18 Ridiculous Things The Federal Government Has Funded
Do you really know where your tax dollars go?
January 5, 2018
When you turn 18, you start paying taxes. Federal taxes were implemented by President Abraham Lincoln in 1861 to financially support the Civil War, but after the war ended, taxes stayed. The Federal Government collects approximately 4.2 trillion dollars per year in income and payroll taxes. Taxes are one of the main sources of revenue for the United States Government, but since many people are disgruntled at having to pay them, they do not question where, exactly, their taxes are going. I do.
18) Birds
The U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research conducted a study which determined that the first bird on earth most likely had black feathers.
17) Southern Royalty?
The Federal Government spent $25,000 on a promotional tour for the Alabama Watermelon Queen.
16) Bugs
We know why bugs are attracted to lights, but we do not know what they do by them. The Federal Government granted a subsidy of $65,473 to find out what bugs do by lights.
15) Ornithology?
The U.S. Department of Defense spent $283,500 on creating a special unit within the department dedicated to monitoring gnatcatchers.
14) Hooked?
The U.S. National Institutes of Health spent $442,340 to study the behavior of male prostitutes in Vietnam.
13) Monkey Business
The U.S. National Institutes of Health funded a $592,527 study to explain why Chimpanzees throw their feces.
12) Inmate Athletes v. Student Athletes?
The Federal Government paid $750,000 to build a new Soccer field for inmates at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
11) Healthy Eating?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services paid a $800,000 subsidy to build an IHOP in Washington, D.C. Guess Michelle Obama approves of pancakes.
10) From Zoo to Circus?
The National Science Foundation received $856,000 in funding from the Federal Government to conduct a study to see if it is possible to train Lions to walk on a treadmill. It took the Lions eight months.
9) Lucky ONE
The U.S. Department of Agriculture spent two million dollars to create an internship program which resulted in the hiring of one full time employee.
8) Worst Super Bowl Commercial
The Federal Government funded a 30 second commercial during the Super Bowl which cost 2.5 million dollars – that is $83,333 per second! The commercial was poorly produced and was banned from television immediately after airing.
7) Drink Responsibly
The U.S. Federal Government spent 2.6 million dollars in advertising to encourage Chinese prostitutes to drink responsibly. Dos Equis might have the Most Interesting Man in the World, but the Federal Government has the most interesting advertisement in the world.
6) More Modern Than Wigs
In the past 15 years, members of the U.S. Senate has spent a total of 5.25 million dollars on hair care products.
5) Pottery
The U.S. Federal Government has spent 27 million dollars to teach people in Morocco to design and create pottery. It must be some exquisite pottery.
4) Mango a Day Costs How Much?
The U.S. Agency for International Development has spent 30 million dollars to help develop Pakistani Mango farming industry.
3) Ghost Clinics
Medicare paid 35 million dollars to 118 medical clinics in the United States that do not exist. These clinics were claimed by criminal organizations and used to defraud the Government. It worked.
2) To Who?
The Federal Government paid 120 million dollars in disability and retirement to dead Federal employees, which raises the question, to whom did the money actually go?
1) Upgraded
The Federal Government spent 146 million dollars so that Federal employees could upgrade their flights to Business Class. I guess Economy Class is almost as bad as the American Economy.
These are 18 of the most ridiculous things the Federal Government has funded, ranking from least expensive to most. The total Federal funding for all of the previously mentioned is $374,164,840. The current U.S. National debt comes to a frightening 19.19 trillion dollars. If the Federal Government did not unnecessarily fund any of the previously mentioned, the current National debt would be reduced to approximately $18,999,725,835,160. We can be the generation to do it.
LindaMurphy • Oct 7, 2018 at 8:03 am
I would like to know when the American People who pay their taxes are going to step up and say to the U.S. Government that they want the right to approve any and all expenditures they decide to spend our tax dollars on. There are people starving out there and single Moms being taken off welfare and forced to send in paper work every Month to get them off welfare. The companies are only giving people 15 to 20 hours of work a week which is in no way enough hours to support your families. People have to find 2 and 3 jobs in different places to survive. They are also having to move in with relatives and fill there houses up with not enough room for all just to survive. I have been reading about all the ridiculous grants that have been given out for the stupid things such as $10,000 to see why it takes Ketchup so long to pour out of a bottle. Who cares. That $10,000 could help a family get back their feet after a natural disaster, which that seems all we have these days. I’d like the president of the United States to worry about where our tax dollars are going and ask the American People if what they are spending on is Okay with us. There should be a vote on every penny spend by the U.S Government Before we all end up in shelters except the very rich and Famous who make entirely to much money anyway.
Olivia Stecina • Jan 8, 2018 at 3:47 pm
The government has also funded organizations like Life Choices (the place that shows the STD slideshow in our health classes) even though none of the people that work there are medically trained and it’s basically just a church with an ultrasound. I did one of my seminar projects on this, it still upsets me that they’d shell out cash to these organizations instead of, like, planned parenthood.