Posted on 04/15/2010 7:35:18 AM PDT by McGruff
Months after President Obama urged federal agencies last year to cut wasteful spending, the U.S. Department of State paid $3,814 to fill an order of Jack Daniel's whiskey for gratuities at one of its many overseas embassies.
The booze buy wasn't unusual.
Last year alone, the State Department sent taxpayers tabs totaling nearly $300,000 for alcoholic beverages — about twice as much compared to the previous year, according to an analysis of spending records by The Washington Times.
The purchases, small and large, included $2,483 to pay for "assorted spirits for gratuities to vendors" at the U.S. mission to the United Nations in New York, and $9,501 in "Christmas gratuities" of whiskey and wine at the U.S. Embassy in South Korea.
Taxpayer watchdogs say while accounting for a small fraction of the State Department's overall budget, some of the liquor expenditures reflect larger concerns about stewardship of federal tax dollars at a time when many recession-weary Americans find themselves struggling to hold onto jobs and pay mortgages.
"It's indicative of the disconnect that bureaucrats have when they spend our money," said David Williams, vice president of policy at the nonpartisan Citizens Against Government Waste.
State Department spokesman Noel Clay said such expenditures are permitted under law.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Government has doubled their spending in every area since the Bush administration.
They look at it as a stimulus spending for good old number 7.
While I disagree with almost everything Zero does, I find it hard to call any money spent on Jack Daniel’s a waste!
Even to toast the passing of the health care bill
Stimulus funds...
While I agree on their taste for liquors, problem is Zero's not buying any of these rounds. You are my FRiend.
The Booze Department
Jack Daniels is low rent swill.
This administration can't even piss our money away on decent booze.
Yeah the idiots keep watching ball games and are sheep controlled by TV.
Hillary gets boozed up and blows on the blues harp?
Anyways, here's Magic Dick doing Whammer Jammer
Macallans.
Our State Dept must be entertaining more mooslims behind embassy walls where their populace can’t watch them. The laws of Islam only apply when people you know can see, dontcha know.
A bottle of Jack Daniels helped me get free of a French border delay, they seemed impressed with the gift and an hours delay became a pleasant event of drinks and parting gifts for me.
“Other Peoples’ Money!”
That's the best thing one can do with a bottle of Jack Daniels. Give it to the French.
Give me a freaking break! We have a $3.8 Trillion budget that keeps growing each year and they worry about a few thousand dollars in liquor. I wish they all were drunk, maybe they'd spend less in more expensive stuff.
In Saudi. Right?
As a Texan I can tell you your view is in the minority.
Of all the ways diplomats can screw things up, giving out a few bottles of liquor isn’t one of them.
Literally, people need to get a little drunk for frank diplomacy to occur. Otherwise, the stick is so far up their a**, nothing could possibly occur.
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