Audit Finds Widespread Abuse Of Govt Purchase Card

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Washington Post   |  Dan Eggen   |   April 8, 2008 08:58 PM


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Federal employees used government credit cards to pay for lingerie, gambling, iPods, Internet dating services and a $13,000 steak-and-liquor dinner, according to a new audit from the Government Accountability Office, which found widespread abuses in a purchasing program meant to improve bureaucratic efficiency.

The study, released by Senate lawmakers this evening, found that nearly half the "purchase card" transactions it examined were improper, either because they were not authorized correctly or did not meet requirements for use of the cards. The overall rate of problems "is unacceptably high," the audit found.

The GAO also found that agencies could not account for nearly $2 million worth of items identified in the audit--including laptop computers, digital cameras and, at the Army, more than a dozen computer servers worth $100,000 each.

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Why would anyone be shocked by this? These people are just symptoms of the climate in Bush's administartion: Anything goes... Just don't get caught.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:52 PM on 04/09/2008

Here's a great idea for a new reality show: We can vote off one scumbag senator or congressperson every week and replace them with some average Joe or Josephine from the public, allowing them all the voting rights and privileges of all the other so-called "lawmakers." Hilarity ensues.....

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:25 PM on 04/09/2008

"They said there wouldn't be any audits, when I took this job. They said that we would all be self-regulating like the markets. I can't believe their auditing us."

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:11 PM on 04/09/2008

It's time for new government -we need to get rid of all these corrupt assholes.

The clowns are making huges profits off the death and destruction in Iraq -and they are the ones making "decisions" about Iraq and overseeing Iraq -UH, HELLO, can anyone else see CONFLICT OF FRICKIN INTEREST HERE!!

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41893

http://www.republicanoffenders.com/

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:25 PM on 04/09/2008

Vote 'em out!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:09 PM on 04/09/2008

At least purchase cards leave paper trails in their wakes. They aren't like, for instance, pallets of cash, are they?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:22 AM on 04/09/2008

I would be shocked if people thought we should be shocked. I just wonder how there people sleep at night knowing they are stealing from their own, their children's, their parents pockets. No amount of education can make up for this kind of stupidity. They all may have college degrees but they aren't very smart are they?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:07 AM on 04/09/2008

"this will never stop unless the government shrinks and stops trusting people. "



Ya, $2 million unaccounted for. Yet you stand around like a knob while money mangers and stock shufflers screw us over for $1 trillion in government bailouts. You are one dumb SOB.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:56 PM on 04/08/2008

Isn't that nice the people at the VA spending billions on vegas trips, purchases at sharper image, travel, clothing, gifts etc., all the while our soldiers coming home from two WARS are laying in their own piss and in mold infested rooms, yup the same soldiers the GOP uses as campaign backdrops and for cannon fodder. These people belong in prison with Bush and Cheney and Rummy and Rice et al!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:52 PM on 04/08/2008

No shock here, the larger government gets and the more social programs we offer . . . the bigger the abuse is going to get. In reality, this will never stop unless the government shrinks and stops trusting people.

Does anyone here ever have to fill out an expense report for work? Do you need receipts or can you just say give me $1500 bucks?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:26 PM on 04/08/2008

Not if you worked at Bear-Stearns or Enron. Difference is these people got caught.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:45 PM on 04/08/2008

4/8/08
11:14pm
Alexandria, VA

Why do they do it? Because they can. With impunity, apparently.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:14 PM on 04/08/2008

All these folks should be fired. period

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:07 PM on 04/08/2008

What? Government employees misusing money?

This surprises who ...

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:51 PM on 04/08/2008
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