Where has all the money gone, long time passing...

Actually Pete Seeger wrote and performed the Where have all the flowers gone? song years ago. But the lyrics came to mind after reading the Washington Post article A hidden world growing beyond control This details the billions that have been spent on Top Secret programs across the federal spectrum of agencies, military and civilian. Actually there isn't what I would call "details" more illustrations of out of control spending and duplication of efforts. Someone sent this to me and asked me to comment. So here goes:

• It does not surprise me one bit. When America encounters a problem we throw money at it. It doesn't make any difference if it is used wisely, they just want the problem fixed and the way to do it is to fund solutions. This quickly leads to waste as agencies are given money that is targeted for only one area and cannot be used for other purposes. So, like a drunken sailor we spend what we are given.
• To argue that there isn't duplication is to ignore how agencies build their individual empires and refuse to share information with others. Turf should only be something mentioned when talking about the Scotts Lawn Company, but in DC it has to do with defending your budget allocations and eliminating the competition. The only thing more threatening than a terrorist would be another agency getting a leg up on yours.
• We can "what if" this scenario to death. What if the money went for education, critical infrastructure, energy independence, etc.? But, it is all water over the dam!
  
• As for contractors getting getting rich on the federal dime--well, duh! Many large consulting companies eschewed working with state and local homeland security programs because they knew the real money was in federal programs. Since federal agencies didn't have the authority to hire FTEs they hire contractors. When the contractors leave the institutional knowledge walks out with them.
• I don't have a lot of hope for reform. With Congress segregating the funding between so many different committees it is hard to get a handle on what is going on in the form of the big picture. There were several illustrations in the story that point to talented people looking at this issue and throwing up their hands. It defies fixing given the system we have in place now for "oversight" if you want to call it that.

It is the end of the day--so ending on a downer is not my preferred way to go to bed, but I don't see hope in the near or long term for fixing the problems identified in the Washington Post article.