$16 muffins, $10 cookies, $8 cups of coffee - Defense CUTS

$16 muffins? Federal report details costly conferences
Pricey baked goods, $8 cups of coffee served at meetings; Justice Department says cost limits now in place

WASHINGTON — As the U.S. government grapples to find ways to trim the bloated federal deficit, a new report suggests officials might start with cutting out $16 muffins and $10 cookies.

"We found the Department (of Justice) spent $16 on each of the 250 muffins served at an August 2009 legal conference in Washington," said a DOJ Office of Inspector General report released on Tuesday.

The DOJ spent $121 million on conferences in fiscal 2008 and 2009, which exceeded its own spending limits and appeared to be extravagant and wasteful, according to the report that examined 10 conferences held during that period.

The review turned up the expensive muffins, which came from the Capital Hilton Hotel just blocks from the White House, as well as cookies and brownies that cost almost $10 each.

The department spent $32 per person on snacks of Cracker Jack, popcorn, and candy bars and coffee that cost $8.24 per cup at another conference, the report said.

The DOJ also spent nearly $600,000 for event planning services for five conferences, the document said.

'People are outraged, and rightly so'
A Justice Department spokeswoman said most of the gatherings were held when there were no strict limits on food and beverage costs, adding the DOJ had taken steps since 2009 "to ensure that these problems do not occur again."

Word of the agency's extravagant spending drew a swift response from Capitol Hill.

Senator Chuck Grassley, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee which has oversight of the Justice Department, said the report was a blueprint for the first cuts that should be made by the "super committee" searching for at least $1.2 trillion in savings.

"Sixteen dollar muffins and $600,000 for event planning services are what make Americans cynical about government and why they are demanding change," Grassley said in a statement. "People are outraged, and rightly so."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44609600/ns/us_news-life/

Yeah, I think we can cut the Defense budget some more...and save a few teachers...

Cut out all the muffins, coffee and cookies- period. Tell um to bring their own cookies. Stop at the 7-11 for coffee.

For additional savings- forget hiring the teachers too.

I hate to disagree with you LJ (not ) but why save teachers that teach a Liberal agenda? Just saying! Like sex education to 5 year olds and other similar curriculum?

Why didn't I think of that... Of course ALL teachers in K-12 teach "liberal agendas'... Every day I think you can't possibly reveal yourself to be more stupid than you already are, you go and surprise me.

(Which has WHAT to do with "Re: $16 muffins, $10 cookies, $8 cups of coffee" on the DoD budget?)

Nmysys wrote: I hate to disagree with you LJ (not ) but why save teachers that teach a Liberal agenda? Just saying! Like sex education to 5 year olds and other similar curriculum?

Lets get real, anyone who's educated will be liberal...So maybe we need to start hireing uneducated teachers...

It also costs a lot more to fly Air Force One than it does a commercial plane, mostly because of the security concerns that surround flying it. Might it be possible that this same principle, security, contributed to the cost of the conference? We'll never know because the purpose of the piece was to generate outrage, not explore the reasons why those treats, and the conference, were so expensive.

Chalk up another demagogic effort from the regressive left.........

Chalk up another ridiculous opportunity to use the word "regressive" in sentence while doing nothing but regurgitating the same ol' bullcrap deflection.

But, hey, if we need to add "security costs" into muffins, cookies and coffee--served in D.C.-- we know who to call, don't we....

Have to keep an eye on those public sector employees. They will cheat the taxpayer any chance they can.

The only facts presented in that particular opinion piece is the cost of the items. All else is left to speculation, including the speculation that the items were significantly more expensive than they should have been.

I will note, however, your fixation with cutting defense spending caused you to overlook the fact that this was the Justice Department, Eric Holder's group of privileged elites, and not the Department of Defense. Now, if you are trying to make the argument that we can do with a little less interference from the Justice Department I might find some agreement with you there.

The DOJ? I thought their new name was Eric Holder's Gun Export Store & Black Panther Bail Bonds.