The Pentagon: Draining America's wallet

When I was growing up my dad scared the crap out of me by constantly drilling the concept of money into my brain.

He couldn’t help it, he was—and still is—a buyer for his company. It’s his job to buy everything from a tiny bolt, to a gigantic tractor, and he has to do so by the most economic means possible.

Right now the federal government is arguing about the Sequester, and the looming budget cuts it will set into motion, and two weeks ago, the Pentagon got shoved to the front and center of the budget debate.

The Pentagon’s books are so mysterious that the Government Accountability Office has put them on its annual High Risk List, for risk of fraud, wasteful spending, and mismanagement.

According to the GAO, the Pentagon’s spending is out of control—specifically in its supply-chain management—and has been for the past several years.

Basically, they are ordering pens, paper, staples—and who knows what other supplies they don’t need—with money they don’t have.

Our federal government is fighting about spending cuts, but we have a department in that governement that is out-spending its budget without a care in the world.

Days like this make me grateful my dad scared the living shit out of me about spending money. I wish he could to the same to them.