“That’s my steak, Valance.”
Posted on 04/11/2008 1:07:48 PM PDT by Cagey
Internal funds cover the $13,500 tab for filets and drinks, they say. Auditors call it 'abusive.'
WASHINGTON - When the U.S. Postal Service rang up a $13,500 tab at an Orlando steakhouse, it spared no expense during a five-hour meal that government investigators are calling "abusive" in its extravagance.
The order -- charged to government credit cards -- included more than $3,000 for drinks, more than $500 for shrimp cocktails and almost $900 for mini crab cakes, according to the Government Accountability Office, the investigate arm of Congress.
And then there's the steak.
"The better question is probably what they didn't order," GAO investigator Gregory Kutz said Wednesday. He counted 81 entrees -- including just about every kind of steak -- from the 2006 feast at Ruth's Chris Steak House on Sand Lake Road.
Related links GAO report (PDF) Postal Service $13,000 dinner = good PR for Ruth's Chris Filet, lingerie, Web dates -- with your tax dollars Stamps, stamps and more stamps Photos The GAO cited the Orlando meal as part of an overarching audit into abuse of government credit cards. The report, released this week, found 41 percent of purchases reviewed by the GAO from 2005 to 2006 failed "basic internal control standards."
These include safety measures such as getting proper authorization or having someone other than the cardholder review the expense. A lack of oversight led to abuses such as embezzling or odd expenses such as lingerie, electronic equipment and, in one case, $77,700 worth of expensive suits bought by the Pentagon.
(Excerpt) Read more at sun-sentinel.com ...
These numbers are meaningless without the # of heads at this dinner. If there were 500 people, that was $1 per shrimp cocktail and $6 for one beverage. (I know, I know there were not that many)
$167 per head! That was some party.
“”This is not taxpayer money. What we spend is what we make. The Postal Service is funded solely by our products and services,” said Gerry McKiernan, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service.”
Got the gooberment goober with his own words.
If the money was not government money, then the accounting would not be done by the General Accounting Office(GAO).
Gooberment Man speak with forked tongue!
“Watering the Tree of Liberty is coming sooner than later I’m afraid....”
Given the cost of revolution, realized from the beginning of the Republic, the time honored way of watering the Tree of Liberty is pissing on the careers of the elected by voting them out of office.
It is cheaper and less destructive than a shooting revolution.
Besides, watching an out of office official or fired bureaucrat attempting to survive without that tax payer provided salary is priceless.
It's mentioned in the full article. That does bring up another question, though: How many potential clients were there versus how many USPS employees?
LOL - me too - a little of everything - from 45colt to 45/70, 7.62, .38, .22, .44, .410, 12 ga...Ive been looking for those springfield armory combo scouts - .410 on top .22 underneath
Wow. What an ignorant statement. Come along sometime on a postal carriers day, any day, especially some ice covered blizzard-y day in life-threatening temperatures, and spend some time in my shoes. Help me get unstuck for the twentieth or thirtieth time in a day. Ride along while I drive a mile down a desolate, death-defying ice-covered gravel road to deliver a pizza coupon to a single house before turning around. Blast through some two or three foot tall snow drifts to get those mass mailings out. You'll have a new appreciation for how much you get for your tax dollars and stamp money.
By the way, the most recent mail count our level of mail carried went up, and we lost pay. My route lost over $3500/year while doing significantly more work than two years ago. Maybe there's some abuse here and there like most any government agency, but you don't have to paint the entire operation with your broad brush.
And? You might work hard, but let’s face it, the USPS is highly inefficient. Anecdotal evidence, nothing more.
Care to comment?
Are you kidding? Most fat assed Americans are trying to choose between a full blow racist leftist, a full blown lying Marxast and a full blown Liberal trying to pass as a Conservative. Current reports show Democraps may have 60 votes in the Senate. We are becoming a banana republic! No leadership! No accountability. They say 'jump' and we now say 'how high masters?'
So I presume you have a better model for moving millions upon millions of pieces of mail daily? Put up, please.
Whether I do or not changes nothing. The USPS is inefficient and disorganized. None of your objections change that.
USPS
“That’s my steak, Valance.”
“Come along sometime on a postal carriers day, any day, especially some ice covered blizzard-y day in life-threatening temperatures, and spend some time in my shoes. Help me get unstuck for the twentieth or thirtieth time in a day. Ride along while I drive a mile down a desolate, death-defying ice-covered gravel road to deliver a pizza coupon to a single house before turning around. Blast through some two or three foot tall snow drifts to get those mass mailings out. You’ll have a new appreciation for how much you get for your tax dollars and stamp money.”
And the sniper fire. Don’t forget the sniper fire!
GAO has been incompetently led for the last couple of decades and spends entirely too much money trying to find a little bit of questionable spending at USPS. Recently their incompetent leader took his leave of the agency so maybe it will get better. Among things the former GAO incompetent leader overlooked was the fact that OPM had misrepresented the amount of money USPS would have to put on deposit to cover USPS employee retirements ~ something like $35 billion worth, and climbing like a rocket.
GAO totally missed that and I saw people lose their jobs at USPS due to their inattention as USPS sought to cut expenditures to the bone.
Frankly, getting rid of the incompetent leader is not enough. GAO should go the way of Arthur Anderson. Get a new player in there ~ one not beholden to the mercurial behavior and beliefs of people like Congressman Oberstar who's been forcing the FAA to force American Airlines and other companies to ground their planes to see which way the electric clips face.
Or, the voters of Minnesota could dump this puke!
What’s insane? That they work in a competitive market with UPS and FedEx?
Congress hasn’t had a Postmaster General come to it for a rate increase since Richard Nixon was President.
You people did know that the competitor, UPS, is totally dominated by the Teamsters Union and their goons. You can imagine how their corporate clients are wined and dined ~ right?
Sure you can!!!
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