I usually expect the occasional questionable or just plain corrupt contracting out of any government. The billions that have been wasted by
iraq, lost
or mis-managed for Katrina just leave me numb and not wanting to think about how poorly the federal government is managed.
But then along comes a report of some small (relatively, compared to $billions) graft and it leaves me thinking: “Does the corruption ever end under the Bush Administration”?
From Exclusive: Pentagon Pro-Troop Group Misspent Millions, Report Says | Danger Room from Wired.com

From fiscal years 2004 to 2007, the Inspector General’s report notes, Barber funneled $8.8 million in contracts to the public relations firm Susan Davis International — to set up the myriad events, and to promote the ASY “brand.” The work was incredibly lucrative; Davis’ executives made as much as $312,821 to $662,691 per year. “Paying a public relations contractor annual salaries approaching three-quarters of a million dollars does not appear to be a cost-effective means to support the ASY program and the war fighter,” the report observes.
But what made it even harder to stomach was that Davis was a friend of Barber’s, and a well-known Republican operative, according to former Defense Department lawyer Diane Beaver. Another half-million went to media consultant Mitch Semel, for web work.

Great takedown by Barry Ritholtz of this poorly reasoned NY Times Op-ed by Howard Husock
From More CRA Idiocy

The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 was the next attempt to stop redlining. There were two main aspects of the CRA: First, it required banks to apply the same lending criteria in all communities. Credit Score, Loan-to-value, percentage of monthly take home, etc. had to be the same across different areas.

Second, the Community Reinvestment Act required banks to make good faith attempts to loan the money back to its own depositors. If you open up a branch in Harlem, you cannot suck up all the local business and residents cash, and then turn around and only lend it out to Tribeca condo buyers. You must make a fair attempt to loan the money locally. Banks have no obligation to open branches in Harlem, but if they did, they are required to at least try to lend the locals back their own money.

Note that there are no quotas, minimums or mandates. This is a very soft rating system.”

One of my fears, in the sense of something that would cause me to move to another country, was that “Intelligent Design” would start being taught in public school. This seemed horribly possible with the way the Bush administration was treating scientist and science based results. Maybe this is another thing that’ll change in the Obama administration.
From Back to Reality

In his disturbing book “Undermining Science: Suppression and Distortion in the Bush Administration,” the journalist Seth Shulman describes case after case of intimidation of scientists in government posts, the suppression of scientific evidence and the perpetuation of misinformation.