Jello Wrestling, Porn, & Treadmill Shrimp: Report Reveals Outrageous Tax-Funded Expenses
- Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:30pm by
Billy Hallowell
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Shrimp “working out” on treadmills. A robot that can fold laundry. Gelatin wrestling. The impact of FarmVille on personal relationships. Even porn. These are only a few of the bizarre things your taxpayer dollars are supporting.
In an outrageous new report, Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn alleges gross misuse of federal funds by the National Science Foundation (NSF). In addition to doling out monies on some seemingly suspect initiatives, the NSF is also paying a boatload in rent. ABC has more:
The National Science Foundation has its headquarters in Arlington, Va., just across the river from Washington, D.C., a building it pays $19 million a year to rent. But now that the 20-year lease is nearly up, it has decided that it is time to move; into a new building that will cost $26 million annually to rent.
“The good news for taxpayers is there is no question NSF has contributed significantly to scientific discovery,” Coburn writes in the report. “The bad news is a significant percentage of your money is going to what most Americans will consider fraud, waste and abuse, and there are many areas where NSF could contribute far more with better management and smarter targeting of resources.”
For example, he says that the NSF used tax dollars to pay for a jello-wrestling party in Antarctica. Really:
In their spare time NSF employees have been jello-wrestling in Antarctica at the NSF research station McMurdo station (picture is taken from the event).
NSF spends $451 million annually through its Office of Polar Programs to support research efforts in Antarctica and the Arctic.71
The organizer of the jello-wrestling event was fired for the offense. In an email he sent to the entire staff after his dismissal, he is reported to have referred to NSF as “fun nazis,” and claimed that he was “terminated for having harmless jello wrestling.”
In the email, he also mentioned that many participated in a “Polar Plunge,” a skinny-dipping excursion, just hours before the jello event. He mentioned the plunge “had plenty of nudity but no one got fired or reprimanded for doing that!”
News reports indicate that the entire staff at the base was lectured on their moral failure, citing activities involving nudity.
Additionally, back in September, the University of Notre Dame claimed that a former professor (they dismissed him) had spent $190,000 in grant money from the NSF on photography equipment. The professor then used the equipment to take pornographic images (apparently a hobby of his).
And let’s not forget the 2009 headlines about NSF employees and their alleged porn-surfing habits. The Wall Street Journal reported on an internal investigation in which it was found that staff “…were spending a lot of time on government computers reviewing porn instead of grant proposals.”
Watch the clip below for more information on this perplexing story and be sure to read Sen. Coburn’s complete report:
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Comments (105)
Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:51pmWhat? No money to study an obama butt plug to replace Soros’ hand?
Report Post »Jenny Lind
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 2:13pmthats disgusting-let’s try and raise the bar a little, please? I like to think we are intelligent, articulate people with a tad of couth, I believe you can do better than that. I love funny, fast minds, that wasen’t.
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 2:21pmSorry- But if you don‘t think obama is Soros’ hand puppet you haven’t been paying attention.. It’s not my fault. Soros has that fist all the way up this loser…
Report Post »av8trx
Posted on May 27, 2011 at 11:32amI couldn’t agree more…
Report Post »Aaron in Polk County
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:43pmSign me up for some Jello Wrestle Judgeing!
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:51pmSick man– Didn’t you see the picture?
Report Post »UlyssesP
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 10:12pmCall the Sea Shepard and save those wrestlers!
Report Post »Midwest Blonde
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:38pmwait – lets not stop the waste until I have a chance to get paid to study rural-teenage entertainment. There’s got to be some significant info in that kind of study, doesn’t there?? (JUST JOKING!)
Report Post »TEIN
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:33pmUnreal how we the people have money taken, stolen from us in the form of taxes, then given to people who produce nothing!!!! Is this the type of “investment” that Pres. O and the Libby/Progressive congress have instore when they preach for more money for “education”?? Robber, theives, and liar’s……
Report Post »last frontier
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:29pmWhen the cloward piven socialist just cant find anyway to bankrupt “amerika” fast enough they resort to the old shrimp on the treadmill bit.
Report Post »popemahonrimoriancomer
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:20pmIs anybody else besides me in favor of taxpayer funded treadmill study with Michael Moore in the shrimp’s position?
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:19pmGosh, it’s so hard finding budget cuts, isn’t it Harry and Barry?
Report Post »Mr. Oshawott
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:12pmHiya, folks! I’m Mr. Oshawott, and I’m a new member of the Blaze!
Report Post »LovingAmerica
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:18pmWelcome, Mr. Oshawatt!
Report Post »commonsenseguy
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:58pmwell welcome to the bright side.
Report Post »Bhaub
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:09pmUh, apparently people got fired for any misuse of funding, so what’s the problem? To summarize the article: “The NSF has contributed significantly to scientific discovery” and they fired anybody who screwed around.
Gee, I really hate how they’re researching cures for diseases, new medicines, cheaper energy sources, new technology to make life better, but that one of their employees got fired because he was an idiot. Let’s take all their funding away.
Report Post »kaydeebeau
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:32pmPlease site one or 2 of the contributions “The NSF has contributed significantly to scientific discovery”….
Any great idea doesn’t need a government subsidy. Great and needed ideas will have sufficient private investment to suceed.
Edison got no subsidies for the light bulb, the phonograph, the movie camera…not one of his inventions was subisdized. It hasn‘t been until my lifetime that the whole idea that gov’t should be the funnel for funding became a habit.
If it isn‘t in Article 1 Section 8 the Fed shouldn’t be spending for it. If there are things an individual state or community want – they can raise local revenue to pay for it. We are supposed to be a loose confederation of states not a single one size fits all union under the thumb and tyranny of a central gov’t.
Report Post »Bhaub
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 2:20pmWell, I was quoting The Blaze on their contribution achknowledgement, but here:
Nanotechnology and two-dimensional graphene material.
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/
Check out the list if you’re curious about all the awesome science you never knew was there.
Report Post »Mary M. Tebbe
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 2:34pmkaydeebeau: If you looked at Senator Tom Coburn’s complete report, you would see that he lists several significant scientific contributions that the NSF actually made.
Report Post »POdVet
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 4:55pmYou mean that lovely material that was actually discovered in 1859? Studied more in 1918, more in the 40‘s and 60’s. It wasn’t until 2001 that NSF became involved at all, and they contributed none of the science, just a little funding. BTW it costs $1000 for a square centimeter to produce. So don’t expect any actual usage any time soon, and that will probably be by the Koreans since they can make it cheaper using a slightly different method.
Report Post »av8trx
Posted on May 27, 2011 at 11:30am…And, have you noticed? That while there have been significant strides in care, there have been no significant cures for any diseases in years. I grew up in the 50′s when there were significant contributions NOT funded by taxpayer money. Salk vaccine literally eliminated Polio, for one, and many, many others.
Report Post »LovingAmerica
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:09pmDemocrats? Mr. Obama? Just stick our hard earned money in your pockets and vacation with it. Travel the world! Buy new cars/new homes/play and have fun! After all, the American people are way too stupid to notice and too stupid to care that we are being financially destroyed by a bunch of Capitol Hill Criminals. Right? Is that what you believe? You believe we are stupid, helpless, defenseless and cannot do anything to stop you? Think again. The eruption is slow in coming, but it is coming.
Report Post »Vickie Dhaene
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:02pmThis is an atrocity. There are no word for this BS., except Quit paying your taxes!!! Why can’t we put on our tax returns where we want our tax dollars to be allocated? Frigging Insane!!!!!
Report Post »Bhaub
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:10pmGood point. You should stop paying all of your taxes right now. Then you’ll be right where society needs you. :D
Report Post »Vickie Dhaene
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:59pmThere are no words for this atrocity., Except
Report Post »vennoye
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:51pmUnless government spending gets under control and quits just burning money on things not necessary to survive the crisis THEY have created……….chaos is only a short time away!! Consider the value of research outlined here vs the needs of the people in MO, KY, and all along the Mississippi River! In that context, shrimp on treadmills sorta makes you want to throw up!!!!
Report Post »Rickfromillinois
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:50pmHey, the study of jello wresting in the Arctic is important scientific study! How does it compare to jello wrestling in the Antarctic? I am sure the whole scientific community is anxiously waiting for the results of that study!
Report Post »Hephzibah
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:48pmThe Republicans need to campaign on a platform of auditing government departments. If the budget for social services was audited and actually gave the same budget to those that REALLY need it, I bet the latter would be able to be helped more. If the govt has resources to squeeze every last dime out of people (IRS), they ought to easily be able to weed out all the waste and fraud in their give-aways.
Report Post »This_Individual
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:46pmIt’s up to us to fix it. We can no longer sit back and complain about it.
Report Post »Nobamazone
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:11pmexactly, and I don’t care if the shrimp study was 5 years ago or not, the point is that IT HAS TO STOP! D‘s and R’s are both responsible and both need to STOP because we are paying attention now, maybe not so much 5 years ago, but WE ARE NOW
Report Post »teachermitch32
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 2:19pmTry this Gov. waste list…just for starters.
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2009/10/50-Examples-of-Government-Waste
Report Post »rienheart
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:44pmI love paying my taxes for exactly the purpose of waste. What else will the Gummint spend our money on? Legitimate Constitutional Expenses?? Then how would they be able to destroy America?? Just can’t stop their agenda by demanding they uphold the Constitution. Who do we think we are?
Report Post »1stAdmendment
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:44pmWhy isn’t the government paying for my porn, that’s not fair we need distribute the wealth so I can finally watch! There pushing a law here in NYC every bicycle should have license plate, way to take our money to pay for such thing!!
Report Post »Maggie in Indiana
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:42pmthis kind of stupid wasteful spending has been going for decades under the radar but the internet and the Tea party are digging up stuff the liberals wanted hidden. Too late to go back, full steam ahead.
Report Post »forestnomad
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:00pmUmmm, it hasn‘t been ’under the radar’, Inspector Clouseau.
For one, the Shrimp on a Treadmill was, and has been an internet sensation since 2006 and probably has at least 5 million hits amongst its various remixes. In addition, I remember reading about this when it came out – IN 2006.
So please, don‘t pretend like this was being ’hidden by the liberal academic elites’ when it was right there for literally THE WHOLE WORLD to see – and millions of which did. Your conspiracy theories simply belie your own ignorance, which you apparently proudly flaunt.
Report Post »PatriotsLikeMe
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:40pmSo what breakthrough were the porn watchers trying to come up with? Cut em. Delete em. Off with their heads!
Report Post »larman
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:38pmWhy should be spending one cent on this type of research. We are rapidly going down the tubes and we are paying the put shrimp on a treadmill. Only in America!
Report Post »http://www.thepathwaytofreedom.com
taxed
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:38pmThese people really need to return the grant money. This is unreal.
http://conservativepoliticalforum.com/index.php?board=1.0
Report Post »J.C. McGlynn
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:37pmThe government efficiently spending our tax dollars.
Report Post »dabbo
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:52pmWere you a crack baby?
Report Post »dabbo
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:56pmSorry…. I didn’t immediately detect your sarcasm
Report Post »Socialism_Is_The_New_Black
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:35pmGive a man a free ticket on a dead end ride
And he‘ll climb in the back even though nobody’s driving
Decline and fall, fall down baby
Report Post »Decline and fall, said fall way down now
Decline and fall, fall down little mama
Decline and fall, decline and fall
Socialism_Is_The_New_Black
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:36pmCredits to Government Cheese from The Rainmakers
Report Post »The Realist
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:33pmAnd here I thought the $500 toilet seat and $1000 hammer was bad. It never ends with government and wasteful spending does it? Yes so many naive liberals continue to believe the government spends our money better than we do.
Report Post »taxed
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:39pmIt has to stop. People need to start going to jail. No wonder those climate scientists are worried about the FOIA requests — they might have to disclose what they have been doing!
http://conservativepoliticalforum.com/index.php?board=1.0
Report Post »Susan Harkins
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:40pm2011 Version of “Bread & Circuses”.
The underlying series of events is the same.
When in Rome…and when all Roads lead there…
…Run like hell!
Report Post »tompaineknowsthescore
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:47pmvery silly but u get this kind of bizzare expenditure in every large organisation
with regards to the Jello-wrestling if it was in the researchers spare time how is that govt funded?
Report Post »theres a difference between direct govt funding and what govt employees spend their wages on?
forestnomad
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:49pmDon’t mind that the Shrimp on a Treadmill was 5 years ago, or that it has a legitimate scientific reason behind it.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15319541/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/scientists-put-shrimp-treadmill/
Report Post »biohazard23
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:54pmLadies and gentlemen
Welcome to Washington DC
Home of the A** Clown
Step right up into the 3,000 ring circus of The Beltway
And witness the impossible
See them grovel, see them lie, see them crawl on their bellies
See real live white collar terrorists in their own natural
habitat…..
I want to go to the circus
The circus of power
The circus they call Washington
A circle of dishonor
I want to round up the senators
Just like they did in Rome
Feed these A** Clowns to the lions
Then I can go home
I wanna see it go up in flames
~Ministry, 2006
Report Post »American Saint
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 12:57pm“Sick shrimp, however, had reduced aerobic performance. They also had elevated blood lactate levels. Lactate is produced during exercise as a by-product of metabolizing glucose. Infected shrimp are unable to remove it from their tissues efficiently and therefore could not recover from exercise as well as healthy shrimp. ”
Glad this has been cleared up for me. I’m from South Louisiana and have a steady diet of shrimp. I hate the sick one’s!
Report Post »CatB
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:00pmTake away the checkbook .. these CHILDREN obviously can’t handle the responsibility … make them go back to what is required in the Consitiution and leave us to decide what else we want to spend OUR MONEY on … this MUST STOP!
Report Post »mikem1969
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:01pmAnd the wastefulness of washington continues to be shown on a daily basis. cut the funding and let them raise private money or just cease to exist.
Report Post »theonefromabove
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:06pmWaste of money all of it.
http://politicalbowl.com -Political Videos
Report Post »chirodoc007
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:09pmThese kind projects are exactly why we need to raise the debt limit ASAP! Where else will shrimp on treadmills get funding for their porn???
Report Post »Bum thrower
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:12pmAll these ‘non-profits’ are a tax payer rip off. They need to be funded by ‘donations’. Oh, forgot, Liberals don’t give to charity.
Report Post »Dustyluv
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:18pmNotre Dame former professor (they dismissed him) had spent $190,000 in grant money from the NSF on photography equipment. The professor then used the equipment to take pornographic images (apparently a hobby of his).
Why is he not in jail for theft?
Report Post »J.C. McGlynn
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:20pmShrimp on a treadmill——— WASTEy
Report Post »Shrimp on the barbie———- TASTEy
drphil69
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:46pmREMEMBER – If we cut funding for jello wrestling in the Antarctic, children will be eating off the ground!
Report Post »fatjack
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:52pmI consider this pure theft.
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 2:05pmIs there a story that says these people have to pay back the money they stole, doing bogus research?
Report Post »forestnomad
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 2:59pmNo mention of the Military or bogus Military expenditures? Or is this just the latest salvo in the decades-long war that Republicans have had on Math, Science, and the Arts?
Report Post »jdog777
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 3:41pmThis is how they keep their cronies funded…. UofA just got another grant from NASA for about a billion for sending an unmanned spacecraft to land on an Asteroid (after a horrible failure with the Phoenix Lander). Why doesn’t a private company get that kind of money… when they are better equipped to get results. I assure you most of these grants go to professors or universities for nonsensical crap.
Report Post »DIOS BENDIGA AMERICA ... JESUCRISTO ES EL SEÑOR!
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 4:15pmNSF?? Non-sufficient funds? Hardly!
Report Post »ConsiderThis
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 4:47pmAnd some folks wonder why the feds have to keep raising the debt ceiling.
Report Post »The only way to have even a hope of controlling this type of waste is to have a balanced budget requirement for all levels of government.
uzi4u2
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 7:52pmthere used to be a senator or someone that had what he called “The Golden Fleece” award for stupid , government funded projects, like why crap (the fish) were more aggressive when they were given taquela as apossed to burboun….or, why people in prison what to escape….I’m not making this s#%t up….They tell us that putting stop to “small” abuses like these is no big deal and we shouldn’t worry about that money. I say, wwe have to start some where and this is as good a place as any. Then I prepose ALL government employees get a 10% pay cut, to bring them in line with OUR pay.
Report Post »foobear
Posted on May 26, 2011 at 8:51pmThe NSF is actually a wonderful organization.
You’d find fraud and misspending in any budget large enough, but don’t color the rest of the NSF with these idiots.
Report Post »SonOfaCommunist
Posted on May 27, 2011 at 5:50amThat’s how us Commies roll!!! YOU KNOW!!!
Report Post »WeekendAtBernankes
Posted on May 27, 2011 at 3:51pm@ForestNomad Gee whiz, sick shrimp perform aerobic activities poorly. Definitely a half-million dollar question. Was the alternate hypothesis even a possibility?
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