Apparently the party with taxpayer money isn’t over, even in the glaring light of the GSA Vegas scandal that cost the head of the agency her job.
Earlier this week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration put up a job posting on the Federal Business Opportunities website looking for magicians to perform at an upcoming leadership training conference.
The performers would be paid for presentations that included “experiential exercises, physical energizers, magic tricks, puzzles, brain teasers, word games, humor and team-building exercises, designed to demonstrate how to stimulate creativity, encourage active participation, and practice needed skills and competencies.”
Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Texas), chairman of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, fired off a letter to NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco today calling on her to “immediately halt spending associated with this conference.”
Hall also requested information on conference activities and spending, including amounts spent on magicians, comedians, mind-readers, and related performers for the last three years.
“As the Federal government continues to burden American taxpayers with trillion-dollar deficits and NOAA struggles to meet critical weather forecasting missions to protect lives and property, this type of ridiculous and wasteful spending is simply unacceptable,” said Hall.
Now watch me pull some warming out of my hat…
Oh, they’ll pull Global Warming out, but it won’t from a hat. Lower, perhaps…
Wednesday night Wagu beef parties, fly to New York for date night, golfing, vacations, golf vacations. If the White House is acting like this, why wouldn’t everyone else in the executive branch have the same attitude?
It’s systemic from the Oval office down to the lowest paid janitor (probably $85,000 per year).
Why is it that “leaders” in bureaucracies have to be taught how to lead long after they’ve been hired as department heads? And not just once, but repeatedly. Are we being told, obliquely, that our tax dollars have been used to hire incompetent chowderheads? If that mistake was made, why not just fire the non-leading leaders and replace them with people who have a leadership track record?
In reply to #1, snork
That trick never works. (OUTSTANDING first comment)
In replying to #2, WALTC,
I trace the wholesale repudiation of the Rule of Law to the moment the Chrysler bond-holders were defrauded. Its been a rapid downhill ever since.
Reply to #1, snork,
That trick never works
Brilliant first comment, sir(?)
Reply to #2, WALTC,
I trace the repudiation of the Rule of Law to the moment the Chrysler bond-holders were defrauded out of their rightful place in a bankruptcy. Its been a rapid downhill slide ever since.
Bridget’s bunnies hardest hit. They had a chance to make some money working this conference.
Too bad the author isn’t concerned about real money being wasted. In March, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new procurement study for the F-35 joint strike fighter and the first 63 planes. Total new cost overrun was about $1 billion dollars.
And how about saving some money? Decorated Iraq war veteran and conservative Republican Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) wants to bring home the remaining four combat brigades in Europe. Kudos to Rep. Coffman, but no credit here on PJ Media that I have seen.
Well, apparently Putin and Russian Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov haven’t gotten them memo that we have peace in our time.
Stephen: there is a good article in the current issue of the Christian Science Monitor on Putin and what makes him tick. Going to war is not on his agenda, regardless of the posturing about a “first strike” from General Makarov.
So… you’re saying that a agency of our Federal government had an ad stating that they were interested in hiring a clown or clowns?
Huh…. who’da thunk that our government needed more clowns?
Well, NOAA does need professional help learning new ways to hide the decline.
In fact, I’d say NOAA needs professional help, period.
cheers
eon
Useful idiot, Enviromental Science majors putting up weather stations around the globe with the pre-ordained conclusion that global warming was a fact of life.
Their goal was to impose cap-in-trade. Drive up engergy prices. Decrease the amount of capitalism going on. Drive down incomes so that we depend on government to provide food-shelter-clothing-healthcare.
It is all about control. More subtle than Hugo Chavez, but with the same result.
I majored in physical science right around when these nitwits began their extraordinary push to claim all things Global Warming.
Am odd thing, too: it was the same narrative, expressed in the same way, a couple of decades ago. I kept asking them then to stop just showing me small causes, and demonstrate actual catastrophes occurring, and they couldn’t do it then, and they still can’t do it today. It was all, “look at this CO2 rising on this chart, we’re all doomed, OMG!!!”
It was and is the laziest of science. I see “A,” and I will jump to the conclusion, “Z,” because I really don’t have to complete steps “B,” “C,” “D,” and so on to get there and be certain I know what the hell I’m speaking of. Guesswork science based on personal opinion and agenda.
It just boggles my mind.
I experienced the same when pursuing my sciences degree in the late 90′s. Attending UC Davis after getting my A S from the CCAF and appearing at Davis in uniform sometimes.. whoa!
Though NOAA/ NBDC/ NWS (let’s not forget NASA, DoE, PNNL, NCAR and others at the federal trough providing NWO-supporting conclusions BEFORE any data is analyzed, at most times ‘collected’ for that matter. Any entity who claims a, ‘settled science’ on ANY science is a hack) – heck the DoC is a pathetically run federal entity.
As I’d mentioned before, if you’re a NOAA employee you can pursue and receive (‘earn’ is far too giving..) a 4-year sciences degree with NO LAB, classroom attendance whatsoever.
I worked with the NWS for 2 years following my military stint and was had just completed my B S when being hired.
When seeing co-workers ‘going to school’ completely online.. it blew (and continues doing so) my mind.
This ‘Magician for Hire’ doesn’t come close to, ‘the tip of the iceberg’ type fraud, waste & abuse occurring throughout the Fed.
How can it? The Fed is not accountable for coming in/ under budget, finishing projects on time/ in a timely manner, answers to no one whereas its majority of supporters pay NO taxes whatsoever and those of us concerned are only ~ 1/2 the population. And that # continues to dwindle.
Representative Hall can squawk though his being a government employee and receiving tax payer subsidized (insert caveats here), he too should volunteer to shed some waste in his office, district etc.,
Ain’t gonna happen.
Let’s not forget the fraud, waste and abuse carried out by contracted private, public sector union entities as well. It’s downright frightening. Economic suicide whereas the useful idiots have NO IDEA of the consequences.
I envision dire straits-like scenarios though am sure it pales to the now-inevitable ‘end’.
I can see why people would get upset about something like that, on the other hand entertainment at an event like that is not uncommon and can drastically increase the level of work that gets done at those type of events. For example, if a you are at a dull conference and you have something nice to break up the day like a magician or comedian, it can help you gain your focus again and eventually get more work done in the long run. But it’s more just a matter of finding something that’s not insanely expensive.