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How much unauthorized gov. spending is too much? 21 Billion? 21 Million?

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  • How much unauthorized gov. spending is too much? 21 Billion? 21 Million?

    How about 21 Trillion. You read that right. With a "T":

    http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2017/ms...nt-to-conduct/

    Earlier this year, a Michigan State University economist, working with graduate students and a former government official, found $21 trillion in unauthorized spending in the departments of Defense and Housing and Urban Development for the years 1998-2015.

    The work of Mark Skidmore and his team, which included digging into government websites and repeated queries to U.S. agencies that went unanswered, coincided with the Office of Inspector General, at one point, disabling the links to all key documents showing the unsupported spending. (Luckily, the researchers downloaded and stored the documents.)

    Now, the Department of Defense has announced it will conduct the first department-wide, independent financial audit in its history (read the Dec. 7 announcement here).

    The Defense Department did not say specifically what led to the audit. But the announcement came four days after Skidmore discussed his team’s findings on USAWatchdog, a news outlet run by former CNN and ABC News correspondent Greg Hunter.
    Good lord that's a lot of defense department stealth toilets for the top secret alien skunk works.
    "Down in the lowlands, where the water is deep,
    Hear my cry, hear my shout,
    Save me, save me"

  • #2
    It's just money.
    The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

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    • #3
      Taxation is theft.
      My Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0719RS8BK

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      • #4
        The good part of this may lie in the lack of obligation of Americans toward any related debt since these debts are not constitutionally acquired.

        However, the dollar is still made weaker -- and some people are still getting ability to purchase land or other critical assets in competition with those who aren't directly receiving such funding.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by guacamole View Post
          How about 21 Trillion. You read that right. With a "T".
          How about 21 cents?
          When I Survey....

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          • #6
            Um, define 'unauthorized'?
            "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

            "Forgiveness is the way of love." Gary Chapman

            My Personal Blog

            My Novella blog (Current Novella Begins on 7/25/14)

            Quill Sword

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Teallaura View Post
              Um, define 'unauthorized'?
              "stuff I don't like"
              The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by guacamole View Post
                Good lord that's a lot of defense department stealth toilets for the top secret alien skunk works.
                According to the New York Times, Harry Reid requested a boatload of money for research of UFOs and stuff, and one of his buddies runs the company to which the boatload of money goes.

                The shadowy program — parts of it remain classified — began in 2007, and initially it was largely funded at the request of Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat who was the Senate majority leader at the time and who has long had an interest in space phenomena. Most of the money went to an aerospace research company run by a billionaire entrepreneur and longtime friend of Mr. Reid’s, Robert Bigelow, who is currently working with NASA to produce expandable craft for humans to use in space.
                The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                  "stuff I don't like"
                  For the record, I'm down with UFO research.
                  "Down in the lowlands, where the water is deep,
                  Hear my cry, hear my shout,
                  Save me, save me"

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Teallaura View Post
                    Um, define 'unauthorized'?
                    In the article linked in the article posted they say:

                    He and a team of graduate students discovered $21 trillion missing in the federal budget going back to 1998. Dr. Skidmore, who specializes in public finance, explains, “We know from official government sources that indicate $21 trillion is, in some way, unaccounted for. Furthermore, if we come back to the Constitution, all spending needs to be authorized by Congress. It looks to me, and I think I can conclude with a high degree of certainty, there is money flowing in, as well as out, that is unaccounted for. . . . That’s the one thing we know from these documents, that there is $21 trillion in unaccounted funds.”
                    So it seems they are arguing that any spending not specifically authorized by Congress.

                    fwiw,
                    guacamole
                    "Down in the lowlands, where the water is deep,
                    Hear my cry, hear my shout,
                    Save me, save me"

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                      According to the New York Times, Harry Reid requested a boatload of money for research of UFOs and stuff, and one of his buddies runs the company to which the boatload of money goes.

                      The shadowy program — parts of it remain classified — began in 2007, and initially it was largely funded at the request of Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat who was the Senate majority leader at the time and who has long had an interest in space phenomena. Most of the money went to an aerospace research company run by a billionaire entrepreneur and longtime friend of Mr. Reid’s, Robert Bigelow, who is currently working with NASA to produce expandable craft for humans to use in space.
                      That, though sketchy, sounds authorized.
                      "Down in the lowlands, where the water is deep,
                      Hear my cry, hear my shout,
                      Save me, save me"

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                        According to the New York Times, Harry Reid requested a boatload of money for research of UFOs and stuff, and one of his buddies runs the company to which the boatload of money goes.

                        The shadowy program — parts of it remain classified — began in 2007, and initially it was largely funded at the request of Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat who was the Senate majority leader at the time and who has long had an interest in space phenomena. Most of the money went to an aerospace research company run by a billionaire entrepreneur and longtime friend of Mr. Reid’s, Robert Bigelow, who is currently working with NASA to produce expandable craft for humans to use in space.
                        And don't forget "cowboy poetry".
                        When I Survey....

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by guacamole View Post
                          In the article linked in the article posted they say:



                          So it seems they are arguing that any spending not specifically authorized by Congress.

                          fwiw,
                          guacamole
                          Um, yeah, but the law allows Congress to make allotments - Congress can assign $10 or $10 Billion to Department Whatever and the funding is legally authorized.

                          Sounds like they are confusing accounted for with authorized unless there's something more?

                          FYI - just 'cause Congress can doesn't mean it should.
                          "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

                          "Forgiveness is the way of love." Gary Chapman

                          My Personal Blog

                          My Novella blog (Current Novella Begins on 7/25/14)

                          Quill Sword

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