The Boondoggle Dollar Dodge --> Our DoD Pot of Gold

#209: It's Serious Money
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Rolling Stone magazine has published a shocking article, by Matt Taibbi, that describes the many failed attempts to economize at the Department of Defense (DoD).  Not only have ice cube trays been purchased at more than twenty times their everyday cost, but all attempts to count what is spent at the DoD are quashed by foot-dragging and the throwing up of hands.  Why?  Because contractors, the people who own those companies, and the congress-critters who rake in campaign donations from those corporations, are all feeding at the trough.

The article suggests that despite 35 years of congressional attempts at a DoD financial audit, it'll never happen, at least not until the link between campaign contributions, congressional sleazebags, and unaccounted-for-spending is broken.

Unless..., possibly, there's another way we might fix the problem.

Here are two ideas that, along with a 2020 change in Senate control, might be enough to make a difference.  They both involve a long-term effort that plugs the electorate into the decision making process using the internet.

1. Tell Congress What You Think. Using modern polling techniques, determine what constituents in a given congressional district want from their leaders.  Generate enough online feedback by randomly awarding $1,000 each, in US Savings Bonds, to 100 participants, every month, in all 435 congressional districts.  This would cost about $750 million a year (including money for US Representative online outreach, and for the hiring of polling firms).  Then, once in place, increase the amount awarded, paying for it by reducing DoD waste.  The more awarded, the greater the urge to opine about tightening the loose spending spigot.  The result is a virtuous cycle that ratchets down waste.  Link.
2. Add-To-Cart At The IRS.  Instead of merely paying one's taxes every year, voters could indicate what government programs they favored, and which they felt should be scaled back.  This would serve to cut the link between DoD profiteers and their congressional counterparts.  Government waste is a very powerful issue, especially when a toilet seat is being purchased for many times its real cost; the mere threat of exposure would probably clear up a good deal of the corruption and mismanagement.  Since the DoD is the only federal agency unable to pass a simple annual audit (what monies are spent for what goods), it would be easy to organize around.  Link.

Most experts expect Democrats in 2020 to emphasize corruption as an issue: the appointing of  lobbyists and industry executives to run agencies overseeing their employers, for example.  A forceful indictment of DoD waste and mismanagement would be a logical addition to what is a profoundly disturbing list.