U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., joined Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., to blast the Pentagon in the wake of reports of wasteful spending.


In a letter to the Director of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Bayh and Clyburn demand a response to a recent Knight Ridder investigation which found “outrageous overspending at the Pentagon, including spending $20 for an 89 cent ice cube tray,” according to a statement released by Bayh’s office on Wednesday.


“This kind of reckless spending is a perfect example of government waste,” Bayh said. “It is especially inexcusable in light of our current budget situation and our continued efforts to provide our troops with much-needed equipment in Iraq. Wasteful spending is bad enough, but during a time of war, it literally becomes a matter of life and death, and it must be stopped.”


In October, the statement said, the Seattle Times and several other newspapers across the paper ran articles based on a Knight Ridder investigation detailing millions of dollars in overspending by the Pentagon department charged with purchasing food-related items. “The article pointed to a new prime-vendor purchasing system as the main cause for the overspending and noted that the new program has cost taxpayers 20 percent more than the old system for items such as coffee makers and ice cube trays. Under the new system, the Pentagon purchases from middle-men who set the prices for goods, instead of buying directly from manufacturers or seeking competitive bids, results in overcharges such as the $81 bill for a $20 coffee maker.”


“With every $20 ice tray, the Pentagon throws away money that could be used to purchase body armor or other equipment for our troops,” Bayh said. “We owe it to them and the American taxpayers to correct this problem as soon as possible.”




Posted 11/3/2005

Give me a break! This is such small potatoes. Why doesn't Bayh question the whole premise of the war or explain why he bought Bush's lies?

Ok, that has nothing to do with what i posted. How about we try and stay on track.