This falls into the Weakonomics category of government setting a bad example. The US Department of Veterans Affairs is
one of the largest government entities in the US system. With hundreds of thousands or employees and a budget over $70 billion (yes billion) they might set the standard of a fat beurocracy. Don’t get me wrong, its an entirely necessary department in our government. I’m happy for my tax dollars to help veterans and their families. VA provides all kinds of assistance including pensions, healthcare (remember universal healthcare week), education, and even loans. Perhaps best known for their hospitals, which had been known for their terrible quality and challenged the logic of universal healthcare, today VA is in the news for wasteful spending.
Of course we expect a large department like VA to amass a mountain of expenses. But government auditors noticed some credit card purchases that would be considered questionable. Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, citizens are given access to view these expenses. The AP did just that. How do you like your tax dollars paying for purchases at The Sharper Image ($8,000), Macy’s ($6,000), or upscale hotels with one-time charges as high as $8,000? A similar article pointed out thousands in expenses at hotel casinos in Las Vegas.
The article goes on to explain this is not the first time this has happened with credit cards and VA. Moreover, VA got heat for handing out big bonuses to top officials despite said officials underestimating budget needs by $1 billion.
Many of these expenses probably have good reasoning behind them. However many expenses were logged in undocumented manners and a history of fraud at the VA leaves a dirty taste in my mouth. Like I’ve said before, the government sets a bad example. I’ll leave you with a quote from the bottom of the article:
“I’m very concerned about frivolous, wasteful spending at the VA,” said Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense. “With hundreds of thousands of veterans homeless, VA employees don’t need to be staying at ritzy-glitzy high-priced hotels, possibly gambling with taxpayers’ money.”
 By The Weakonomist |
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