Ridiculous programs the government funds

F ederal spending gets more ridiculous every year, and a new congressional report details of the most egregious examples. The football-themed report examines not only ridiculous spending but also costly or burdensome overregulation. In the sage scrub of the California coast lives a small grey bird known as the California gnatcatcher. Its biggest enemy? The federal government designated the gnatcatcher a threatened species more than two decades ago, and the Department of Defense has not-so-bravely rallied to its rescue.

Roughly 60 percent of Russian men and 25 percent of Russian women smoke, averaging just over half a pack of cigarettes each day, according to a report by the Kennan Institute. What that has to do with the U. National Institutes of Health, however, is unclear. That seems unlikely. Just a few weeks ago, NR wrote about how DEA employees caught patronizing prostitutes were given bonuses rather than being fired , as if anyone needed more proof of how incredibly difficult it is to lose a government job.

Optimistically, they assumed it might lure tourists to the region. The National Science Foundation seems to have taken note of how stressful it can be to debate politics with friends and family.

Taxes are one of the main sources of revenue for the United States Government, but since many people are disgruntled at having to pay them, they do not question where, exactly, their taxes are going.

Air Force Office of Scientific Research conducted a study which determined that the first bird on earth most likely had black feathers. The U. Student Athletes? Guess Michelle Obama approves of pancakes. It took the Lions eight months. Department of Agriculture spent two million dollars to create an internship program which resulted in the hiring of one full time employee. The commercial was poorly produced and was banned from television immediately after airing.

Federal Government spent 2. Dos Equis might have the Most Interesting Man in the World, but the Federal Government has the most interesting advertisement in the world. Senate has spent a total of 5. Federal Government has spent 27 million dollars to teach people in Morocco to design and create pottery.

It must be some exquisite pottery. Agency for International Development has spent 30 million dollars to help develop Pakistani Mango farming industry.

These clinics were claimed by criminal organizations and used to defraud the Government. It worked. The Federal Government paid million dollars in disability and retirement to dead Federal employees, which raises the question, to whom did the money actually go?

I guess Economy Class is almost as bad as the American Economy. These are 18 of the most ridiculous things the Federal Government has funded, ranking from least expensive to most. The current U.

National debt comes to a frightening Every year it seems at least one wasteful spending project involves animals. Remember the shrimp on treadmills? The State Department purchased an original Bob Dylan sculpture to display in its embassy in Mozambique. So many of the projects detailed in the wastebook involve aid to other countries.

Paul has spoken out against some of this aid many times before. One can disagree on whether the U. One example is money spent by USAID on training cheesemakers in Serbia how to properly prepare the delicious food in line with international standards. Make cheese safe to eat is certainly a worthwhile endeavor, but does the U. When you drink, you make stupid decisions.