Yikes, More Government Waste: US Census 2010 Has Already Wasted Millions, Invades Americans’ Privacy (video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on February 16, 2010
Wasted government money? AGAIN?
Don’t act surprised. Team Obama excels at wasting money, evidenced by them approving and sending millions of taxpayers’ stimulus money to non-existent ZIP code areas, funding the wasteful “Cash for Clunkers” program, paying for members of Congress and their families’ all-expense paid trips to Denmark for the Copenhagen global warming debacle, giving BILLIONS of stimulus money to foreign countries for US wind turbines that were supposed to create “green jobs” here but didn’t, and paying for fuel and maintenance on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s very own private, US-funded jet… which we also paid for.
From Associated Press, Audit finds US census preparations wasted millions:
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new audit finds that the Census Bureau wasted millions of dollars in preparation for its 2010 U.S. population count, including thousands of temporary employees who picked up $300 checks without performing work and others who overbilled for travel costs.
Federal investigators caution the excessive charges could multiply once the $15 billion headcount begins in earnest next month unless the agency imposes tighter spending controls, according to excerpts of a forthcoming audit obtained by The Associated Press.
Reported prior to the Super Bowl by FOX News, Taxpayers to Fork Out $2.5 Million for Single Census Ad During Super Bowl:
Taxpayers might want to pay close attention to this Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast or they’ll miss Uncle Sam’s 30-second, $2.5-million reminder to stand up and be counted.
That’s what the Census Bureau paid CBS to get their message notched somewhere between a National Lampoon reprisal, a weird dude with big glasses, a beer-can house and men without pants.
And, that’s just a fraction of what the bureau plans to spend this year to get Americans to answer a simple, 10-question survey.
The bureau is spending $133 million between January and May — or, more than $13 million for each of 10 questions, one of which reads: What is your telephone number? — to publicize the national head-count. Part of that effort is the Super Bowl ad, which Kendall Johnson, a spokeswoman for the bureau, confirmed Wednesday to FoxNews.com cost $2.5 million to air. The ad, produced by actor and director Christopher Guest, also will appear in other media, Johnson said.
“What an absolute colossal waste of money,” said David Williams, vice president for policy at Citizens Against Government Waste, a government watchdog group based in Washington.
“That’s a lot of money to spend on a glorified public service announcement,” Williams said. “While they’re counting people, we’re going to be counting the dollars that they’re spending.”
Beyond the wasted taxpayer money, there are other concerns about the private information that the US government is asking on the census form. Last summer, on FOX News, Minnesota’s Rep. Michele Bachmann was interviewed by Megyn Kelly and addressed the areas of concern that she feels invade the privacy of Americans and gives information that can be used by computer hackers and other unsavory ne’er-do-wells.
At the time of this interview, the ACORN exposé brought to light by James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles had not yet been revealed and the left-wing organization was slotted to help gather data for the census. Several months following this interview, ACORN’s potentially criminal activities were exposed.
While Congress has (for now) removed ACORN from Census 2010 involvement, it makes one wonder what other organizations, which may or may not have links to ACORN, will be assisting with census data collection?
FOX News: Concerns with the 2010 Census
More reading on wasted taxpayer money:
Greg Knapp, Big Government: Stimulus Wasted and Most Americans Know It
Gateway Pundit: Unreal. Joe Biden Travels to Michigan to Defend Stimulus (Where Unemployment is 14%) -Video and FAIL… Just 6% of Americans Believe Obama’s $787 Billion Stimulus Created Jobs and Team Obama Blows $2.5 Million On US Census Commercial- Another Waste of Taxpayer Dollars (Video) and Leading Democrat: “We’ve Got to Spend Our Way Out of This Recession” (Video) and Unreal. Climategate Junk Scientist Michael Mann Awarded Half a Million in Stimulus Cash and Bachmann Slams House Democrats For Preserving ACORN’s Role In TARP II and Crony Capitalism: Obama’s Example of Stimulus Success- $100 Million For 15 Jobs Created at Dem Donor’s Company and How’s That Hopenchange Feel Now? Youth Unemployment Surges to Record High and Thanks Barack. Hunger and Homelessness Spread In US Under Obama and Jobs, Jobs, Jobs… Obama’s Biggest Failure in 2009 (Video) and Change! Obama’s Monthly Deficit Tops Bush’s Yearly Deficit and Liberal Politics at Its Best… Nearly Half of Detroit Is Unemployed
Stephen Robert Morse, Big Government: The Census Bureaut’s Recent History of Throwing Billions of Dollars Down the Drain
Philip Klein, American Spectator: Why Obama Is an Even Bigger Spender Than Bush and WH Sees Cumulative Deficits $2.1 Trillion Higher Than It Projected a Year Ago
Flopping Aces: Obama’s New Budget: $5 Trillion More in Debt in Just Five Years
Pundit & Pundette: Slow-learning president teaches us about frugality
Hot Air Green Room: Did We Just Get Lectured on Fiscal Responsibility By the Guy With the $1.6 Trillion Budget Deficit?
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Michigan Taxpayers: Betcha Didn’t Know You’re Helping Pay for Millionaire Michael Moore’s Anti-Capitalism Movie
Mcnorman’s Weblog: Unemployment in the Great Recession of Hope & Change
Joseph C. Phillips, Big Hollywood: Mr. President You Are Blocking the Sun
The Hill: Clyburn: ‘We’ve got to spend our way out of this recession’
Michelle Malkin: Debt deluge: Here comes the $1.6 trillion flood of red ink and Culture of Corruption Watch: Probing SEIU shenanigans and SEIU thug-in-chief: Sorry for calling Democrat Senators “terrorists;” Update: UAW leader to members: “Shut the ^*%& up!”
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