Excessive spending evidence dismissed (Pentagon waste)

[Scurrilous]

The Pentagon was warned that it was spending $5,500 for deep-fat fryers and $1,000 for popcorn makers, but dismissed complaints that it was wasting millions in taxpayers' money.

<snip>

"A retired Army Reserve officer complained to the Pentagon's fraud hot line last year that the Defense Department had overpaid for kitchen appliances, paying $1,000 for popcorn makers and toasters and $5,500 for a deep-fat fryer that cost other government agencies $1,919.

Although he provided a four-page spreadsheet showing 135 cases of higher prices, the Defense Department dismissed his tip without checking with him.
"We've got an agency that is not doing its job of being a watchdog for the taxpayers," said U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C.

Documents acquired by Knight Ridder under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that the retired officer, Paul Fellencer Sr., tried to blow the whistle on as much as $200 million in what he called wasteful spending.

At issue is a multibillion-dollar Pentagon purchasing program that uses middlemen who set their own prices, instead of buying directly from manufacturers or going out for competitive bids.

Called the prime vendor program, it was the object of a Knight Ridder investigation that found that the Pentagon had paid prime vendors higher prices for 102 of 122 pieces of food equipment than the government bid to contractors outside the system. For example, Knight Ridder found that the Pentagon had paid $20 apiece for ice cube trays that retail for less than a dollar."

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/front/13695976.htm

[acmejack]

1. Nothing to see here, move along folks...

[screembloodymurder]

2. With patriots like these who needs enemies?

Why worry about the terrorist when you have the Pentagon?

[Mnemosyne]

3. They want us to fuss about $20 ice cube trays when

they have been missing $3.4 TRILLION dollars for a few years
now.

Smoke and mirrors.

[loudsue]

4. DISMISSED???? Does the corruption ever stop?

Does the sweeping problems under the rug ever stop?

Isn't there ANY way to permanently rid this country of fucking REPUBLICANS????

:kick:

[Brooklyn Michael]

8. Well, apparently it's a very large rug....

[loudsue]

15. LOL....Yep, a magic carpet, at that!

They sweep 'em under, and they disappear!

:kick:

[davepc]

5. Real defence policy reform would eliminate these black program

money laundering schemes.

Why doesn't congress have the ability and power to audit the Pentagon to find out where all this money is being diverted too, and what programs it is being used to support?

If I was in congress i'd be pretty pissed at the DoD for pulling this crap to fund DoD pet projects off the books.

[badgervan]

6. Congress a Beaten Dog...

Congress has pretty much rolled over and given in to the bush/cheney/rove cabal. I have just about given up on them to stand up to this administration - on any issue. Hard for me to accept, but my eyes and ears don't lie.
We dems need stonger leaders. Hell, we need ANY leaders with a set ( one reason I like Paul Hackett ).

[UpInArms]

12. Welcome to DU, badgervan!

Glad to have you here :hi:

I, too, have become a tired cynic.

[brentspeak]

7. Bush cronies getting rich off the taxpayer. Again.

[librechik]

9. black ops have to be financed somehow

this is one of the ways.

[jayfish]

10. I'm Tired Of This Land.

We are rudderless, adrift and it seems as if anything goes. Facts are created to suit ones argument. If those facts are disproved, no big deal, just rinse and repeat until 41% of the public accepts them. Then the media can say the public is sharply divided. Break the law? Who cares, stand your ground and nullify that pesky legislation. Maybe you can turn it into a campaign issue. Unless you are poor and/or middle class the word accountability has no meaning. ...and it keeps getting worse.

Jay

[gratuitous]

11. $200 million in wasteful spending

That amounts to . . . about 4 hours and 22 minutes of the annual defense budget.

[EVDebs]

13. $2.3 TRILLION unaccounted for (that's one sixth of GDP annual)

CBS News 'War on Waste'

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/29/eveningnews/main325985.shtml

"""According to some estimates we cannot track $2.3 trillion in transactions," Rumsfeld admitted.

$2.3 trillion — that's $8,000 for every man, woman and child in America. To understand how the Pentagon can lose track of trillions, consider the case of one military accountant who tried to find out what happened to a mere $300 million.

"We know it's gone. But we don't know what they spent it on," said Jim Minnery, Defense Finance and Accounting Service.""

We now have a DOJ known as the Dept. of Justification; the new euphemism for GAO should be something similar, don't you think ? And who is the Inspector General for the Dept of Defense ? Rip Van Winkle ?

[MakeItSo]

14. Rumsfeld made the $2.3 trillion shortfall admission on 9/10/01

Think he anticipated that the story might get, er, buried?