For want of a Nail…er Turnbuckle…


 YACHT DELIVERY

85 foot custom-built motor yacht complete with 4 state rooms, a state-of-the-art galley, GPS System and radar for navigation, twin supercharged diesel engines, etc. $7,474,793.00

Champagne, chocolate covered strawberries with cream and music dockside for the excited ‘soon to be owner’ and a small group of his friends.  $1500.00

Two corporate representatives, crane, and rigging $2,500.00 a hour minimum…

a faulty turnbuckle… $25.00 

Watching your 7 million dollar dreamboat nose dive into the harbor, accompanied by two corporate Representatives from the company that built it just prior to ‘inking’ the final paperwork and handing over a $7+ million dollar cashier’s check… 

So, how is your day?

In OTHER Stupidity…

OMB is out with an even DEEPER cut in travel for Government agencies, but there’s a bit of a twist…

There is supposed to be a 30% cut from the 2010 levels saving $8B a year, now extended to 2016. BUT, see below to see where the ‘savings’ are going…

In consultation with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), agencies shall direct all immediate savings achieved through this reduction towards investments that improve the transparency of and accountability for Federal spending and therefore serve taxpayers by further reducing wasteful spending over the long-term. Investments should include activities necessary to provide more robust tracking and public reporting of Federal spending, as well as internal audits and investigations to root out fraud and error in Federal programs and activities.

The entire document is HERE.

Lemme count the stupidity here… Ah, to hell with it… and this methodology will save a ton of money? As opposed to reducing the JSF program, or reducing significant outlays in foreign aid, or reducing entitlements…etc.?

Penny wise, pound foolish… Again…

Comments

For want of a Nail…er Turnbuckle… — 15 Comments

  1. A) Those Wiley Coyotes were riding the boat down during the lift? That’s a special level of Schmart. Hope they got ten gallons of sea water pounded up their butts.

    B) Iz Government…. Iz NOT make sense!

  2. a) Oh, priceless!

    b) Current gov purchasing policies not involving travel are way more of a problem than travel expenditures because they don’t allow for real world budgeting.

  3. Carteach- Yep, your basic idjits… Gov’t agreed…

    WSF- Yep and yep, so the $8B in savings really ISN’T…

    PH- Concur!

  4. To add insult to injury, the AF has activated a couple of squadrons to ferry around obama during his reelection campaign. (Source)

    The 89th Airlift Wing activated the 305th and 306th Expeditionary Airlift Squadrons here Dec. 1.

    The squadrons will play an integral role supporting presidential airlift in the coming months, through a mission known as “Banner Express.”

    “The Banner Express mission provides dedicated assets to our highest priority airlift – presidential support, ‘said Col Allan Hess, 89th Operations Group commander. “Air Mobility Command accomplishes this during election years by standing up two squadrons, C-17s based here, and C-130s based in Wilmington, Del.”

  5. Judging from the bottom of that Clorox bottle, it would have rolled like crazy in any sea over 3 inches.

    Talk about a marina queen.

  6. Alan’s right about the yacht – no keel to speak of.

    Re: the OMB “cuts” – why doesn’t someone just admit that it’s impossible for government to save ANYTHING – money, themselves, or us.

    We’re on our own, folks. Always have been.

  7. Oh, come on Alan. Deep keeps keep you from getting up on plane. $7M means “go fast”. I guess in this case that’s defined as 32 ft/sec/sec …

  8. Ok, this is on snopes. From 2007. Carver 55′ yacht “Marquis”. Cargolaw.com has more.

    2 guy’s rode that down. Yikes!

    It’s still going to float like Obamacare.

  9. Tim- NOW you’ve got me reaching for the BP meds again…sigh

    Alan- Yep, NOT seagoing at all… At least not we ME on it!

    Rev- Good points!

    BP- Good one!

    Anon- Thanks!

  10. Dayam!

    So this is the new Navy dive bomber we’ve been hearing so much about. Interesting landing procedure.

  11. DB- It’s trying to mimic one of our failures… 🙂

    Andy- Hopefully FIRED! 🙂

    Windy- LOL, that is the province of the Unlimited hydros…

  12. IIRC, all the photos were taken with a camera phone. Might be on the cargo site. I seem to recall seeing it on a yachting site, though. Some thought it was photo-shopped, they were so clear.