U.S. Government At Work

1. In 1986 the National Park Service bought a half acre of land in southwest Washington, DC, for $230,000. In 1988 someone discovered that the Park Service already owned the land.....they bought it in 1914.
2. When $122 million was allocated for an addition to the Dirksen Office Building in Washington, DC, it went to give the senators a THIRD gymnasium.
3. According to a 1989 report by the State Department Watch, a private watchdog organization, the Department of State issued eighteen thousand travel expense checks without getting corroborating evidence for the expenses. One check for $9,000 was issued to 'Ludwig van Beethoven' whose Social Security number was listed as 123-45-6789.
4. $84,000 was approved by Congress for a project to discover why people fall in love.
5. During the 1980s Department of Defense efficiency experts saved between $27 million and $136 million each year! However, the efficiency experts cost between $150 million and $300 million each year.