A new report from Senator Tom Coburn’s office reveals many different examples of government waste in the past year. When I saw the study, I didn’t think much of it because it is a well-known fact that the American government is an inefficient bureaucracy. Seasons change and the sky is blue – nothing to see here. However, I continued to read the findings and was taken aback at exactly what the government was spending taxpayer money on.

Here’s a couple examples and please think about these the next time you see the year-to-date amount taxed on your next paycheck. The government put aside $325,000 for the development of a squirrel robot that is so realistic it can deceive a rattlesnake. Add that to $40,000 spent on production of a video game where players can virtually enjoy a pond in Massachusetts. That’s not the only video game the government is developing though. It spent $516,000 on a video game called “Prom Week,” which simulates the interactions of teenagers surrounding the much-anticipated rite of passage. Your tax dollars are also contributing to the $1 million a year that NASA puts towards researching what astronauts would be able to eat on Mars even though there no plans for a manned mission to the Red Planet. Finally, $150 million a year are contributed to The Murtha Airport in Johnstown, PA by none other than representative John Murtha. The airport boasts a $7 million air traffic control tower, $14 million hanger, and $18 million runway big enough to land any airplane in North America. There are exactly 3 flights a day in and out of John Murtha Airport.

It’s ludicrous that this type of spending is allowed to occur. It’s so ludicrous in fact that Ludacris himself would denounce this reckless spending (and he owns a Ferrari 458 and a Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe). I understand that the amounts listed above are marginal compared to the amount the government actually receives in taxes but there is absolutely no reason any amount of money should be spent developing two completely worthless video games.  Aren’t there private companies spending their own money on such ventures? The government has bigger things to worry about and the fact that it even spends a penny on a virtual New England pond is embarrassingly hilarious.

It’s kind of like when someone has just inherited a fortune and has too much money than they know what to do with. “Let’s spend some money on an airport and never use it,” said the guy who’s net worth just jumped from $50,000 to $50 billion. America doesn’t have so much money that we don’t know what do it with all. Has the government forgot that we’re in trillions of dollars of debt and our economy hasn’t been this unstable since the Great Depression. We need to be frugal and smart and make wise investments now more than ever unless we want to be more in debt to our biggest threat China.

Let’s wisen up as a country and a government. If we start allocating all of our money to the right places, the country will get back on track. If I were involved, my first step would be cutting the video game and useless airport budget. Maybe then we can avoid the heated Presidential debates centered around tax plans. I’m sure this is easier to say than do and I’m not naive – I know the country isn’t in debt because of the video game budget.  But at least it would be a start and show the country we are making an effort to use the taxed income wisely and efficiently.