Money for nothing

"When you spend other people's money - in this case taxpayers'- prudence has a tendency to fall by the wayside."

Doesn't that just about say it all?

Lets pray there is an exception to every rule and this is it! I would hate to see GM go under after 50-60B of taxpayers money being tossed in especially against 70% of Americans.

About 10 percent of that money could have been used to completely upgrade / replace the
outdoor warning siren system ,at least along the coast . It has been nearly Five Years since the Dec. 26 2004 Tsunami . This should of been a wake up call to all local and state goverments. Not so in Los Angeles County no working Sirens or Voice CD systems in place
and working since the early 1980's . San Fransisco , Hawaii , Huntington Beach & So Orange
County rank very good in Civil Defense warning with recently installed sirens replacing old
rusted out alarms.
Los Angeles City and County , Long Beach , and other beach citys gets close
to a Zero for no working outdoor warning system.

I don't see where money is really being wasted. A new Fire department a couple towns over was just built and had a 64" plasma installed. Is it a waste of money? Not at all. Not only does it serve as the TV for the on duty firefighters, it' also serves as the monitor for displaying important training videos and scenarios as well as for functions in the community room. Most things in that article do have a valid reason for being bought. As for the rest of the article, i think a county purchasing a shotgun safe is very reasonable (they don't cost much, and there is this thing called a Sheriff's dept that...OMG has guns that need to be kept secure!). Replica guns are used all the time for training. That's how students in law enforcement school learn how to use and properly handle weapons. You don't just put a live gun in untrained hands. And how is a lawnmower a waste of money? I mean is this writer serious???? Do we just want to let the weeds grow everywhere in front of the buildings? And I think the sheriff's dept protecting the USA's largest port has plenty of reason to purchase a boat with a machine gun mount.

This writer is an idiot.

Not all the expenditures, even the "far fetched" ones, are invalid. The replica firearms and shotgun safe are easily justified in terms of weapon training. Even the TV may be justified if it's going in a command center. But it's true, public money is often wasted.