Thread Why we need more than sequestration - government waste = big money

Duke

. . first name's "Daisy" boys
May 12, 2008
55,859
18,144
41
Brandon, FL
Marklar
₥36,350
This doom and gloom bullshit from both sides regarding the impending budget cuts.. It's a testament to how stupid, or apathetic, the government thinks we are.

This thread is going to be where examples and discussion of waste on all sides (both money funneled out to business, and money funneled out to welfare) is killing us.

For example.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...t-virginia-library-runs-a-20000-cisco-router/

West Virginia created a program to make almost all of their infrastructure locations capable of providing internet access.

As a result, they ordered the purchase, and installation of 1,164 Cisco model 3945 branch routers. Some are wasting away on shelves, uninstalled

The state Office of Technology contends the massive routers might save the state money in the long run by supporting cheap VoIP systems instead of standard telephone lines. But the legislative auditor notes that each of the 3945 routers can handle 700 to 1,200 VoIP lines, which means that the 1,164 routers purchased by the state could support up to 1.39 million lines. As the auditor's report dryly notes, only a single library in the entire state has more than eight phone lines; most have one or two. (None use a VoIP system anyway.)
Ironically, the routers can't even be used for VoIP in some key cases. The state police already have a VoIP-based phone system, but the new 3945 series routers did not come with "the appropriate Cisco VoIP modules" to work with the system. The state now has to spend another $84,768 to purchase those modules; without them, the state police can't use the routers, only two of which are actually installed and operating. (For those keeping score at home, this means that 75 $20,000 routers are depreciating in a state police warehouse somewhere in West Virginia.)

There was no open bidding. No site surveys. They didn't even contact the people these routers were going in to make sure there was compatability. Instead, $24 million was funneled to Cisco, who has no excuse as, being who they are, they knew some of these routers were extreme overkill.

Consider, for instance, how routers were purchased for the state police. When the West Virginia State Police purchased their own routers a few years earlier, they chose Cisco model 2xxx machines at a cost of only $5,000 or so apiece, with only a single Cisco 3xxx model purchased for the largest deployment. In 2010, when the state received its grant money, no one asked the State Police what they wanted or needed; indeed, the police were "never contacted" at all by the Grant Implementation Team. (This was a widespread problem; the report notes no capacity or user needs surveys were ever done before the money was spent). Instead, the team simply ordered 77 Cisco 3945 routers at a cost of $20,661 apiece—that's one $20,000 router for every 13.7 state police employees—and sent them off to the police. (Each router can handle several hundred concurrent users.)
 
I was reading through the specific cuts for my state and agreed with pretty much all of them. Most of it seems to be "defense readiness", which is exactly what the left wing is saying we should cut, yet now they're mad that it's being cut? :wtf:
 
I'd like to point out exactly what we're talking about here. Sequestration cuts almost exactly $100B out of the ENTIRE yearly Federal budget. How in the fuck is that really going to effect anything? It's all just political grandstanding.
 
It would be, but then some new agency would be created so that all of the TSO's could keep federal employment.

Like perhaps an agency devoted to cat litter and pringles.
Agree. I would love to see the TSA and a few other agencies cut out. I'd also like to end all farming subsidies, kill off corn ethanol, and encourage production of industrial hemp.

I for one would like to see more attention devoted to Pringles, as well as a siriacha flavor.
 
i think the TSA should def. be shut down. billions spent, terrorist attacks prevented: 0.

people know the risk when taking a flight. a feel good xray machine isn't needed.
 
Agree. I would love to see the TSA and a few other agencies cut out. I'd also like to end all farming subsidies, kill off corn ethanol, and encourage production of industrial hemp.

I for one would like to see more attention devoted to Pringles, as well as a siriacha flavor.

That should be priority number one for the country.
 
Agree. I would love to see the TSA and a few other agencies cut out. I'd also like to end all farming subsidies, kill off corn ethanol, and encourage production of industrial hemp.

I for one would like to see more attention devoted to Pringles, as well as a siriacha flavor.

biggest farm subsidy is food stamps. :fly:

ethanol needs to die a painful death.
 
Yeah, I read that they want to increase to 15-20% ethanol. Fucking BS, just a ploy to get old cars off the roads.

On that note, I've actually been thinking about tuning my car to run on ethanol when I go megasquirt. It's not that big of a deal to swap the parts, and I'm already doing most of the fuel system in April anyways. I just don't know about timing, might have to add a knock sensor and go coil-on-plug.