Even when the federal government tries to do something right, like give billions of dollars to those who lost their homes and livelihood in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, they still find a way to screw John and Jane Q. Public. Various outlets are reporting that up to $1.4 billion that was supposed to aid the victims went to some of these beauties below:
- An all-inclusive, one-week Caribbean vacation in the Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic.
- Five season tickets to New Orleans Saints professional football games.
- Adult erotica products in Houston and “Girls Gone Wild” videos in Santa Monica, Calif.
- Dom Perignon champagne and other alcoholic beverages in San Antonio.
In another instance, the Federal Emergence Management Agency (FEMA) paid an individual $2,358 in rental assistance, while at the same time paying about $8,000 for the same person to stay 70 nights at more than $100 per night in a Hawaii hotel.
Looks like the Katrina victims learned their spending habits from the U.S. Congress. Way to lead by example, fellas!
Quote of the day: “Our forensic audit and investigative work showed that improper and potentially fraudulent payments occurred mainly because FEMA did not validate the identity of the registrant, the physical location of the damaged address, and ownership and occupancy of all registrants at the time of registration,” Government Accountability Office officials said.
As usual, looks like the boys over at the GAO are doing a heckuva job.