The news this week that Justice Department had been caught allegedly spending $16 a piece for breakfast muffins and $8 for a cup of coffee for employees attending a conference in Washington two years ago was as stunning for its apparent extravagance as it was for the avalanche...

A recent White House memo giving chief information officers at federal agencies greater responsibilities to reduce wasteful technology spending presents the latest example of the how too often in government, responsibility and authority don't always go hand in hand.

The memo, issued by Office of Management and Budget...