DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) Part 2: The Shocking Truth Behind Government Spending

In our previous installment, we delved into the irony of taxpayers balking at government audits while neglecting their own financial self-scrutiny. Now, let’s pull back the curtain on some jaw-dropping examples of government spending that will make you question where your hard-earned tax dollars are going. Spoiler alert: it’s not always where you think.

Unbelievable Government Expenditures

While many Americans tighten their belts, the government seems to have a penchant for loosening its purse strings in the most unexpected ways. Here are some expenditures that might just make your blood boil:

1. Moroccan Pottery Classes

Yes, you read that right. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) allocated funds to teach pottery in Morocco. While cultural exchange sounds lovely, let’s not glaze over the obvious: is this really the best use of American taxpayer dollars? I mean, nothing against Moroccan pottery—it’s beautiful. But here at home, schools are cutting art, music, and science programs faster than a kid can say “STEM education.”

But sure, let’s make sure Moroccan kids can throw a pot on a wheel while American kids struggle to find an after-school program that isn’t a screen. Why invest in expanding coding classes or robotics clubs for our students when we could be funding terracotta masterpieces abroad? It’s not like the future of our economy depends on a highly educated workforce or anything.

Priorities: Teaching Pottery vs. Teaching Problem Solving

This isn’t just a one-off. The U.S. government seems to have a real knack for funding “cultural initiatives” in far-off places while domestic programs are put on the chopping block. Meanwhile, here at home:

• Teachers are buying classroom supplies out of their own pockets.
• Schools are hosting bake sales to afford sports equipment.
• Advanced Placement (AP) courses are being cut because they’re too expensive.

And when the budget ax falls, it always lands on education, doesn’t it? It’s like our kids are being prepped to win an Olympic medal in underfunded resilience.

Let’s Compare: American vs. International Spending

When was the last time your kid’s school got a grant for cultural enrichment? Probably never. But overseas, the checkbook is wide open. We’ve funded:

• Moroccan Pottery Classes: While American schools cancel art classes.
• Theatre Workshops in India: While our drama teachers are making props out of duct tape and cardboard.
• Sports Programs in Eastern Europe: While our kids are being charged a “pay-to-play” fee to join their high school soccer team.

So the next time you’re asked to “chip in” for classroom supplies, maybe send the invoice to USAID. They seem to have a budget for everything but us.

It’s time for some accountability. Before we sign off on another million-dollar project overseas, maybe we could look at the wish lists of American schools and see where that money could actually make a difference. Because while it’s nice to support cultural programs abroad, maybe—just maybe—our priority should be ensuring that our own kids have the tools to thrive in the global economy.

Because the reality is this: Our children aren’t just competing with each other—they’re competing with the world. And if we keep shortchanging their education while funding everyone else’s, they won’t stand a chance.

2. Funding Controversial Research

Here’s a real head-scratcher: the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) sent over $1 million to fund research at the Wuhan lab—yes, that lab. The one at the center of debates over the origins of COVID-19. At a time when transparency and accountability should be paramount, our government opted to write a check with no real oversight. It’s the equivalent of giving your teenager your credit card and being surprised when the bill comes back with charges for a hoverboard, a llama, and 3 a.m. Taco Bell.

But here’s the kicker: Even as these details come to light, there’s a heated battle raging over whether USAID should be shut down. Despite glaring examples of waste and fraud, many in government are fighting to keep the agency open, insisting that it plays a vital role in global development. You know, because nothing says development quite like million-dollar checks to a lab on the other side of the world with a history as clear as mud.

The real questions are the ones nobody seems to want to answer:

• How many Americans lost their lives because of this research?
• How many jobs were lost due to fallout from COVID-19 policies?
• Why is there a push to save an agency with proven waste and fraud, while small businesses that closed during the pandemic got nothing but “thoughts and prayers”?

And yet, while the public tears into Elon Musk for laying off tech workers at Twitter, there’s stunning silence on how Dr. Fauci’s policies led to the permanent closure of countless businesses, some of which will never reopen. Musk might be the current poster child for job insecurity, but many of his laid-off employees landed on their feet with new opportunities. Meanwhile, restaurant owners, hairdressers, gym operators, and entire industries that were deemed “non-essential” were left with nothing but shattered dreams and unpaid bills.

While Musk is portrayed as the villain, the government—which bankrolled research that may have contributed to the pandemic and then pushed policies that obliterated the economy—skates by with minimal criticism. It’s like blaming the waiter for a bad meal while the chef who burned everything down to ash gets a standing ovation.

The reality is this: The government used taxpayer dollars to fund questionable research, then doubled down with draconian policies that sent unemployment rates soaring, crushed small businesses, and forced millions of Americans to make the choice between their health and their livelihood. But sure, let’s talk more about Twitter layoffs—because apparently, corporate restructuring is a far bigger scandal than government-funded chaos.

And now, with everything we know, politicians are still fighting to keep USAID alive, justifying waste and fraud under the guise of global aid. It makes you wonder—are they really serving our interests, or are they just trying to keep the gravy train rolling for themselves and their friends overseas?

3. Overpriced Defense Contracts

The Department of Defense (DoD) isn’t exactly known for pinching pennies, but even by its standards, the $85 million wasted on an unfinished hotel in Kabul is next-level egregious. Imagine booking a luxury resort, paying in full upfront, and arriving to find nothing but a concrete skeleton, half a roof, and a windblown tumbleweed rolling by. That’s basically what happened—except instead of your vacation fund, it was taxpayer dollars footing the bill.

The project was abandoned, proving once again that the government has a unique talent for turning money into rubble. It’s like someone ordered a filet mignon, threw it straight in the trash, and then shrugged, saying, “Oops, my bad!” While everyday Americans are being told to tighten their belts and make sacrifices, the DoD apparently saw no issue with ghosting on a multi-million dollar project.

And let’s not forget the irony: While small businesses were decimated by pandemic shutdowns and struggling families were told to “do more with less,” the government was busy planting millions into the Afghan desert—where it promptly withered and died. The DoD basically handed over $85 million for a real-life sandcastle, except this one won’t be washed away by the tide—just by decades of neglect and a complete lack of accountability.

If you’re wondering where your hard-earned tax dollars are going, look no further—they’re buried somewhere under the Kabul sand, along with any hope of a return on investment. The only “guests” staying at this luxury hotel are broken promises and the ghosts of taxpayer dollars.

4. Unused Trolley Expansion

In a move that redefines the phrase “money train,” San Diego managed to spend over $1 billion to expand a trolley line by just 10.9 miles. That’s right—taxpayers shelled out a cool billion for a route that could essentially connect your local mall to your favorite coffee shop. The kicker? The projected daily ridership is 24,600 people.

To put that in perspective, you could have bought each rider a decent used car and still had enough left over for a year’s worth of gas and car insurance. It’s the kind of math that makes you wonder if the budget was drawn up on the back of a cocktail napkin after a long night. Maybe the planners thought “transparency” referred to the emptiness of the trolley cars rather than the clarity of their budget.

While residents are being told to brace for economic uncertainty, the city went full steam ahead on a vanity project that costs about $100,000 per rider. It’s as if San Diego decided to play a real-life game of Monopoly, except instead of building houses and hotels, they plopped down a railroad nobody asked for.

If you thought your money was going toward filling potholes or improving public safety, think again—it’s riding the rails on a gold-plated trolley to nowhere. The only thing this billion-dollar line is likely to transport is the public’s trust in local government, right off a cliff.

5. Preserving Outdated Technology

The federal government spends billions annually to maintain outdated technology systems. In 2015 alone, a staggering $55 billion was burned to preserve old tech instead of investing in modern, efficient systems. Let me give you two guesses as to why they’d prefer the Stone Age over Silicon Valley. Actually, forget it—I’ll just tell you: it’s probably because outdated systems are easier to manipulate. And when you’ve got a system ripe for manipulation, you better believe the vultures of government waste are circling, ready to pick the pockets of Americans with surgical precision.

Imagine if private businesses operated this way. If Amazon still used dial-up or if your bank processed transactions via fax machine, they’d be out of business faster than you could say “Windows 95.” But when it comes to the government, there’s apparently no rush to join the 21st century. After all, why upgrade when yesterday’s tech gives you today’s excuses for why nothing ever seems to work right?

But hey, wasting money on old tech is just the appetizer—let’s move on to the main course of taxpayer-funded madness. According to Americans for Prosperity, the government spent:

• $1.2 billion on 64,500 government vehicles, despite already owning nearly 450,000 vehicles. Apparently, the U.S. government is the ultimate car collector, and your tax dollars are funding its midlife crisis fleet.
• $1.2 million to study the social habits of monkeys. Yes, you read that right—$1.2 million to learn how monkeys hang out. It’s hard to imagine the budget meeting where this got greenlit: “We could upgrade our cyber infrastructure… or… hear me out… we could watch monkeys throw bananas at each other.” And guess which option won?

Here’s the kicker: instead of funding a scientific safari, they could have saved a few bucks by watching reruns of National Geographic, brushing up on the legendary work of Dian Fossey, or catching up on the latest findings from Jane Goodall. Heck, for $1.2 million, they could have invited Goodall herself to Washington to teach them how to identify primitive social behaviors—without leaving the Capitol building.

It’s hard not to wonder if this monkey business is a metaphor for how our government operates. Because while we’re paying for research into primate social habits, our leaders are busy mastering their own tribal politics—all at our expense.

The Cost of Misplaced Priorities

While funds are being squandered on questionable projects, essential programs that could directly benefit taxpayers are often left begging. Consider this:

• Healthcare Access: Many Americans struggle with medical bills, yet proposals to expand healthcare coverage are frequently shot down due to “budget constraints.”
• Education: Public schools across the nation face budget cuts, leading to larger class sizes and outdated materials, all while funds are diverted to less critical endeavors.
• Infrastructure: Aging roads and bridges are in dire need of repair, but infrastructure projects often take a backseat to more frivolous spending.

A Call for Accountability

It’s easy to point fingers at government waste, but it’s also a mirror reflecting our own financial habits. Just as we demand accountability from our leaders, we should hold ourselves to the same standard. Conducting regular personal and business audits can help identify wasteful spending and redirect funds to more meaningful purposes.

Stay tuned for Part 3, where we’ll explore strategies to enhance both governmental and personal financial efficiency.