Today I read a report from the Government Accountability Office that looked at the cost of rocket launches funded by the US government. Each launch carried out by the United Launch Coalition (a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin) costs around 350 million dollars (reference here). Although all 106 launches have been successful, that still seems like an awfully high price tag.
Couple this with the fact that Elon Musk's Space X says they can do a launch for under 100 million and the price seems even more exorbitant. Musk sued the Pentagon for access to government contracts and in the process exposed the wasteful spending that is occurring. This is just the latest example of government spending that I think democrats and republicans should agree is ludicrous. How are we giving out contracts to companies that use more than twice what we should for rocket launch tests? The cost of the program will hit 70 billion dollars according to Politico.
Additionally, in recent times, the US government has spent 43 million dollars on a compressed natural gas station in Afghanistan that no one can use. The Missile Defense Agency overpaid for a contract by 10 million dollars after they approved the contract before a cautionary audit was completed that would have exposed the waste. Although not tax money, the US government sent 12 billion dollars in shrink-wrapped cash on helicopters and planes to war-torn Iraq and were given away in duffle bags and backpacks with zero oversight or accountability. Finally, as of 2013 6.5 million people are listed to receive social security benefits who are at least 112 years old. Of course, almost all these people are either dead or they are fraudulent accounts. A Democrat, Tom Carper from Maryland,said that this opens the federal government up to millions in wasteful spending.
I know that these are cherry picked examples and that government expenditures fund necessary and critical programs, however when things like this happen it undermines people's ability to trust the government with their tax money. Bernie Sanders wants to raise the tax rate on the richest Americans above the 39.6 percent they are currently paying. If someone paying that rate seems that the F-35 jet being built and tested by the US Air Force will cost (as of 2014) 1.5 trillion dollars over 55 years, it is difficult to trust that your money will be put to good use. Now I know someone like Bernie won't be increasing military spending, but the view that the government is wasting money does not help his cause.
People are already wary of the federal government and many Americans have zero faith in their ability to operate efficiently. Looking at the 4.7 trillion dollars in tax revenue the Feds collect, billions of which is being inefficiently used or wasted, and that lack of faith is not surprising. So if you are in favor of lowering taxes, this waste must be done away with so that the smaller amount of revenue the feds have can be used efficiently. If you want to raise tax rates, a compelling argument (and swift moves to fix things) must be made to restore some faith in our government's ability to operate and make responsible decisions with our money.
