Posted on 09/20/2011 10:36:06 PM PDT by Steelfish
A $16 Muffin? Justice Dept. Audit Finds ‘Wasteful’ and Extravagant Spending
By Jerry Markon, Tuesday, September 20 Where does a muffin cost more than $16?
At a government conference, it turns out.
They may run just over $2 at your average coffee shop, but the Justice Department paid seven to eight times as much at a gathering it held at the Capital Hilton in Washington. And on Tuesday, the muffins seemed well on their way to joining the Pentagon’s $600 toilet seat as symbols of wasteful spending.
Justice Department auditors also criticized a $76-per-person lunch at a conference at a Hilton in San Francisco, featuring slow-cooked Berkshire pork carnitas, hearts-of-romaine salad — and coffee at $8.24 a cup.
A report released Tuesday by the department’s acting inspector general, Cynthia A. Schnedar, is full of what she called “wasteful or extravagant spending” at 10 law enforcement conferences spanning the George W. Bush and Obama administrations.
Descriptions of cookies and brownies costing the government nearly $10 each and beef Wellington hors d’oeuvres at $7.32 per serving struck a nerve in Washington, where austerity and belt-tightening are the watchwords at a time of economic hardship.
The reaction was blistering — and bipartisan.
“Sixteen-dollar muffins and $600,000 for event planning services are what make Americans cynical about government and why they are demanding change,’’ said Sen. Charles E. Grassley (Iowa), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. “The Justice Department appears to be blind to the economic realities our country is facing. People are outraged, and rightly so.’’
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I wish sixteen buck muffins were the worst of it. At least muffins were obtained. How about all the misadventures where tax monies were spent and it procured nothing at all?
I can’t believe this made it to the WAPO. A liberal bastion if ever there was one.
He thought he was a man but he was a muffin.
Inner Party members like Eric Holder don’t eat $2 muffins. It’s $10 each at least. $16 with nuts.
Now back to work, Prols.
There is naught nor ought there be nothing so exalted on the face of gods grey Earth as that prince of foods... the muffin!
It’s all in how it’s done:
Arrogantly twisting the sterile canvas snoot of a fully charged icing Anointment utensil he poots forths a quarter-ounce green rosette (oh ah yuk Yuk... lets try that again...!) he poots forth a quarter-ounce green rosette near the summit of a dense but radiant muffin of his own design.
Now THAT’S worth $16!
If only Zappa were alive to see it! So much for cheese.
Let them eat muffins.
Well, that is what stuff costs at places like that.
However, it is piss poor judgement and an irresponsible waste of taxpayer dollars.
They should be gathering at more modest locations.
Those people are Obama rich.
I gotta know what a $5 shake $16 muffin tastes like.....
Nothing new. I was a Fed employee at the time (about 1995) and really had trouble finding a room for $58 a night when I had to go to meetings. The wife wanted to spend a couple days at The Homestead” just to see what it was like ($500 a day). Imagine my surprise when we get there and the song in the lobby had info for the (Federal Judges meeting)! Like every Holiday Inn in western VA was booked?/sarc. Some animals are more equal than others...
He said “you ain’t seen nothin’ till you’re down on a muffin
then you’re sure to be a-changin’ your ways”
LOL sign not song
>>The Justice Department appears to be blind to the economic realities our country is facing. People are outraged, and rightly so.’’
It’s party time-while the nation is suffering.
Please, oh please give me the opportunity to be the person who approves spending for anything in government. I will be the farm that I could save enough money for all of us to take a very nice, long vacation like the current adminisration is enjoying.
Oh well, one can hope can’t they?
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