NPRI's 'Piglet Book' reveals hundreds of millions in government waste
The next time a liberal says Nevada's "cut to the bone," show them NPRI's Piglet Book 2012, which details hundreds of millions in government waste that NPRI's uncovered in just the last two years.
Our press release on it is below, but you really should read the whole thing right now.
NPRI's 'Piglet Book' reveals hundreds of millions in government waste
LAS VEGAS - In the last two years, government officials in Nevada have used hundreds of millions of tax dollars to reward political cronies, pay for double-dipping government workers and, in some cases, illegally line their pockets
Those are just a few of the examples of government waste uncovered in "The Nevada Piglet Book 2012." Written by NPRI Deputy Policy Director Geoffrey Lawrence, this year's edition of the Piglet Book details numerous examples of government waste over the past two years, including credit-card abuse, double-dipping, excessive sick-leave payouts and paying union officials with tax dollars to perform union business.
"During the past few years, politicians have repeatedly claimed that they've 'cut to the bone,'" said Lawrence. "The Piglet Book shows just how untrue that claim is. Plenty of waste, fat and abuse lards the arteries of Nevada government, but some lawmakers prefer to keep using tax dollars to benefit themselves and their cronies - rather than simply delivering the services government is suppose to provide.
"What's really sad is that these stories are only the tip of the waste iceberg. Hundreds of stories could have been included in the Piglet Book - and that's only the waste we were able to uncover. During these recent years when taxpayers have had to struggle most, politicians and government employees have continued ripping taxpayers off."
The Piglet Book also details how politicians, such as Sen. Majority Leader Steven Horsford, build political fiefdoms by funneling tax dollars into organizations they control. While in the Legislature, Sen. Horsford directed tens of millions of dollars for workforce development into organizations he helped run as a private citizen. Eventually, many of those tax dollars go to the Culinary Training Academy, where Horsford draws a roughly $150,000 annual salary for a work week averaging 25 hours. Not surprisingly, a state audit recently revealed that nearly 40 percent of federal grant money targeted for workforce training in Southern Nevada went to administrative costs, instead of training workers.
"Using tax dollars to build their own political kingdoms and reward their cronies is yet another reason why government spending should be limited and accountable," said Lawrence.
"The true expense here is not the money lost from government coffers. It's the money - and thus the possibilities - taken from private families. The only way to stop this from continuing is for taxpayers to demand transparency, accountability and limited government."
Lawrence concluded, "While we handle the stories in the Piglet Book a bit lightly, the reality remains that they detail substantial waste, fraud and abuse that lowers the standard of living for every Nevada household."
The Nevada Piglet Book 2012 is available at: http://www.npri.org/docLib/20121023_piglet_2012_final.pdf.
Note: "Piglet Book" is a registered trademark of Citizens Against Government Waste and is used with permission.
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