Federal Fridays - Baby-sitting the Baby-sitters

The government has taken on some sitter-like mentalities these days. From the Public Schools to the many departments of Social Services, all the way down to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the government seems to be doing nothing but baby-sitting anything that affects tax-payers. The government does not seem to be satisfied with what it already oversees and runs, though. It’s now trying to micro-manage the actual tax-payer. Their ways and methods are many, but that isn’t the point of this article.

Think of it this way. The government wants to stick its fingers into the private sector. Ever since the start of this government, the governed have fought against this very thing. So, what does the government do? You would think that they would be prudent with the money coming from those that they are trying to micro-manage, right? Of course you would, but our government evidently doesn’t think so just now. Instead of being economical with what they are entrusted, they spend exorbitant amounts of money on things that are not necessarily the most important, and never get to the things you as a tax-payer really care about.

Some recent occurrences at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide us with a look at this. The CDC, while mostly interested in chronic and infectious diseases, is also involved in the arena of encouraging exercise and proper nutrition*.

It seemed that the morale (and physical fitness) of CDC employees was less than desirable. So, in September of 2006, the CDC opened a new and highly improved fitness center on their main campus in Atlanta. Long deferred for re-modeling, CDC employees were hardly content with the old, and looked wide-eyed at the new 16,000 sq. foot center*. The Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management’s Republican Office reported (on their website):

“It appears the $200,000+ state of the art “lifestyle” center featuring saunas, zero-gravity chairs, and mood enhancing light shows or its scenic Japanese Gardens have not been sufficient to improving morale at the CDC[.]”

Even this center, though, is less extensive than some that are provided to employees of business giants, or privately owned gyms.

The success of this project is not yet clear, but more people are exercising*. But what’s the point? So, they built a fitness center? I have absolutely nothing against fitness centers. But why is this money being spent in this fashion? It’s our money they’re spending. It’s not theirs. And, after all, what was accomplished?

Well, according to a CDC internal survey of employees, a drop of employee morale and feelings that the CDC was changing in a good way between 2003 and 2005 was evident**. Other indications of the same has moved the CDC brass to hire two ombudsmen for $250,000 a piece. Ombudsmen are often quite helpful to those inside of any organization. But, true to form, the ombudsmen the government hired are having trouble explaining just what they’ve been doing for the first three months of their year-long contract. Go here for more information.

Another example of tax-dollar waste is that the U.S. is involved in the United Nations. Besides the political hoops and loops, the UN is simply a wasteful entity. In 2004, the UNDP (United Nations Development Program) paid a historian $567,379 to write a book entitled, UNDP: A Better Way?. This book is all praise for the UNDP itself. Consider this budget for the book:

$252,000 for the historian's 21-month salary

$87,639 for the "project coordinator's" salary

$91,559 for "research and editing"

$37,299 for travel

$26,752 for office space

$55,452 for purchasing mass quantities of its own book

The Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management Republican Office noted on their website:

“Overlooking the fact that the U.N. must pay historians to praise itself, U.N. officials continue to criticize the U.S. for not giving more than the $108 million we give to the UNDP each year. This criticism towards the #1 U.N. donor seems odd at a time when U.N. management should be asking UNDP how many Guatemalan farmers could be trained to maximize crop yields, how many Burmese refugees could be taught to read and write, how many Sudanese survivors of genocide could be fed a meal, how many micro-loans could be administered in India for $567,379?”

Ah, but how does the U.S.’s involvement with the U.N. affect you, the tax-payer?

Consider this recent spending spree from the U.N. for a moment. The Secretary General (Kofi Annan) decided to spruce up his New York City apartment to the tune of $4.3 million. According to the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management Republican Office:

“The U.S. taxpayer, who covers 22% of all U.N. operating expenses, will be expected to donate $1 million towards this lush project.” And, “Part of the plan is to spend $200,000 on a new kitchen alone. For $200,000, the U.N. could purchase 200,000 malaria pills to help save 200,000 kids suffering in Africa. Surely a normal, everyday kitchen is worth 200,000 lives?”

Please note that these few things I’ve mentioned hardly scratch the surface of both our Governments waste, or that of the United Nations.

The United States Government is trying very hard to baby-sit its tax-payers. With all the waste going on (measuring $29 billion in 2006 alone according to Citizens against Government Waste) don’t you think it’s time that the tax-payers started keeping an eye on the government? As crazy and unnecessary as you may think it, it’s time to start baby-sitting the self-imposed, over-paid baby-sitter that is trying so hard to use our money.

* CDC Opens Model Employee Fitness Center by Mike Stobbe The Washington Post

** Report on CDC's ills likely out Monday, Ombudsmen tackle morale problems by Alison Young, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution