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[nenjin]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/03/politics/gsa-fallout/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Well, ok, technically, it was a regional training conference. Which isn't untold considering the GSA has 13,000 employees.

But the level of mis-spending and misappropriation seems to go well beyond luxuries. $100,000 travel expenses for multiple "site visits" before the location was even booked. $12,000 paid out to a company to book the conferences rooms and such, despite the fact the GSA employs people to do exactly that. A clown. Extensive catering under the guise of feeding an "Awards Ceremony", which apparently, was more like a talent contest for attendees.

And of course, swag, like commemorative coins, key chains and t-shirts.

This probably couldn't have come at a worse time, in the middle of an election season when just about everyone is on edge on the topic of spending, and money in general, in America. It'll be touted as the tip of the iceberg for government waste and the need for smaller government coffers.

As for the event itself.....the mind boggles. It's not like serious tax payer money doesn't get spent on administrative junkets all the time, or that we didn't see egregious examples of government waste under the last administration. But as more details come out about this, it's like someone gave a 16-year-old a government credit card and said "have fun!"

Part of me is almost starting to wonder if this wasn't actually a business arrangement between people in Las Vegas and high-level officials in the GSA. The nature of how some of the money was used and the sheer mis-use of it (who the fuck spends $100,000 to travel to a site multiple times?) is almost starting to look like corruption.

[kaijyuu]

Almost?

[nenjin]

Almost?

Wasteful spending =/= corruption. Unless the reason for the wasteful spending was driven by corruption. Like if it turns out that 90% of this was due to an arrangement between a Las Vegas Hotel Group and top government officials, so they would blow tax payer money in huge sums at their hotel/conference center.