NASA Spends $392,000 on A Communications Book Should We Encounter Aliens In his latest report on government waste, outgoing Sen. Tom Coburn found that the federal government spent an eye-popping $50 million on paid administration leave. Worse, about 40% of the money went to workers who had, shall we say, behavioral problems at work.

Government employees who were caught doing things such as charging booze on government credit cards, surfing porn on government computers and sexually harassing co-workers were often punished by getting paid not to show up to worksometimes for years.

Some of Coburns examples make you wonder what it takes to get fired from a government post. The IRS Lois Lerner, for example, pocketed $50,000 in paid leave after her role in targeting conservative groups was exposed. The head of Iran operations for the CIA was put on paid leave after creating a work environment so hostile, it put that division in disarray. So was a Secret Service agent found passed out in a hallway from a previous nights boozing while on presidential security detail.

Coburn also found incredible examples of waste at agencies that constantly claim poverty. A prime example is the National Institutes of Health, which in the wake of the Ebola outbreak said it could have developed a vaccine by now if it werent for budget cuts. The same NIH had $2 billion to blow on Swedish massages for rabbits, studying whether moms love their dogs or their children more, researching writing on Buddhist meditation, and developing a mobile app designed to help parents get their children to eat vegetables.

NASA, which currently cant launch a man into space on its own, blew $350 million on a launch tower for a canceled rocket system, wastes $43 million maintaining other facilities that serve no purpose, and spent $392,000 on a book offering communication advice should we encounter aliens.

The government doesnt need more money to do its job. It needs a major housecleaning.

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IRS Violates Federal Law for More Than A Decade Under the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, the agency is required to provide annual recommendations for reducing the complexity of the administration of Federal tax laws; and for repeal or modification of any provision the Commissioner believes adds undue and unnecessary complexity to the administration of the Federal tax laws. But as noted by the National Taxpayer Advocate, the agency has not bothered to produce such a report since 2002. Only two such reports have ever been issued, in 2000 and 2002.

Each year Americans spend six billion hours complying with the four million word Internal Revenue Code. But the IRS apparently cant be bothered to compile the report. When asked by the NTA to explain themselves, the IRS said it would require about two full time employees working for about a year to produce the report.

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NASA Spends $392,000 on A Communications Book Should We Encounter Aliens