Obama Tightens America’s Belt While Congress Spends $1 Billion In Ten Months

by The River Wanders

Since taking office in January 2009 President Obama has taken many steps to control government waste. Without fanfare, the president signed the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act (IPERA) into law on Thursday. While this event claimed little media attention, it’s proof again that the Obama administration takes specific action to enact prudent financial policies by cutting wasteful government spending to the tune of $50 billion by 2012. President Obama commented that “The bipartisan bill I’m signing today will help ensure that our government serves as a responsible steward for the tax dollars of the American people, and builds on the efforts we’re taking to cut wasteful spending.”

Hopefully Congress gets a copy of IPERA soon. After performing exhaustive data analysis from information furnished about Members Representational Allowances (MRAs), the Sunlight Foundation discovered that over $1 billion was spent by the House of Representatives on “operating expenses” from June, 2009 to March, 2010. The MRA data was made publicly accessible at the suggestion of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Aolnews.com collated the Sunlight Foundation’s reports and discovered some shocking expenditures. Here are some handpicked highlights:

• $11 million on newspapers (and other information delivery)
• $7.5 million on small office goods (i.e., paper, pencils, and toner) $317K on drapes (not all redecorating; just drapes)
• $604K on bottled water (including delivery)

That’s a lot of bottled water. I don’t buy bottled water for myself (neither does my employer), but apparently tax dollars buy plenty of the stuff for others. It’s time for these grand expenditures to be analyzed and reduced at the federal level just as millions of Americans have had to do at the personal level. I hope government employees will take the initiative to be financially responsible without needing President Obama to legislate their consciences for them.

Eureka – I just had an epiphany on how to save taxpayers more than $600,000 in the next ten months! House members: get a glass, walk to the sink, turn on the tap marked “C” for “cold” and enjoy a long, refreshing drink of reality.  No need to thank me.

Waste not, want not. ~ timely and timeless proverb

By: TheRiverWanders

Independent parent, aspiring author and generally good egg with an occasional foul temper whose deepest curiosities lie in psychology, law, government, history, equal rights, animal rights and child development. Progressive. Allergic to stupid.