September 15, 2008
Some candidates in this presidential campaign are talking about more programs and spending more money. Wouldn’t you like to see some accountability first before we talk about spending more of our money?
Take the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as just one of many examples. The government wasted millions of dollars on four no-bid contracts, including $20 million for a camp for evacuees that was never inspected and proved to be unusable. That’s $20 million of your money, and mine.
A report by the Homeland Security Department’s Office of Inspector General is the latest to detail mismanagement in the multibillion dollar recovery effort. Investigators say the entire effort wasted $1 billion.
I think the main reason is that politicians were doing what they could to demonstrate sensitivity, especially in light of the initial slow response, especially by state and local leaders. Every time I see money like this wasted, I think I deserve a refund on my taxes. And so do you.
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.
