Posted on 05/31/2002 7:41:22 AM PDT by Stand Watch Listen
WASHINGTON -- A $24,000 sofa and armchair. An $1,800 pillow. And $45,800 in silver and china. Such accoutrements would cause little surprise if found in the abodes of the wealthy and well-known.But government auditors discovered these pricey items -- and many more -- not in a mansion but at Air Force and Army bases in Saudi Arabia, the rest of the Persian Gulf, Europe and the Balkans.
In a just-released report, the General Accounting Office informed Congress that its auditors found a number of "seemingly unneeded expenditures" made by the Air Force and Army in 2000 and 2001.
"As much as $101 million in contingency operations funds were spent on questionable expenditures" -- a small fraction of the estimated $2.2 billion examined by the investigators, but troubling nonetheless, the report said.
Among those were $4,600 worth of "white beach sand" for an air base in the Arabian desert and a $3,400 Sumo wrestling suit for another.
The Army came in for criticism for duplicating purchases of computers and office equipment at its bases in Bosnia to the tune of $2.3 million.
Rather than using equipment already there or sharing new items, four successive Army units heading for Bosnia bought their own sets of equipment, the GAO said.
That struck the auditors as particularly wasteful, given that the Army has stocked more than 2,000 computers, 865 printers, 91 copiers and "a multitude of other office equipment" in the area. However, Army officials said that differences in missions and training of the various units serving in Bosnia necessitated some of the equipment purchases.
The auditors blamed Pentagon and Army superiors for failing to provide the clear guidance and strict oversight needed to rein in such practices.
The Air Force was also criticized for an array of what the GAO deemed unjustified and excessive spending, including:
At al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, the service bought a $2,200 coffee table.
At Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, it bought a $24,000 loveseat and arm chair and $9,800 worth of Halloween decorations.
At al Jaber Air Base in Saudi Arabia, the questionable spending included an $1,800 "executive high-back" pillow, a $3,000 computer tutorial titled "The Intelligent Investor" and $19,000 worth of decorative "river rock."
At various Air Force installations in the Persian Gulf region, the service bought a $35,000 golf cart, a $16,000 corporate golf membership and $5,333 in golf passes.
Military experts claim that such recreational items can be a useful tool for building good relations with officials of a host country, whom base officers can invite for, say, a friendly round or two of golf.
The GAO report said Pentagon officials generally agreed that better oversight is needed to prevent wasteful spending.
My guess is the sumo suit is one of those fat suits people bump each other in during a "sumo" match. Both of these items were undoubtedly for some sort of entertainment event(s) on base, and seeing as there is little recreational outlet for troops in the Middle East, I can accept that kind of expenditure. I WOULD like to see what a $35,000 golf cart looks like, though.
Could they wish to keep their computers separate for a reason? Like wanting to keep information on them inaccessible?
Yes, it's taxpayer money. But just putting a roof over their heads and giving them three squares a day is not taking care of the U.S. fighting man. If you're worried about tax dollars misspent, I could find a few billion without leaving the continental U.S.
Quote of the day!
"Inadequate computers" is fast becoming the last refuge of bureaucrats. Just what kind of "work" does the FBI do with these 386's? I suspect that they are primarily used to do word processing and if so, they are more than adequate. Why are they inadequate?
Obviously an agency like the FBI has many different databases. If you think they keep these on desktop computers, you are seriously mistaken. Such databases are kept on large mainframe computers. It is possible - and even likely - that some of the desktops are netted to the main frame but even in this case they should be adequate since in this mode they are basically nothing more than a keyboard and a monitor.
Apart from that, I suspect that every FBI agent has been issued a laptop computer.
I'd really like to see an accounting of how many laptops the government buys each year - and how many come up missing.
The US military does not live on salaries and guns alone. These bases are essentially chunks of America, strategically placed so you may enjoy your day to day activities in relative freedom. If you think we can maintain these bases without spending a little cash on morale boosting endeavors (for which I'm sure the sand, decorations, and sumo outfit were used), I believe you are mistaken.
As I said, the sofa and golf cart are out of line, but I understand that the boys overseas need a little something in addition to a bunk and a gas mask.
Actually, it makes perfect sense if you have ever tried to make concrete from desert sand.
Sand in the deserts of the Middle East has been blown around so much that it is actually round, compared to other sand granules from, say Florida beaches, which have an average of 17 surfaces/edges.
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