Less Spending, More Accountability

To the Editor:

As has been the case every April for more than four decades now, I just sent a considerable portion of my hard-earned income to Washington, D.C. I understand and fully support our obligations as citizens to provide funding for a strong national defense, social service programs to help those in need, and the many fine people and programs in government that make America such a special place. Unfortunately, we are also supporting a staggering amount of inefficiency, waste, and greed. It is infuriating.

The latest example is the lavish spending by GSA officials on conferences and what amounts to vacation travel to exotic destinations. As a career hotel executive I can attest to the fact that conferences and travel are a necessary component to the effective administration of almost any large organization. I can also state that most companies have reduced their spending on travel for the past several years. In addition, their conferences typically include only the necessary services to achieve learning or strategic objectives. Not so with the GSA. Millions have been spent on unnecessary meetings, phony awards banquets, and personal luxury travel that has even included family members — all at taxpayer expense. And to add insult to injury, the leading officials involved in this fiasco actually received bonuses! It’s just a tip of the iceberg.

Wasteful spending is nothing new in Washington. Politicians and bureaucrats of all political stripes have contributed to this incredibly serious and ever-growing problem for many years — even decades. But, serious minded people are expressing concern that America is now on a path to going broke. All of my life I was taught to believe that America was the richest country in the world — economically, culturally, educationally, militarily, and compassionately. It is frightening to learn that much of this is slipping away. Trillions of dollars in debt are words that I never heard before, but they are commonly stated today. I am worried for my children and my grandchildren.

Solutions will not be easy to achieve, but it has to start with a reality check in Washington. Spending is out of control and accountability is far too infrequent. American citizens deserve better. We probably can’t expect much from our leaders during an election cycle, but regardless of who ends up in the halls of power they must recognize that the time for partisan posturing is over. We simply cannot afford business as usual.

America’s future is at stake.

Ted McCallum

34 Brookwood Drive, Newtown                                     April 18, 2012