$16 muffins tax payers buy plus $8 coffees

[ducks]

http://news.yahoo.com/16-muffins-8-coffee-served-justice-audit-023623142.html

[Yonivore]

http://news.yahoo.com/16-muffins-8-coffee-served-justice-audit-023623142.html
Raise taxes!

[Spurminator]

Must be no-bid muffins.

[ElNono]

The DOJ spent $121 million on conferences in fiscal 2008 and 2009, which exceeded its own spending limits and appeared to be extravagant and wasteful, according to the report that examined 10 conferences held during that period.

[ElNono]

Also, good to hear that...

the DOJ had taken steps since 2009 "to ensure that these problems do not occur again."

Probably $15.5 these days...

[Wild Cobra]

Must be no-bid muffins.

Must be someones relative.

[Yonivore]

Why the $16 muffin is no joke (http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/22/opinion/welch-sixteen-dollar-muffin/index.html)


The lesson of government waste, whether on $16 muffins or $535 million loan guarantees (http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/solyndra-told-congress-track-success/story?id=14573010) to solar power companies or $48 billion in "improper" Medicare payments (http://reason.com/archives/2011/09/13/medicare-thieves), is one worth relearning every day.

Managers whose budgets do not depend on customer satisfaction and who do not face competitive pressure in the marketplace, will not, on balance, spend their money wisely. Vendors selling to those managers know that price matters much less than it does to, say, Wal-Mart. And anywhere there is political urgency and official involvement high up the command chain, conditions will begin resembling a gold rush.

[ElNono]

I wonder how much the military is paying for a wrench these days...

[Capt Bringdown]

Why the $16 muffin is no joke (http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/22/opinion/welch-sixteen-dollar-muffin/index.html)

From the comments:


Go to HiltonDOTcom, get a quote for a meeting room in DC. Request food/beverages. $650 a day for 20 people. That works out to $32.5 per person per day. I'm guessing they're going to serve coffee and muffins. The OIG report didn't parse out the costs of the room, just took the total amount and divided it by the number of people. It didn't factor in room costs, fees and taxes (yes, even the Government gets taxes)

Much ado about nothing.

Another debunking:


Let's take a quick look at how a narrow focus skews perception. I derived the following figures from a very popular, mid tier American restaurant chain. This calculation assumes 2 diners ordering typical fare:
Entree 1: $15
Entree 2: $13
Drink 1: $2
Drink 2: $2
Appetizer (shared): $8
Dessert (shared): $6
Food bill: $46; Tax: Approximately $3.50 (depending on state); Tip: Approximately $9
Total Cost of meal for 2 people: $58.50

Now, that may seem reasonable for a date night or some other celebration. But, let's break it down by LINE ITEM.
Entree, Entree, Drink, Drink, Dessert, Appetizer = 6 items (we certainly don't count taxes or tips as a line items, when trying to draw a conclusion that will support our rebel views)
$58.50 / 6 = $9.75. Now, we round up (again, to fan the flame) and we have a $10 soda.

Sweet mother of pearl! A $10 soda. THAT"S OUTRAGEOUS! Someone fire someone! Someone start a riot! Someone do something!

[ElNono]

I thought this comment was pretty funny too:

Liberal reaction to this issue: We should buy less expensive muffins.
Conservative reaction to this issue: We should stop buying muffins.
Tea Party reaction to this issue: SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT!

[Capt Bringdown]

Until the glibertarians and teahadists address our grotesque and preposterously out-sized MIC spending, why should anyone take them seriously?

U.S. to build new massive prison in Bagram (http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/09/19/bagram/index.html)


The administration unveiled plans for "the construction of Detention Facility in Parwan (DFIP), Bagram, Afghanistan" which includes "detainee housing capability for approximately 2000 detainees." It will also feature "guard towers, administrative facility and Vehicle/Personnel Access Control Gates, security surveillance and restricted access systems." The announcement provided: "the estimated cost of the project is between $25,000,000 to $100,000,000."

[Drachen]

El Nono : awesome

Cpt Bgdn: Teahadists? I like that.

[LnGrrrR]

I wonder how much the military is paying for a wrench these days...

I've found the more pertinent question is asking how much manpower/time a military person has to go through getting quotes from various vendors and filling out the proper paperwork it would take to get a wrench...

[LnGrrrR]

Until the glibertarians and teahadists address our grotesque and preposterously out-sized MIC spending, why should anyone take them seriously?

U.S. to build new massive prison in Bagram (http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/09/19/bagram/index.html)

Well, we're pulling out of Iraq, right? Generals have to start using that end-of-year budget money somewhere... :p

[boutons_deux]

The caterer said the $16 was for entire breakfast, not for the muffins. Like Solyndra, another bogus right-wing Fox Repug Propaganda scandal to slime the WH, WEALTHY right-wingers for whom $16 is round off error in their dining-out bills.

"Hilton Worldwide, which manages and franchises hotels including the Capital Hilton where the conference took place, says the price included not only breakfast baked goods but also fresh fruit, coffee, tea, soft drinks, tax and tips. It says the report misinterpreted its invoices, which often use shorthand and don't reflect the full menu and service provided."

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201109230020?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MediaMattersForAmerica-CountyFair+%28Media+Matters+for+America+-+County+Fair%29

[Agloco]

http://news.yahoo.com/16-muffins-8-coffee-served-justice-audit-023623142.html

Starbucks for three anyone?