but most are bad. I believe that it's the biggest stumbling block to America re-asserting it's dominance in the production of consumer products. We have too many people in the middle who are simply trying to cover their ass...as opposed to doing what's best for the overall product.

[ctchandler]

I'm going to re-submit my vote for middle management. Some are good...but most are bad. I believe that it's the biggest stumbling block to America re-asserting it's dominance in the production of consumer products. We have too many people in the middle who are simply trying to cover their ass...as opposed to doing what's best for the overall product.

TaoMaas,
What is your definition of "Middle Management"? Just wondering. I'm not really sure what it is, project leaders (supervisors), managers, directors, vice presidents (I assume that vps are upper management).
C. T.

[FighttheGoodFight]

FighttheGoodFight,
Please explain to me how Social Security is a big "waste" of money. My late wife and I paid in excess of $200,000 and our companys matched that and there is no way I will ever get that amount back. If the money wasn't going into the general fund, and was at least drawing money market interest, the system wouldn't be in the shape it's in. Please don't blame me for simply wanting an average return, or at least what I paid in to the system. The massive debt is due to congress that spends the money intended for Social Security on pork.
C. T.

I apologize as I feel I wrote that incorrectly. I do not think that military, social security or healthcare are wastes of spending. I meant to say that they are the three largest areas that would make a balanced budget possible if cut in certain ways. Wasteful no. In need of future reform Yes.

My mistake C.T.

[Bellaboo]

Food. Food is not cheap; we cook too much, eat too much and throw too much away. At least that's my experience.

[Bullbear]

10 Commandment monuments on capital grounds

[ctchandler]

I apologize as I feel I wrote that incorrectly. I do not think that military, social security or healthcare are wastes of spending. I meant to say that they are the three largest areas that would make a balanced budget possible if cut in certain ways. Wasteful no. In need of future reform Yes.

My mistake C.T.

FighttheGoodFight,
Personally, I don't believe Social Security should have been implemented. And I feel the same Medicare/Medicaid (added in 1966) and as far as I know, my Social Security contributions didn't go up, and how about the COLA? Since 1975, a COLA has been applied and as a contributing member, I didn't pay anymore for it. Then, along came Medicare part "D", another thing I didn't pay for. You can't continue to add options/benefits without increasing the cost of participating. They did however, lower the tax for SS by 1.45 percent and created a line on my paycheck for Medicare and it was 1.45 percent (and my company's contribution was 1.45 percent as well).
C. T.

[ctchandler]

Food. Food is not cheap; we cook too much, eat too much and throw too much away. At least that's my experience.

Bellaboo,
Just move to Seattle where a new law is going to tax/fine/penalize people that throw away more than 10 percent of their food. Don't ask me how they will know what 10 percent is.
C. T.

[Mel]

Bellaboo,
Just move to Seattle where a new law is going to tax/fine/penalize people that throw away more than 10 percent of their food. Don't ask me how they will know what 10 percent is.
C. T.

Garbage police. Have one officer ride on the back of every waste retrieval truck.

[ctchandler]

Garbage police. Have one officer ride on the back of every waste retrieval truck.

Mel,
At least we are on topic, after all, garbage is waste isn't it? By the way, maybe Sid will chime in and validate/correct my understanding of what they are doing in Seattle. I did hear one interesting point, since the authorities are required to get a warrant to search your trash, how is the city going to search it for wasted food? Just wondering...
C. T.

[ctchandler]

FighttheGoodFight,
Personally, I don't believe Social Security should have been implemented. And I feel the same Medicare/Medicaid (added in 1966) and as far as I know, my Social Security contributions didn't go up, and how about the COLA? Since 1975, a COLA has been applied and as a contributing member, I didn't pay anymore for it. Then, along came Medicare part "D", another thing I didn't pay for. You can't continue to add options/benefits without increasing the cost of participating. They did however, lower the tax for SS by 1.45 percent and created a line on my paycheck for Medicare and it was 1.45 percent (and my company's contribution was 1.45 percent as well).
C. T.

I thought I would reply to my post and mention that as much as I disagree with the SS in general, I don't turn down anything they offer. I'm not "totally" stupid. I tried to prepare for retirement and one thing I was certain I would have to pay for is medications, well, George W. gets a law passed to assist me in my substantial medication bills. I don't turn down the COLAs either and of course, I my wife and I did contribute a lot of money to SS, so I/we earned it, and welcome it. If SS hadn't been here, I would have prepared for retirement by investing more than I did in things like IRAs and private investments. By the way, this is not political, I just believe people should be responsible for their retirement and forced contributions by the government never did sit too well with me.
C. T.

[turnpup]

I thought I would reply to my post and mention that as much as I disagree with the SS in general, I don't turn down anything they offer. I'm not "totally" stupid. I tried to prepare for retirement and one thing I was certain I would have to pay for is medications, well, George W. gets a law passed to assist me in my substantial medication bills. I don't turn down the COLAs either and of course, I my wife and I did contribute a lot of money to SS, so I/we earned it, and welcome it. If SS hadn't been here, I would have prepared for retirement by investing more than I did in things like IRAs and private investments. By the way, this is not political, I just believe people should be responsible for their retirement and forced contributions by the government never did sit too well with me.
C. T.

Remember, CT, that is YOUR money. You're not being given, in the sense of a gift or charity, anything at all. You worked all those years and that money was withheld from your check. Your employers were required to keep back and pay in an equal amount on your behalf. It's yours, free and clear. It's a shame we can't get back all we paid in, and that we can't get a return on our investment. I won't be eligible for many years, and wonder what the state of affairs will be like when it's my time.

[ctchandler]

Remember, CT, that is YOUR money. You're not being given, in the sense of a gift or charity, anything at all. You worked all those years and that money was withheld from your check. Your employers were required to keep back and pay in an equal amount on your behalf. It's yours, free and clear. It's a shame we can't get back all we paid in, and that we can't get a return on our investment. I won't be eligible for many years, and wonder what the state of affairs will be like when it's my time.

Turnpup,
I totally agree, I just disagree with the concept of money taken out of my check for "my own good". I realize I paid it in, and it's mine and I have a right to it as long as I live, but that same amount of money invested would allow me to leave anything left to my sons when I die. However, I didn't pay for the COLAs, the prescription drug (Medicare part D) and really, I didn't pay for Medicare at all, they just allocate a portion of the Social Security deduction to Medicare.
C. T.

[turnpup]

Right there with ya. But that's what the government does best. Stuff for "our own good" and all.