Audit finds US census preparations wasted millions

[vegiegals]

Source: AP





Audit finds US census preparations wasted millions

By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer Tue Feb 16, 9:17 am ET

WASHINGTON – The Census Bureau wasted millions of dollars in preparation for its 2010 population count, including thousands of temporary employees who picked up $300 checks without performing work and others who overbilled for travel costs.

Federal investigators caution the excessive charges could multiply once the $15 billion headcount begins in earnest next month unless the agency imposes tighter spending controls, according to excerpts of a forthcoming audit obtained by The Associated Press.

On a positive note, investigators backed the Census Bureau's decision to spend $133 million on its advertising campaign, saying it was appropriate to boost public awareness. The spending included a $2.5 million Super Bowl spot that some Republicans had criticized as wasteful.

The findings by Todd Zinser, the Commerce Department's inspector general, highlight the difficult balancing act for the Census Bureau as it takes on the Herculean task of manually counting the nation's 300 million residents amid a backdrop of record levels of government debt................

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100216/ap_on_bi_ge/us_census_spending_waste

[SpiralHawk]

1. "Is that all? We coulda wasted billions. Smirk." - Republicon FAIL Artistes

"You can bet your booty we republicons -- with 8 years to FAIL things up -- set the socialistic Census up perfectly for the Dems to become patsies.

"If we were still in charge (bwaa ha ha ha ha) you can bet billions more would have 'disappeared' into the coffers of our republicon cronies. Too bad you Dummy Dems will have to suck up all the BLAME (Smirk) for screwed up procedures and 'missing' millions. Bwaaa ha ha ha ha. Smirk."

- Republicon Fail Artistes

[nykym]

2. I would like to see the

Census do a PSA ad exposing the little republican dirty trick of sending out bogus census look alike donation requests.