Government involvement in the private sector and technology has been a disaster. The technology industry is a dynamic, fast-moving industry delivering new products to consumers every day and the government is struggling to perform even the most basic tasks such as creating software for a fully functioning e-travel system for the Pentagon (see the story about the Defense Travel System).
Pentagon’s Travel System Still Grounded
There are a lot of reasons to complain about air travel: overbooking, rising costs, delays, cancellations, uncomfortable seats, and rude passengers, among others. With all of these hassles, travelers do have a plethora of online travel services to try and obtain the cheapest flight. With the immense of amount of travel undertaken by the federal government and especially the Department of Defense, an online travel system sounds like a marriage made in heaven. Unfortunately, combining logic and the federal government is as easy as putting a square peg in a round hole.
Fill’er Up with Politics
The Air Force refueling tanker saga started with a provision added to the fiscal 2002 Defense Appropriations Act directing the Air Force to lease 100 Boeing 767’s for new fuel tankers. It was not only one of the worst examples of corporate welfare, this no-bid lease also ballooned into a major scandal. Eventually, the Air Force’s chief negotiator on the tanker contract and Boeing’s number-two corporate officer went to jail and Boeing was fined more than $600 million.
Rep. Young Squeals at Nomination
Porker of the Year 2007 candidate Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) took offense to his nomination and wrote a spirited yet outlandish response to CAGW President Tom Schatz defending his pork.
Binging On Taxpayer Dollars
The over-indulgent, over-zealous party attendee can certainly be an obnoxious component of any weekend celebration. This individual is often referred to as That Guy.
The societal pressures on a returning serviceman can, at times, be overwhelming. However, when the Department of Defense (DoD), as reported by the American Forces Press Service on January 27, 2005, tries to curb these pressures with a $13 million program called TRICARE that purports to give them the “tools” to make healthy adjustments to their potentially unruly behavior, one cannot help but question its usefulness. The website ThatGuy.com is one such attempt.
A Victory for the Defense Travel System
Since its initial creation in 1998, the Defense Travel System (DTS) has exhibited massive inefficiencies and waste. The project, created by the Department of Defense (DOD), was meant to serve as a cost-efficient travel system for DOD employees. The initial idea was to create an end-to-end electronic booking program. Instead of paying a travel agent $25 per flight, booking online through DTS would cost each individual approximately $5. According to DOD, the program was meant to save taxpayers $234 million in DOD travel costs, approximately $56 million annually.