What do you consider to be the biggest waste of our tax dollars that government funds?

Question

please be specific

Answer 1

This one is easy, The salories of the President, the congress, and all the aides and secratarys especally the last congress and the criminal Bush administration.

Answer 2

R T
In Canada , The biggest waste by our government IS the government . We have senators that don't have to show up for their pay or perks , and really do NOTHING for the country .
The outlandish way the politicians give themselves double digit pay raises just before closing the floor for vacation so there is no hearing of public sentiment is ridicules . The Pensions that start the minute they are out of office instead of 65 yrs of age are considered theft if done other than them selves ,
And these same pensions that the Hydro ceo's ,just for example , got plus perks , absolutely NO ONE is worth the millions wasted .
The CBC should be dispersed and allow independent TV stations in so other than the same 3 shows are on across the screen all day
If they put this money to health care or to the aged or education (like this will ever happen) maybe people would (other than T.O ) would see an improvement. The government should be made accountable for their actions and anyone abusing their position should be arrested tried and imprisoned til hung ,oh , their safe they eliminated the death penalty.
Talk about covering your bases ,eh? Parlez-vous ding dong?

Answer 3

The defense budget.

Not because we shouldn't have a robust defense, but because of the rampant fraud, abuse, corruption and waste that goes on there.

Also, most "privatizing" efforts in government are wasteful. The idea is that government is wasteful, and would be more efficient if run like a business, but government isn't a market proposition.

They deliver services based on mandate and need, usually not in a competitive market, with service, not profit as the motivator.

Hand that over to a private entity that is supposed to deliver while maintaining and growing profits, and you find that the costs to the taxpayer rise (lack of a competitive market) and services are cut.

If you look at medical insurance, Medicaid and Medicaire deliver something in the range of 92% of their dollars as paid claims - actual service delivery.

In private industry, it's something like 85%. And even when profit taking is taken out, private industry actually is less efficient.

So, most of those privatizing efforts actually wind up being more corporate welfare.

Answer 4

Gosh. Deciding the biggest is tough. There are so MANY!!!

But right now, I'd have to say the Department of Education. The reason? In 1974, American public schools were the envy of the entire industrial world. In 2006, they are the biggest joke. We have ppl graduating from high school who don't know what happened 65 years ago Thursday. They can't spell, they can't do long division and they can't balance a checkbook. What bigger waste of money than future generations of incompetents?

Answer 5

Our refusal to fully fund alternate fuels and to require transportation that uses renewable fuels.

Everyone has questions about many different things. But the really important question is this:

What can you do today to make changes that will lead you and others to stop using oil for fuel?

When I wake up, I wonder why we worry about anything but fuel for our homes and cars.

All car companies in America should produce cars with electric and ethanol engines.

During our next natural disaster is the time when Al Qaeda will bomb the oil refineries in Saudi Arabia. Our entire Country will be plunged into the kind of disaster from which we can't emerge because there will be no oil, no gas, no power.

How can each of us start the changes today?

Answer 6

Welfare & Food Stamps for people who are career welfare recipients. I know that some people really need them to get by, but there are people out there who totally milk the system.

Federal grants for frivolous projects like:
Communicating with dolphins.
Programs to strengthen paliamentary processes in foreign countries.
Summer Institute for English Language Educators in foreign countries.
A National Animal Identification System.

Federal funding of presidential elections.

Answer 7

Many will say the war in Iraq.

But if you add up the other places we should not be spending: social security, medicare, medicare prescription benefit, medicaid, etc.; we could pay for the Iraq war every year!!!

Answer 8

If we didn't have this crushing federal debt then we wouldn't have to pay interest on it, which is usually the largest single line item in the federal budget.
Next would be the Iraq war which has done nothing to bolster our national security.

Answer 9

Well, there's a long list, but suffice it to say 'anything that takes us one dollar in excess of tax reciepts'...Congress has been too spendthrift for years, and they won't hear of spending cuts, too many people trying to lobby to vote themselves money for that to ever happen...

Answer 10

Subsidies and tax breaks to oil companies. Why should we give the oil companies billions of dollars for exploratory programs when they have the money themselves.

Answer 11

Any government payment or benefit, be it Social Security or other, to an immigrant who obtains citizenship and who didn't pay into the system.