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... I actually kinda wish would have stayed in Vegas. It hurts to think about this one. It certainly puts my post about the Rockford Public School District's $18,000 conference at $1,285 a head in Chicago to shame...
The General Services Administration, the facilities managers of the US Government (buildings, leases, rentals, properties, etc.), is a group you'd expect to be pretty well versed on fiscal restraint and finding deals to be had. But, OH NO... Instead, they had their Western Regions Training Conference in Vegas, spending 2,783 taxpayer dollars a head for a total cost of $835,000. These 300 people were treated to:
- A mind reader - 3,200 taxpayer dollars
- A commemorative coin set in velvet boxes - 6,300 taxpayer dollars
- A training exercise to build a bicycle - 75,000 taxpayer dollars
- Canteens, key chains and t-shirts - 6,000 taxpayer dollars
- A clown (I'd love to know what he was paid)
- A comedian (ditto)
- Awards for a participant talent show held as an excuse to treat everyone to dinner
- Treating everyone to dinner (But let's be reasonable here. Even if they had to expense their own meals, they were still government employees expensing their meals to the taxpayers...)
Setting this kind of baby up costs money too:
- Airfare and lodging sending the planners on six trips to the venue to set it up - 147,000 taxpayer dollars (Because, you know, you can't set this sort of beauty up over the phone)
- A finder's fee to book this place that can't even remotely set up a conference - 12,000 taxpayer dollars
One of the worst parts? The news broke THIS WEEK about a conference that happened 18 months ago! That means the motherfuckers spending this kind of money as 'servants' of the public had a good solid run at just covering this up and making it go away. You gotta ask yourself, how much of this shit are they getting away with?
Luckily a hero from within the GSA reported this gross misappropriation of taxpayer dollars. Thank you, GSA Employee. Thank you.
So... What exactly were they being trained for again???
THIS is whyipaytaxes...
