Wasteful spending: Half million to study why Monkeys throw feces

This is definitely worth reading, just make sure you are sitting down when you read that we spent an easy half million to find out why monkeys throw feces:

CBN — A recent report released by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., gives a hundred examples from just last year. …

  • More federal funding in the amount of $593,000 went to a primate research center to study where in chimpanzees’ brains they get the idea to throw their feces.
  • A Virginia university received $55,000 to study Jordanian students’ water pipe smoking habits.
  • A new grant of $176,000 joined $350,000 already spent to study how cocaine hurts or helps the sex drive of Japanese quail.

While some people complain about government cuts, Leslie Paige, media director for Citizens Against Government Waste, said hardly any government program is rarely downsized.

“We never cut anything. There’s hardly ever anything cut. In fact, the budget goes up by five percent and we’re still spending money on junk like this,” she said.

More examples:

  • A museum of magic received $147,000 to study the audiences of magic shows.
  • More than $550,000 of U.S. taxes went to the production of a documentary on how rock bands contributed to the fall of the Soviet empire.

“Now I might actually be interested in that. I’d like to know which groups did the most to bring down the evil empire. I just don’t think the federal government needs to be spending money on this,” Knudsen said.

Paige said such profligate spending, magnified by many billions, could cause America’s downfall.

“We’re $15.3 trillion in debt, and we’re giving money to people to study the collapse of the Soviet Union. I mean I think it’s so ironic,” she pointed out.

A television production of a Pakistani version of PBS’ “Sesame Street” has already cost tax payers $10 million and $20 million more has already been budgeted.

Read More at CBN


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