Billions of dollars lost by clueless government decision makers.
What do you think America could do with an extra $500 million? Cut taxes, build better roads that last, create jobs for disabled veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Well, don’t waste any time thinking about it because the $500 million has already been spent by a government that never misses an opportunity to waste money. This particular half-billion dollars was spent on job training for people wanting to enter the new “green economy.” Environmentalists were doing cartwheels over this decision, but as it turned out, it was another huge waste of funds that could have been spent on important things.
When all was said and done, there were not nearly enough “green” jobs for these trainees to take. The government vastly overestimated the number of jobs that would be available in the “green” arena, and so only about one-half of the trainees were able to land jobs, many of which were not technically green jobs.
A spokesperson for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said that programs such as these were created before there was a clear indication of how many green jobs would exist.
“Basically, this is what can happen when you fund large programs amid much uncertainty and when there’s too little data available,” said Mark Muro, senior fellow and policy director for the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program.
So, once again, the Obama Administration takes a cause that it likes – in this case, growing the green job sector – and rushes into spending a bunch of money that in essence ended up being thrown away. Five hundred million dollars, down the drain.
And of course, this is just one of many examples of this administration’s poor decisions that cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Fisker Automotive of California was deemed worthy of $200 million worth of taxpayers dollars because it was manufacturing the plug-in electric cars that the administration likes. But then the company came very close to declaring bankruptcy.
Another $150 million in federal funds and $175 million in tax breaks went to the LG Chem battery plant, but basically their workers have been paid to sit around and do nothing due to the lack of sales of the Chevy Volt. And, of course, there is Solyndra, a solar panel manufacturer that received $530 million from the Energy Department and has since filed for bankruptcy.
As Paul Chesser, an associate fellow at the National Legal and Policy Center, said, “The GAO report is just more evidence that the administration has no clue what drives a successful economy and job growth.”
Gee, I wonder why this country is $17 trillion in debt.
Does the incredible waste of money that this administration is responsible for bother you? If so, please let me know.
Since the early 1960’s we have been brainwashing our children into believing they could avoid responsibility and that the ‘government’ would come to their rescue if they screwed up their lives. The result of that education policy is bearing fruit. What happened to Greece is only a preamble to what will happen here when our government defaults on it’s loans. As Mao said “power grows out of the barrel of a gun”. Our government is currently establishing it’s position as enemy of the citizenry. The Department of Homeland security has on order 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition, some of it hollow point ammunition which has been banned for use in war. during the top ammunition usage months in the Iraq war we used 6,000,000 rounds per month. 1.6 billion rounds could sustain a 22.6 year war at that rate. Who exactly is “Homeland Security” going to shoot?
17 trillon? It’s more like 19.2 trillon. Just checked it this morning. We’re acquiring debt at a stagering rate. Why people some people think this is sustainable is beyond me. My wife and I are selling the extra crap we have and paying off our personal debt. No credit card debt or motgage. Last year we started growing our own food and I’ve taken up hunting. If I can shoot it or grow it… I can eat. My biggest concern is that things will fail before I’m ready. Although I’m not sure anyone can ever be ready for the kind of trouble we could be facing. Good luck to all of you and God bless.
I know of a solution to all the above complaints. Look at the world and all that bothers humanity. Read Matthew 24 (In the Bible!!). Can’t you see?? Jesus is coming soon to take those who look for Him to a place where there is NO corruption, no crime, no wars, no famine, no abuse, no sickness, no pain
no complaining, ever again. Stop worrying about the bad things happening here and prepare to meet your Maker in peace! Trust Jesus.
It may be time to do the “unthinkable”, which is to vote Libertarian. They have something to offer ‘both’, liberals AND conservatives. (Although they need to change their position on protecting our borders).
What’s the big deal — it is only money If they need more all they have to do is print more of it. There is nothing like our Representatives showing their constituents and the country that they are thinking about our well being – right? I mean don’t you get a warm fuzzy feeling deep down that someone is looking out for your best interest? So what that these representatives really didn’t think it through. So what the massive amount of money went down the drain; all they have to do is ask for more and cut a cheque. After all, they are working for your best interest. It just goes to prove that they that their ideas have some merit to it – – – or does it.
What you have is a Government representative with his and her own special hidden agenda. They get things started and off the ground in the hopes that it will take on a life of its own and prove out to be a winner. But when it looks like it is going to crash these men and women throw more money at their special project(s) with what is termed in the Government :Use it or Lose it’ funds. What this means is that the fiscal financial year for the Government is October 1. If the funding for their special projects is not used up they will lose that amount and when it comes to refund the project it will be done with the money that it had used. If on the other hand the special project needs more money, well then they can make a request, prove that there is a need for the added funds and then the money will be provided for the up and coming new year.
It doesn’t matter how stupid the project is or how wasteful the project or the company in charge is; it is a win-win for the Government in any case. If the company goes belly-up the funding is written off as a tax write off and you can’t find a soul taking responsibility for the failure. If on the other hand the company or special project becomes successful then you will start to see all sorts of public officials taking credit for the special project – all the way up to the President of the United States.
This is the problem with our government, no one is willing to accept the bad or poor choices that they make. I never heard one person ever accept responsibility for a failed idea or project. These same people are willing to throw good money after bad; again without any accountability or responsibility. Furthermore, these people think the rest of the people in this country are all IDIOTS and will soon forget what their representatives did to them. As long as these representatives can cast any doubt or misdirect and or alter the truth in any way – well, these representatives have a chance of wiggling out from their misdeeds and mistakes.
The sad thing is – – – we let them get away with it to. It encourages them to behave this way. Before we hold them accountable, perhaps we should take a lesson for the same page and hold ourselves to the same standards, hold ourselves accountable for our representatives by keeping our eyes on them and making sure that they hold true to what we need and want these representatives to do for us. Food for thought.
Please tell us how can we vote to stop all this crazy going nowhere projects.
Where were all you people at when Bush was sending our young men and women to a bullshit war. A war that was built on lies, get your heads out of ass, at least he brought most of them home.
Was it a bullshit war? The chemical weapons (weapons of mass destruction) have been found in neighboring countries. You call it bullshit because they were hidden and not found by us? Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there. Maybe you should get your head out of your ass and do a bit more studying. That is all.
A glass belly button is the only he can see.
A BS war? I don’t think so! Further to the correct observation about the WMDs (ask the Kurds!), we had that war won, lock stock and barrel. The Iraqi’s were conducting elections, they were on board for defeating the enemies in their midst and had even established a coalition government But, based on political considerations, the muscle needed to nurture and protect this fragile political entity was removed so instead of a quasi democracy in the midst of a theocratic morass, a vacuum was created with results daily documented in the headlines of our newspapers.
It’s NOT the government’s job to get involved in programs like this anyway. It has been proven time and time again that when private enterprise gets involved, things start popping. Jobs are created and the economy zooms. So it is the business of private enterprise to get involved in “green” jobs, NOT the government. All that money wasted would have been put to good use by private industry because private industry has, and watches, a budget. If it doesn’t stay in the black, it goes down the tubes… WITHOUT taking public tax money with it!! Obama REALLY IS such an idiot that he can’t figure this out. Maybe he should have gone to school.
Those green buisnesses were front companies to pass money to Obama’s freinds and to Democrat campaigns and any program or funding out of this administration is always going to be for those same purposes.
It is all white collar crime organized slavery and indentured servitude America the new Jones Town just line up and drink the FN cool aid because it doesn’t matter who you vote for they lie cheat and steal they serve no help or reliance just cool aid drink up or maybe we’ll finely stand up as a real United States and throw all of them out it would tough for a while but maybe our grandchildren might still have chance at free America because all the mangment has sold us out for a quick buck not a united future and that’s all I have to say about that
So what are you saying? I didn’t get the gist of your words.
If I knew what corps or businesses attended the fools fundraisers I could try to avoid spending money with them. These people feed his fire I wonder if they are really Americans. I would love for our president to find an empty room next time he throws throws one if his balls.
EXACTLY! We… ALL of us… need to boycott the creeps who get involved in crap like this.
The sad part of the whole mess is that I don’t think a single one of the elected people in Washington knows anything about finances or budgeting. Common sense would tell them that you can’t spend your way out of debt.
How many times have you or someone you know voted for a candidate because of the people running they were the lesser of two evils? Until we get more realistic candidates it is next to impossible to change our situation. People with realistic ideas and goals can’t come up with the megabucks it takes to buy a congressional seat.
Unfortunately, most people don’t concern themselves with candidates until after Labor Day in a presidential election year, then complain about having to choose the lesser of two evils. The primaries are where the real elections take place, and not just at the federal level.
If you want a quality candidate for senator, governor, or president, you have to start 10 to 20 years earlier, with the candidates for school board, town council, and county commissioner. You also have to be active in supporting them and getting your neighbors and friends to vote for them. After they are elected, you have to follow their actions and keep them advised of your concerns. And if they don’t address your concerns adequately, replace them with candidates who do.
This takes a lot of time and effort. Most of us have jobs and families, and don’t want to spend the time and effort on top of our other responsibilities. The forces who want to control us (for our own good, because we are too stupid to know what’s best for us) are unceasing in their efforts.
Why do you think it’s “freedom of speech” to shout f**k anywhere and any time you like, but not to proclaim Jesus, because you might offend someone? Why do you think that the words “gay,” “rainbow,” and “marriage” have had their meanings perverted from their former dictionary definitions? Why is supporting the reasonable concept of protecting our national borders and regulating who can enter and stay labeled anti-immingration? Why is demanding someone show an ID at the polls to prove that they are the registered voter they say they are labeled racist? Why is supporting the millenia-old concept that marriage is the union of a man and a woman labeled homophobic? It’s because we, the vast majority of Americans, have preferred to occupy our free time with the Kardashians and America’s Got Talent rather than the things that are truly important to our lives.
Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for the forces of evil to triumph is that good men do nothing.” We have done nothing for far too long. Let’s change that.
Solyndra was simple a payoff for political money being spend on an election
I think it’s too late. I think there is no ousting them now. The large corporations have spent so much money buying our government, there’s no going back. The only ways out I see for this country is either civil war, or the states breaking up as a union and functioning independently, causing a complete breakup of the federal government.
Being from Texas I very much like the idea of breaking the union and create independent states. Lets disassemble federal government. They are useless anyway.
I hear you. I lived in Texas once for a couple of years and couldn’t tolerate the weather so I had to move out, but if you guys do secede, I’ll be BACK!!!
the people in congress are there because we the Americian people voted them in. All the blame rests with us because we as voters continue to elect selve serving incompetent politicians into office. Untill we vote ALL of them out and put in those who will do what is needed to maks this country great this will continue. We hire these people by our vote, they work for us and if they don’t do what we want, why do we keep voting them back into office.
I hate to burst your bubble, but we didn’t vote ANYBODY in… and haven’t done so for years. The elite/cabal select and crown all those candidates who win elections. I’m not just being paranoid either; I have proof, having been involved in the voting process behind the scenes for a number of years. For instance, before Obama “won” the election (the first time and the second time) there were many votes for him inside the DiBold machines BEFORE voting even began. Think about THAT one! Also, many libtards voted more than once in both elections. One man even admitted to a journalist that he voted 16 times in the second Obama elections. And guess what? He was not prosecuted. Not only THAT, but all the votes were counted and remained. None of the duplicate votes were removed from the ballot. And there were MANY people who multi-voted (if there is such a word).
I think we all need to step back and realize the bigger picture: government and big corp. go hand in hand! You wanna stop the irrational government decisions- we first have to take the power away from the big corporations! WE as concerned citizens need to stop spending money!!! Yes it’s that simple! Big corps stocks drop- they lose money- different decisions get made! I could go on for days! But yea- it’s not just the government- there’s plenty of factors other than voting that can change things in this crazy world!
I believe you have a handle on things. It’s spelled B-O-Y-C-O-T-T … and we should all stick together and do it. But we need to find someplace where we can get the absolute essentials for living before boycotting. Some things, we cannot live without. If getting them DIRECTLY from China (through a real Chinese company and not an American company that has moved to China) then so be it. I don’t that will last for long because if the American companies are boycotted by EVERYONE, it should bring them to their knees and help them to make drastic changes in how they do business… by severing their relationship with the government.
Hi, Amy, I agree about big companies corrupting our government but think of why our veterans are not getting the care they need in The V..A. Hospitals, our inner city kids are not being educated in the schools. Why The I.R.S., E.P.A. and the entire govt. doesn’t function is because of Unions which F.D.R. rejected.
Amy, Amy Amy! You and millions of people in this country have got this ALL WRONG. You ALL have been sold a bill of “communist” goods. I will try and spell it out for you. The big “EVIL” corp. are, how many? When it comes to the BIG ones, not many at all. Publicly held, with stockholders that are people just like you & me. They deal with the GOV. because THEY HAVE TO! Microsoft found out the hard way, and the GOV. sued them. Our GOV. has been influenced by communists for many years now, and it is only getting worse. They are clever dangerous people, who say and do everything to further their goal of world dominance. All efforts are aimed at us, the U.S.A. because we are the BIG KAHUNA-take us out & game OVER! The Obama Regime has done, and IS doing everything, by design or accident that will ensure their success. The corp. down to the corner store ALL have to make a profit to survive, at least CORPORATIONS have their stockholders to answer to, when mistakes are made. You and all other like thinkers need to study -Milton Friedman to start.
What happens when this term is up and Obama tells us we are now under martial law and he is still president?
I believe Obama is the last president. We may have a caliphate leader in the US soon. Obama is a muslim and has appointed several muslims, some of whom are members of the muslim brotherhood, to departments of the government. Even the head of the FBI is a muslim. So the US has been infiltrated and has fallen already. People just don’t know it yet. Flying a muslim flag over the Capitol and the White House is the last step in the process and that process is just about finished.
We won’t be under Muslim Brotherhood control until all of us who own and will use guns are disarmed or dead !!
Their seems to be a lot of talk about I don’t like this or I don’t like that, I think this person ought to go, or that person should go. This should happen or that should happen. When do we stop talking and start acting? Most of the people in government are there to line their own pockets and to serve their own agenda, so why don’t we collectively vote everyone out and replace them with a fledgling government. Give them rules to go by or by,by… But then that’s not going to happen, is it?
The voting public put the politicians in and will continue to do so because of their lack of knowledge about our history and current events. The citizens of this country do not know the difference between a politician and statesman. When they know the difference we will get real representation a the local, state and federal level. Voting the self-serving, self-important, and the self-centered politicians out will do no good until the people can elect statesman to replace them. I ask people three simple questions to see if they have the ability to vote. First, what form of government do we have? Second, what is the function of government? Third, where do our rights come from? Less than 10% of the people I ask can answer these simple questions. You ask “When do we stop talking and start acting”, and I think the way to act is to educate yourself to know the who to vote for in the next election. The question is how many more elections will we have. Common Core will destroy the next generation and they will openingly accept slavery.
I couldn’t agree with you more!
Because voting is a joke, that’s why. I can tell you from several years of personal experience in behind-the-scenes voting that the elite/cabal selects and installs officials in the US government.
Did you know that in both of Obama’s elections there were many votes already inside the DiBold machines BEFORE voting even began? And did you read the instances where many libtards voted more than once in both elections? And did you read the news article where one man admitted to journalists that he voted 16 times? Did you know that he was not prosecuted for that? There were no prosecutions for ANY of the people who voted multiple times; nor were the votes discounted. All the multi-votes were counted in both elections. So you see, you cannot vote anyone out or in. The candidates are selected and installed by the elite/cabal. YOU have no say in anything; nor do I.
That’s called a “revolution”
PETER SCHWEITZER’S EXTORTION TELLS HOW DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS EXTRACT MONEY, BUY VOTES AND LINE THEIR OWN POCKETS. WHY DO THEY GET Away with it?
Why is Obama still in office and not impeached? Why is he allowed to continue to do just exactly what he wants to do? Why does congress allow this travesty to continue?
Congress hasn’t the backbone nor the cohones to impeach obama; the truth will be revealed that he’s NOT an American like he’s says. But by then it will be too late!
I know you like to think that Congress is part of a checks and balances safety net, but Congress means nothing now. Surely you have noticed this. Obama does anything he likes at any time he likes. He is the King.
That’s not true….he doesn’t ignore the law. The sad thing is that yours and many other comments above indicate that you either didn’t read the Constitution OR forgot it if you did.
The problem lies not in the balance of power; the problem lies in the fact that everyone is conniving to “get over” on the others through untruths and media manipulation. Obama, yes, has an agenda, which he has attempted to follow. And yes, he’s put in some people whose religion many are angry at right now. But it’s not the religion that is at fault, it’s the cult leaders who have commandeered the religion and turned it into a violent criminal cult culture. And that is only one travesty and tragedy of today’s world. I agree that the corporations are running the country, so what is the solution? I say, both the corporations need to come down in size AND the government needs to come down in size. The gov’t wasn’t meant to be a place for people to hang out and get a paycheck.
Sorry, I disagree. Obama is not a king. He’s a dictator.