Tracking the Trillions

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Posted by Connor on October 17th, 2006

Almost five years ago, CBS ran a story about a statement made by Donald Rumsfeld on the eve of what has become known the world over as 9/11.

On September 10, 2001, Donald Rumsfeld held a press conference to announce that 2.3 trillion dollars were unaccounted for.

“According to some estimates we cannot track $2.3 trillion in transactions,” Rumsfeld admitted.

2.3. Trillion. That’s 2,300 billion. That’s 2,300,000 thousand. That’s a lot of money. Unaccounted for. Gone. Missing. Vanished. Thin air. Poof.

The article goes on to tell a similar story about how $300 million was unaccounted for, on a separate occasion, by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. A whistle-blowing employee recounted the experience:

“The director looked at me and said ‘Why do you care about this stuff?’ It took me aback, you know? My supervisor asking me why I care about doing a good job,” said Minnery.

He was reassigned and says officials then covered up the problem by just writing it off.

“They have to cover it up,” he said. “That’s where the corruption comes in. They have to cover up the fact that they can’t do the job.”

And that right there, ladies and gents, is our government. Three cheers for Uncle Sam!

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4 comments so far. Care to chime in?

The government corruption and waste never ends. This web site reports on a recent DHS audit that took place:

Here’s my favorite. It’s a doozy folks. You may want to read it twice: FEMA was unable to fully support the accuracy and completeness of certain unpaid obligations, and accounts payable, and the related effects on net position, if any, prior to the completion of DHS’s 2006 PAR. These unpaid obligations, as reported in the accompanying DHS balance sheet as of September 30, 2006, were $22.3 Billion or 46% of DHS consolidated unexpended appropriations at September 30, 2006.

To give some idea of proportionality, in fiscal year 2005 the entire Grants and Training (formerly know as State and Local Government Preparedness, a/k/a grants to get working radios for NYC firemen and protection for bridges, tunnels, chemical plants and nuclear facilities) was only $171 million.

So, follow me here, FEMA has lost and/or failed to account for a sum of money that is almost half of DHS’s entire budget and 130 times greater than the amount of money that the Department of Homeland Security is willing to spend to secure the homeland.

#1 Connor | January 22nd, 2007 11:13 AM

As if more examples were necessary, the JBS has a commentary about $12 billion in FRNs being unaccounted for.

Far from being fiscally responsible, our government is a porous ship quickly sinking.

Your tax dollars are being flushed down the toilet. Or stuffed in somebody’s pocket off the books. Or both.

#2 Connor | February 13th, 2007 12:13 PM

Such a coincidence that it was the day before the supposed “terrorist” attacks. Given that the 9/11 commission said that it’s initial report was based entirely on lies, it really makes me wonder…

#3 Jeremy Nicoll | December 12th, 2009 12:39 PM

Wow, here it is – December of 2009 – and we still don’t know where those missing trillions are. I guess it really is of no importance. Except for now we find ourselves in the worst recession (depression?) since the 1930s, and we could really use that 2.3 trillion dollars right now. Our military budget is larger than all the military budgets of the rest of the world combined, and that is just what the Pentagon has made public. It is estimated our total military budget is double what the public is told it is. That means that the rest of the money is totally unaccounted for.

The real reason all that money is unaccounted for is secret. The public is unable to stand the truth, so they simply don’t tell us. If we DID know, I’m sure we wouldn’t approve of what they’re doing with it.

#4 Kelly W. | December 12th, 2009 6:13 PM