Tag Archives: taxpayer-funds

Art Rant: The Washington Post Rails Against ‘Small-Minded Intolerance’ of Cantor, Boehner

Liberal newspapers may claim that taxpayer-funded art galleries should take “public sensitivities” into account, but in reality, they don’t want members of Congress actually representing the insulted public by speaking out against anti-Christian exhibits. Friday’s Washington Post led their editorial page with the headline “The censors arrive: Do Republicans really want to ride into power with a burst of small-minded intolerance? ” That’s funny: Christians might find the “small-minded intolerance” coming from artists who think that modern-day Christianity is an oppressive, Jesus-betraying force – as represented by ants crawling all over Jesus on a crucifix. Here’s the key passage: Public sensibilities must be taken into account when taxpayer funds are in play, but the use of public dollars does not give lawmakers the right to micromanage or censor displays. Nor should the occasional dust-up be justification for threatened retribution against these valuable national assets. We hope Mr. Cantor's threats prompt many additional Washingtonians to visit the exhibit and judge for themselves. read more

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Art Rant: The Washington Post Rails Against ‘Small-Minded Intolerance’ of Cantor, Boehner

The Pentagon’s Spare Parts Problem

As budget hawks continue their attack on spending cuts around the country, it might be useful to look at the Pentagon after a new report released Thursday claimed that at least $7 billion in taxpayer funds are being wasted in purchasing of spare parts that the Defense Department ends up not needing. The Pentagon enjoys a $663.8 billion budget for 2010, the largest in the world. —JCL Reuters: A Pentagon agency buys over $7 billion worth of spare parts every year the Defense Department ends up not needing, a practice one senator decried as an “unbelievable” waste of taxpayer money. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found in a new report released on Thursday that the Defense Logistics Agency had no use for parts worth $7.1 billion, more than half of the $13.7 billion in equipment stacked in Defense Department warehouses on average from 2006 to 2008. “The waste of taxpayer dollars is unbelievable,” said Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Independent and Senate Budget Committee member who requested the study. Read more

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The Pentagon’s Spare Parts Problem