Political Quotes

“Several years ago, in an effort to identify excess spending in the federal budget, I inquired as to overhead costs in federal programs. I was advised that the federal accounting system makes it impossible to identify overhead expenses for most federal operations. The Federal Government, it turned out, has over two hundred separate primary accounting systems, making it impossible to compare something as basic as overhead costs. Worse, many of these systems are shamefully inadequate even on their own terms. A 1995 General Accounting Office report reveals that the Pentagon made more than $400 billion in adjustments to correct errors in defense reporting data for fiscal years 1991 to 1993--and the resulting statements still were not reliable. The Pentagon paid vendors $29 billion that could not be matched with supporting documents to determine if these payments were proper. The Pentagon made an estimated $3 million in fraudulent payments to a former Navy supply officer for more than 100 false invoice claims, and approximately $8 million in Army payroll payments were made to unauthorized persons, including six 'ghost' soldiers and 76 deserters. The Internal Revenue Service offers another disturbing example of poor financial management and its consequences. The General Accounting Office testified before the Governmental Affairs Committee on June 6, 1996 that despite years of criticism, 'fundamental, persistent problems remain uncorrected' at the IRS.”