5 Incredible Ways The Government Has Wasted Your Money

How does the federal government waste our money? By the bucket load, or should I say by the supertanker load. Our government spends billions of dollars every year on projects that can only be called foolish even by the drunkest and palm greased politicians in Washington. Don't believe me? Here are just five of plenty ways your tax dollars are going to waste.

Mango Farmers In Pakistan- First, who even knew they grew mangoes in Pakistan? Second, aren't these the same guys who had no idea that Osama Bin Laden was camping out in broad daylight in their country? Third, mangoes aren't that tasty so why should we spend $30 million of our money to help out their farmers? What about American farmers? They could use $30 million to help keep them in business too! Have I made you feel proud to be an American yet? Wait it gets better.

Retirement and Disability Payments for DEAD Government Employees- You did read that correctly. Our government has been paying out benefits for workers who not only don't work, they don't exist in this world anymore. I am not talking about bereaved spouses or children of the deceased getting the money, I am talking about dead people getting paid. How does over $600 million over the past 5 years strike you? The Inspector General's office estimates that a figure of between $100 and $120 million annually is paid to these spirits in the material world.  Are you proud to be an American yet? Hold on!

PIzza- PIzza, we all like pizza, so that can't be wasted money. How much does your family spend on pizza every year? We might spend a couple of hundred bucks annually at our house. The government spent $484,000.00 and didn't even get a pie delivered. This money went to finance a pizza place in Texas called the Mellow Mushroom. A pizza restaurant that offers an assortment of pizzas with drug referenced names and toppings. It's a good thing we aren't funding a war on drugs!

Video Games- What does the government need with video games? I know a lot of our new military technology looks like a video game but this money was used to fund a survey for the International Center for the History of Video Games. How much you ask? Only $113,277.00 that's all. If it's the International Center shouldn't Canada be kicking in a few bucks too? Maybe those mindless hours our kids spend staring at Mario Brothers will pay off in a huge government job someday! Maybe monkeys will fly out of my butt the next time I stand up too. Proud yet?

Pancakes- God as my witness I love pancakes. I love a nice tall stack of buttermilk pancakes with rich maple syrup and a big slab of butter on top. I won't pay $765,828.00 for my pancakes though. Oh wait, you and I already did, thanks to Uncle Sam! This money went specifically to build an IHOP in one of the more influential suburbs of Washington. According to the sponsor of the legislation that procured the money, it was supposed to go to a "deserving community" to create jobs. It sounds to me it went to create pancakes for some senator's Saturday brunch.

Don't get me wrong, I understand our government has to fund a lot of programs that don't have to necessarily apply to me. I get it that we are a diversified country with many hopes, many dreams and many opportunities and our government should help those willing to get off their backsides and help themselves.

I don't think the government's mission should be to help foreign farmers when our farmers are going broke. I don't think video games, pizza and pancakes mean nearly as much as education should mean. I don't think that money given to the dead is a better investment than those who are still living the American dream. I would love to know what you think, are we the land of the free or the land of the free loader?