Art for Italians

The State Department contributed $350,000 for the United States to be part of the 54th International Art Exhibition in Venice, Italy. No word on how much the exhibit enhanced U.S. international relations.

$50,000 Self-guided Tour

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) provided $50,000 for a self-guided art tour in Wisconsin.

Environmental Groups Collecting Millions

While the economy limps along, one industry is thriving: Environmental lawsuits against the federal government are moving ahead at a steady pace and taxpayers are picking up the tab for the expensive litigation.

Environmental groups are using a little-known 1980 law called the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) to sue the federal government on a wide range of fronts and then collect millions of dollars in legal fees from the very federal agencies they are suing. Not only that but, according to a recent study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the government is not even tracking in any organized fashion how much it’s paying out to these groups.

For example, only 10 of 75 agencies with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior could provide the GAO with data on attorney fee reimbursements. The government agencies that do keep track of their attorney fee reimbursements signed some $44.4 million worth of checks between 2001 and 2010. Click here for additional information.

Foreign Aid To India

The National Science Foundation wants to help politicians in India do a better job. So it is awarded a $426,000 grant for research to determine the effectiveness of communications to citizens from officeholders. The U.S. sent $126 million in aid to India last year, even though it is one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

$610,908 Survey

The National Institute for Aging paid researchers $610,908 to survey well-being around the world

$484,000 Pizzeria

A private company was given $484,000 by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to build a Mellow Mushroom pizzeria in Arlington, TX.

$300,000 Dance Program

The National Science Foundation devoted $300,000 to developing a dance program to illustrate the origins of matter.

Amtrak Lost $800M On Cheeseburgers And Soda

Taxpayers lost $833 million over the last decade on the food and beverages supplied by Amtrak, which managed to spend $1.70 for every dollar that received in revenue.

“Over the last ten years, these losses have amounted to a staggering $833.8 million,” said Rep.John Mica, R-Fla., in a statement previewing a House hearing today.  “It costs passengers $9.50 to buy a cheeseburger on Amtrak, but the cost to taxpayers is $16.15.  Riders pay $2.00 for a Pepsi, but each of these sodas costs the U.S. Treasury $3.40.”

IRS Pays Out Billions in Fraudulent Refunds

The IRS is paying out billions of dollars in fraudulent tax refunds to identity thieves; a problem that the tax service’s inspector general told CNBC is a “growing problem” involving numbers that are increasing “exponentially.” Click here for complete article.

Michigan Trees

The U.S. government spent $74,000 last year to help the state of Michigan "increase awareness about the role Michigan plays in the production of trees and poinsettias." Michigan's $40 million Christmas tree industry already ranks third in the nation.

Snow Cone Machines

The Department of Homeland Security used $6,279 to purchase Snow Cone ice-making machines for emergency services in Michigan.

Hawaiian Chocolate Festival

The federal government gave the Hawaii Department of Agriculture $50,000 to help pay for the 2nd Annual Hawaiian Chocolate Festival. The goal is to "highlight the culinary talents and products specifically linked to Hawaii's chocolate industry."

Hookah Smoking in Jordan

The National Institute of Health, also a repeat offender, spent $55,382 to study hookah smoking in Jordan.

$100,000 Video Game Grant

 A grant for $100,000 went to help the Massachusetts video game industry.

Social Media

Another National Science Foundation grant for $198,000 paid for a University of California-Riverside study of "motivations, expectations and goal pursuit in social media." Among the questions the study seeks to answer: "Do unhappy people spend more time on Twitter or Facebook?"