Misplaced Pages

Government waste: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 18:04, 14 June 2015 editAlextejthompson (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers100,189 edits →Proposed solutions: SpacingTags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit← Previous edit Revision as of 07:45, 15 June 2015 edit undoArthur Rubin (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Rollbackers130,168 edits Undid revision 666934266 by Rubbish computer (talk) spacingNext edit →
Line 12: Line 12:


==Proposed solutions== ==Proposed solutions==
] and ] have proposed various reforms to the process of government spending: One of these is simply to limit the amount of money that the government spends.<ref name="heritage">{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2009/10/50-examples-of-government-waste |title=50 Examples of Government Waste |publisher=Heritage.org |date=2009-10-06 |accessdate=2013-10-21}}</ref> A second reform would be to increase government oversight.<ref name="heritage" /> A third proposal is to implement ]. This latter approach was satirized in a 1990 column by ] writer ]: ] and ] have proposed various reforms to the process of government spending: One of these is simply to limit the amount of money that the government spends.<ref name="heritage">{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2009/10/50-examples-of-government-waste |title=50 Examples of Government Waste |publisher=Heritage.org |date=2009-10-06 |accessdate=2013-10-21}}</ref> A second reform would be to increase government oversight.<ref name="heritage" /> A third proposal is to implement ]. This latter approach was satirized in a 1990 column by ] writer ]:
"I have no doubt that the public, with its strongly satirical view of Federal spending, would send in so many tax returns marked ''Use for $600 toilet seats only'' that the Pentagon would soon have to distribute overpriced toilet seats free to the homeless, as the Agriculture Department once had to give away cheese to make storage space available for more excess cheese being bought with the taxpayer's famous dollar."<ref>{{cite web|author=Russell BakerPublished: July 25, 1990 |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/25/opinion/observer-taxpayers-choice.html |title=Taxpayers' Choice The New York Times |publisher=Nytimes.com |date=1990-07-25 |accessdate=2013-10-21}}</ref> "I have no doubt that the public, with its strongly satirical view of Federal spending, would send in so many tax returns marked ''Use for $600 toilet seats only'' that the Pentagon would soon have to distribute overpriced toilet seats free to the homeless, as the Agriculture Department once had to give away cheese to make storage space available for more excess cheese being bought with the taxpayer's famous dollar."<ref>{{cite web|author=Russell BakerPublished: July 25, 1990 |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/25/opinion/observer-taxpayers-choice.html |title=Taxpayers' Choice The New York Times |publisher=Nytimes.com |date=1990-07-25 |accessdate=2013-10-21}}</ref>


Revision as of 07:45, 15 June 2015

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
Globe icon.The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. (May 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. (January 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (January 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
(Learn how and when to remove this message)

Government waste is the opinion that the government does not spend money in an acceptable manner.

Overview

David Maris wrote, "one of the key problems with government funding of certain studies the investment is with taxpayer dollars and the benefit might be only to a few". Describing his opposition of some government funding for scientific research on studies he views as frivolous, he writes, "Scientists often rally quickly to attack anyone who thinks of reducing public funding of science – they do this under the idea that if you don’t want to fund finding answers, you must be a luddite – you must be against science and progress. I am not. I simply think that there are so many very good ideas to study, but limited money and other higher priorities."

David Boaz of the libertarian Cato Institute opposes governmental decision-making because the obligation to pay taxes is distinct from the decision as to their expenditure on specific budget items. He writes, "We're not asked 'will you pay $100 right now for farm subsidies and $4000 for Medicaid and $1600 for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and $130 for a new presidential helicopter and ... ?' If we did get such a question, we might well decide that lots of government programs were not well worth the money to the people who would be paying the money."

Proposed solutions

Conservatives and libertarians have proposed various reforms to the process of government spending: One of these is simply to limit the amount of money that the government spends. A second reform would be to increase government oversight. A third proposal is to implement tax choice. This latter approach was satirized in a 1990 column by New York Times writer Russell Baker: "I have no doubt that the public, with its strongly satirical view of Federal spending, would send in so many tax returns marked Use for $600 toilet seats only that the Pentagon would soon have to distribute overpriced toilet seats free to the homeless, as the Agriculture Department once had to give away cheese to make storage space available for more excess cheese being bought with the taxpayer's famous dollar."

Examples

  • Massages for rabbits
  • Meditation for hot flashes
  • Tax breaks for NFL teams

Some purported examples of government waste are merely urban legends, such as the "million dollar" Space Pen purchased by NASA for $6 each.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Government Waste: Science Spending Includes Massages For Rabbits, Meditation For Hot Flashes". Forbes.com. 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  2. "Well Worth the Money". Cato.org. 2011-08-22. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  3. ^ "50 Examples of Government Waste". Heritage.org. 2009-10-06. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  4. Russell BakerPublished: July 25, 1990 (1990-07-25). "Taxpayers' Choice The New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2013-10-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. "Report on government waste cites 'robosquirrels,' tax breaks for NFL". Cnn.com. Retrieved 2013-10-21.

Additional reading

Categories: