OPINION: Bad Spending

It’s tough for Washington to cut back on spending—yet some of the things that get tax dollars don’t pass any test of common sense.

Here are some true-life examples:

—Over $600,000 in tax dollars to honor the Grateful Dead

—Half-a-million to paint a picture of a salmon on one of Alaska Airlines’ airplanes

—$350-thousand to sponsor a NASCAR driver

—2 ½-million teaching Chinese prostitutes not to get drunk

Then there’s 3-billion spent to restore sand to beaches when the ocean washes it away

25-billion a year to maintain vacant federal property

2-billion a year to pay farmers not to farm

Those aren’t enough to balance the budget, but it’s enough to make the point. Until they get serious about fixing this stuff, lawmakers won’t get serious about anything else.

From the Heritage Foundation, I’m Ernest Istook.

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