Government

Winning Video from GSA’s Lavish Federal Vegas Retreat Revealed: ‘American Idle’

Days after the head of the General Services Administration resigned amid reports of lavish spending at a Las Vegas training conference, purported video of the winning skit from a conference competition has been released.

Agency head Martha Johnson stepped down Monday after it was revealed the conference — which featured a clown and a mind reader — cost American taxpayers approximately $835,000.

The video, posted to YouTube by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, features federal workers joking about never coming under inspector general investigation and on spending their operations funding “all on fun.” (And yes, the whiteboard with the to-do list does just have one objective: “Lunch.”)

Obama better prepare, when I’m Commissioner.
I’d have a road show like [Acting Regional GSA Administrator Jeffrey] Neely, every time you see me rolling on 20s yeah, in my GOV.
Spend BA 61 all on fun.
ATF can’t touch GS-15 guns!
Cause I buy everything your field office can’t afford.
Every GS-5 would get a top hat award.
Donate my vacation, love to the nation,
I’ll never be under OIG investigation.

According to the House Oversight Committee, the winner was congratulated and presented an award by Deputy Commissioner of the Public Building Service David Foley who joked “about the previous night’s lavish ‘party that was held in the commissioner’s suite,’ having to respond to congressional oversight and Obama administration efforts to restrict executive pay.”

The Washington Post:

GSA spokesman Adam Elkington on Thursday called the video “another example of the complete lack of judgement exhibited during Western Regions conference.”

“Our agency continues to be appalled by this indefensible behavior, and we are taking every step possible to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.”

Watch a longer version below:

 

Washington Post:

The General Services Administration’s regional agency that has come under fire for a lavish employee conference in Las Vegas gave away more than $200,000-worth of iPods, gift cards and other items to employees as part of a staff award program.

The Pacific Rim region of GSA, which oversees federal property in Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada, ran a previously undisclosed “Hats Off” program for employees that allowed them to redeem reward points for tax funded items, giftcards and electronics, including iPods.

According to a statement by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the awards had little relation to employee performance.

“People could be given points for anything from a quality work product to simply brightening the workplace and being a pleasant person,” said a Hill staffer, present at a GSA inspector general briefing given to staff members of the Transportation and Infrastructure committee on Wednesday. “You could give and receive points to and from anyone and there was nothing preventing quid-pro-quo.”

Read more here.

Comments (101)

1 2 3
  • Thevoice
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:54pm

    If you shut down the entire Washington desk squatter company tomorrow ….Nobody would miss a thing…

    Report Post » Thevoice  
    • McNamara
      Posted on April 5, 2012 at 10:12pm

      You’ve got that right!

      Report Post » McNamara  
    • Shiroi Raion
      Posted on April 6, 2012 at 1:47am

      This sort of thing happens constantly. I play a couple online games and noticed that there are some people that seem to be online 24/7. I asked 4 people how they were able to play games around the clock as they do. 3 of the 4 said they can play games at work because they work for the government and have no oversight. The last one said he owns his own business and simply pays others to do his work.
      This is FAR from an isolated incident. If I met 3 government workers not working and just by chance, there must be many thousands more doing the same thing… just taking our money for doing absolutely nothing.

      Report Post » Shiroi Raion  
    • Shiroi Raion
      Posted on April 6, 2012 at 2:13am

      I suppose I can be more specific. In one game, I helped someone get through a difficult part of the game. He or she thanked me and added me as a friend. I logged in the next day and he/she had a great deal more of the game done. I asked, “How did you catch up to me so fast? You must have played for hours. Are you unemployed?”
      He/she said, “No, I work for the government.” Later, he/she said, “I need to go. Work is over and I need to switch computers. I’ll be home in about half an hour.” Sure enough about half an hour later, he/she was back online.” The next day, he/she had leveled so far ahead of me that we couldn’t play together anymore.

      The other stories I have of the other 2 government “workers” are very similar to this one and not worth explaining. These people aren’t workers at all; they just take our tax money while playing video games on government computers… and they probably get paid well for doing nothing too.

      Report Post » Shiroi Raion  
    • starman70
      Posted on April 6, 2012 at 8:25am

      This year the GSA, last year the FAA. When will these elitest government workers realize that they cannot go on wasting OUR tax dollars? Was this another ODUMMER stimulus program for Harry Reid’s voters? Did Harry say anything about tax dollars being spent so lavishly in his state? NAAAAAH!

      CLEAN OUT THE SENATE AND HOUSE IN NOVEMBER!!!!

      Report Post »  
    • IndyGuy
      Posted on April 6, 2012 at 9:51am

      Hey Blaze…Your posting program is lame…new posts get relegated to the end of the line for no other reason than someone posts on an older post…LAME…

      Investigate and prosecute…Eventually these people will understand it’s NOT THEIR MONEY!!!

      …..Make EVERY one of the 300 that went on this little Taxpayer binge pay back every penny of their share in the waste…

      Report Post » IndyGuy  
    • ChiefGeorge
      Posted on April 6, 2012 at 10:00am

      This is the budget reviewed line by line and a scapel taken to it as BHO promised???

      Laugh it up now GSA and your supporters. The day of reckoning is fastly approaching this country for its lavish spending habits both inside and outside government. It just simply cannot last forever and the government bubble created by endless paper creation is about to pop. They said the housing bubble was non-existent and would deflate slowly if there was one. Well when government bubble pops, its off to the poor house for a lot of folks. I hope your preparing at home for that day because it will come.

      Report Post » ChiefGeorge  
    • Bluebonnet
      Posted on April 6, 2012 at 10:09am

      The whole thing is appalling, however, they were just taking a clue from Mrs. Obama. She spends more than this for herself and her group every 3 months.
      None of them seem to care about the tax payers or have empathy for our Nation going broke. This is typical of people who use others peoples money. They DON’T care about us. It’s all about THEMSELVES. Just like people who cheat on public programs when they could go to work.

      Report Post »  
    • lillymckim
      Posted on April 6, 2012 at 10:40am

      while hundreds go to bed hungry without jobs … we have to pay for this?

      Report Post » lillymckim  
    • yougottabekidding
      Posted on April 6, 2012 at 11:18am

      The one thing I would love to see is the people in the video about loosing their job!!
      How many of these jobs have been added since Hussain got in?

      Report Post »  
    • SavvyCowboy
      Posted on April 6, 2012 at 1:01pm

      Shut them down today – jail them tomorrow!

      Report Post » SavvyCowboy  
  • tarajunky
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:30pm

    I spent two hours yesterday afternoon wandering around the local Veterans Admin campus (about 50 buildings, including a hospital). I just wanted to get a simple question answered. I ended up going to 10 different offices and talking to at least 5 different “Directors” along the way, NONE of whom had any clue what they were talking about.

    It would be bad enough if they just didn’t know, but they would actually tell me wrong information, which is why I ended up ping ponging to 10 different offices.

    “Go talk to Billing” “Go to the Contracts office” “Go to the Blue Clinic, they can help you.“ ”You need to go to Enrollment“ ”Try the Physical Office“ ”Yeah, they send a lot of people over here to the Physical Office, I have no idea why, try non-Va affairs“ ”Neither one of the people in that office are here today”, ETC ETC ETC.

    It was a complete fiasco. When I think that every one of these “Director” pinheads is probably raking in six figures, it makes my blood boil.

    Report Post »  
    • SoupSammich
      Posted on April 6, 2012 at 7:09am

      Then they retire early and double dip with a massive retirement package we still get to pay for. Most have the light blue HP placard for the sweet parking spots, know the best doc’s to see for made up ailments, and cry and whine about not getting what they deserve-not all, sure, but it is an uphill fight for the few decent ones surrounded by malingerers. Most of MD, parts of NoVA and just about all of DC is full of these people. And the same mind set for the USPS is going into ObammyCare.

      Report Post »  
    • shotzie
      Posted on April 6, 2012 at 9:31am

      TARAJUNKY – I know it would be a inconvenience, but it would help your fellow Americans so much, If you have a smartphone, or can borrow one from a friend, go back and do the same thing again, this time just holding the phone in your hand with the video running so sound can be recorded but the people won’t think they are being recorded. Then upload it to YouTube. If everyone who has dealings with the VA could begin doing the same thing (or Medicare or the IRS, or any government agency) and making them public, we could go a long way to bringing attention these inept and overpaid and barely working employees. That being said – I KNOW there are ethical and hard working people left in government jobs somewhere and it would be equally wonderful to show them and acknowledge them. Just a thought, but I think it would be very effective. It’s one thing to have a story told, it’s quite another when there is audio or video proof to back it up.

      Report Post » shotzie  
    • SavvyCowboy
      Posted on April 6, 2012 at 1:05pm

      @SHOTZIE – That is a great idea. If everybody that does business in a government agency between now and May 1st recorded then You Tubed the recordings, 99% of the US population would demand huge cuts in government. In 2009 America lost 2 million jobs in the private sector but obummer grew government jobs by 200%!!! He added over 200,000 government jobs in 1 year!!!!

      Time to RENEGE this November!!

      Report Post » SavvyCowboy  
  • givemelibertyorgivemedeath
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:17pm

    I just called Senator Cronyn’s office to complain about this.

    I hold a GSA Schedule 75 and my orders have dried up. I sell office supplies to the government. The government decided to create FSSI, which is the same contract but it is awarded to 7 companies ONLY, because this way the government can save thousand or even millions of dollars.

    This means that the rest of us get 0 orders from them or maybe a few.

    Seeing this video just sent my blood boiling. Here we are asking them to desolve FSSI because it hurts the rest of us who have the same schedule. . . . . and now we see this waste of money.

    Really? These little twirps are laughing at the tax payer money spent & no one can do anything about it? Some of us work hard & depend on every penny that comes in, every penny!

    Tax time comes around: federal taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, cell phone taxes,etc., and we have no choice but to pay because this government comes after us.

    I am not done calling my senators and congressman, this will not be taken lightly!

    Report Post » givemelibertyorgivemedeath  
    • Baddoggy
      Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:31pm

      Atlas can Shrug……..

      Report Post » Baddoggy  
    • tarajunky
      Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:43pm

      I knew a couple that set up a drop-shipping business for a local university. The university employees would find their item from a major company’s site, then submit the order. The order would go to this couple’s company, where they would add a service fee, then place the order through the major company to be drop shipped to the university. It was a completely unnecessary middle-man situation.

      Why?

      Because they federal government requires any entity receiving federal grants to spend a certain percentage of their budget with businesses owned by “under-represented minorities” or women. The wife of this couple was both female and a minority, so it was a way to get two birds with one stone for the university. The taxpayers were getting fleeced with these completely unnecessary surcharges, simply out of political correctness.

      All long as we allow the government to continue setting up arbitrary rules like this, the taxpayers will continue getting fleeced.

      Report Post »  
  • fiveisenough
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:59pm

    They should pay back every dime….with interest!!

    Report Post »  
    • Bluebonnet
      Posted on April 6, 2012 at 10:18am

      From the video, you could almost see them thumbing their noses at “we the people”
      But, let’s not forget, this is only one agency, put them all together and see how they waste our money on a daily basis. I never understood why these gov’t agencies had to go to Las Vegas, Aspen, Hawaii, etc. on our dime.
      They could get a modest hotel close to them, and spend a working conference, instead of all the hoop-la that has nothing to do with being a better employee.

      Report Post »  
  • SamIamTwo
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:53pm

    GSA is an agency that needs to be cut hard. I know some of the contracting people and they think handling 15 contracts is difficult. pffft. That’s nothing compared to the workload of DoD contracting personnel. Talk about a cakewalk position. Overpaid and under worked…

    Report Post » SamIamTwo  
  • Mr Sanders
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:31pm

    What?! Couldn’t find a way to spend an even million? What losers.

    You need to take some cues from the White House – now they know how to par-tay!!!!

    I picked up my tax return today – that felt oh sooooo good. Glad I could help out with the tip!!

    I love you Big-G [ hug my Big-G teddy bear here ]

    BTW – party cost was 8 seconds of our National Debt. Fan-tas-tic.

    Report Post » Mr Sanders  
  • leasecommander
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:30pm

    And these are the employees that are going to be deciding our healthcare???????
    God help us all !!!!

    Report Post »  
    • mike_trivisonno
      Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:50pm

      A GS 15 makes about $500 a day or about 120K a year.

      A GS 5 makes about 30K a year.

      Report Post » mike_trivisonno  
  • Liberalismsamentaldisorder
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:20pm

    Remember this and endless similar examples next time budget cuts come up and the politicians say “I guess we’ll just have to fire all the teachers/cops/firefighters”

    Report Post »  
    • wigg
      Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:35pm

      AMEN! Why is it “mothers and children going hungry” and “Your grandmothers social security” that get cut and not THIS CRAP!

      Report Post » wigg  
    • kaydeebeau
      Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:54pm

      I thought I paid property taxes to my county and sales tax to my state for Teachers and Firefighters?

      Report Post » kaydeebeau  
  • FlatFoot
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:18pm

    This is an Obamanation!

    Report Post » FlatFoot  
  • otis1966
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:15pm

    I know there is good and bad in every organization both private and public sector. However, this makes me sick after the IRS just told me I had to pay $907′s more from my 2009 return.

    I hope everyone truly enjoyed themselves in that video. This is exactly wihy hard working Americans do not trusy any form of Federal, State and Local Government!

    Report Post »  
  • SandyfromChesterfield
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:13pm

    This makes my blood boil. Our taxpayers dollars being wasted when there truly are people in need and they laugh about it.

    Report Post »  
  • doomytram
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:05pm

    This is a huge waste of money as all gov’t waste money and are ostensibly bankrupt. Per capita though, in this 900 trillion lb gorilla of a federal gov’t, though, nothing is more wasteful than the President Oblamer’s treasonous spending on jet fuel alone. Not to mention the thought that we need to spend more money that we don’t have and borrower 40 cent of every dollar we spend on waste.

    Report Post » doomytram  
  • Xplorer
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:05pm

    sounds just like the theme from I WANT TO BE A BILLIONAIRE

    Report Post » Xplorer  
  • FloridaFarmGirl
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:55pm

    Mitt Romney has a long reputation of cleaning up fraud and waste and running companies lleanly. Just one more reason we need him as President. These Democrats have been spending like crazy since 2006. Vote Romney 2012!!

    Report Post »  
  • cuinsong
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:53pm

    I guess the main requirement for being hired in the NObama administration is a common disrespect for the American people and a desire to waste their tax money!
    This kind of behavior is outrageous and seems to be pervasive in this administration and promoted by none other then the king him self!
    This kind of disrespect for the job that people are entrusted with is one of the reasons I wrote this song called
    “What’s Wrong With This Song” http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_9134749

    Report Post » cuinsong  
  • mike_trivisonno
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:51pm

    These people are the result, not the cause of, the situation in which we find ourselves.

    They are being sacrificed to the wolves. Red meat for the masses.

    Senators and Representatives are trying deflect from their massive, epic scale crimes by tossing us few bones.

    Report Post » mike_trivisonno  
    • SoupSammich
      Posted on April 6, 2012 at 7:20am

      They appear to have tossed themselves unless a congressional aide wrote the lyrics and shot the tape and drank the booze and went to Vegas and parked on 95, 295, 395, 495, 66, 70 or any other of the massive arteries into and out of DC every day in their brand spanking new vehicles with Fed tags on them. I love to see the toads in a sparkling Expedition, F250, Yukon, or Suburban with a single occupant in the HOV lane going under the speed limit, because they are on the Fed clock/dime with the Fed plates to match. 20% have to work that much harder to make up for the 80% professional slackers and malingerers. Take a vaca and hang out in DC for a while. It is beautiful still this time of year but sickening too when you see who the inhabitants are and what their routine is made of.

      Report Post »  
    • mike_trivisonno
      Posted on April 6, 2012 at 9:41am

      Oh my. I lived and worked in DC for a while.

      Terribly expensive, terrible traffic, and tons of Federal “workers” doing as little as possible in the most amount of time.

      It reminds one of Mos Eisley.

      Report Post » mike_trivisonno  
  • SLARTIBARTFAST
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:47pm

    The question is whether this video was made on gov’t time or after hours? Probably the former. I wonder how much the video itdelf cost us?

    Report Post » SLARTIBARTFAST  
  • Baddoggy
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:41pm

    Need to put them all in prison for THEFT!

    Report Post » Baddoggy  
  • SgtB
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:27pm

    Old news. I‘ve been at awards ceremonies for men and women whose only accomplishments were to find creative ways to spend an entire years budget in the last 3 days before the end of the fiscal year to avoid the command from getting its’ budget reduced. Way to go MALS-39. Way to go…

    Report Post » SgtB  
    • SgtBarrett
      Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:41pm

      Award ceremonies for government workers? Really? They get awarded for what? Efficiency? What a laugh.

      Report Post » SgtBarrett  
  • HKS
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:26pm

    Now Obama was quick to chastise the Ford and GM CEO’s for bringing a private plane to Washington for the bail-out hearings. Additionally, he was quick to bash any company that did exactly what his government just did in Las Vegas. Now how does he save this face. Obviously he will have to Kan someone but, is that the real problem or is it the mentality of liberals in general, “screw you but I’ll do as I please”. You be the judge and vote accordingly.

    Report Post » HKS  
    • copatriots
      Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:37pm

      Ah yes, HKS, thanks for that reminder. Given all the recent O hypocrisy, I had forgotten about the dressing down O gave the auto execs. O‘s leaps of logic and entitlement for him and his while chastising others for the very thing he does is nothing short of the most arrogant person I’ve ever witnessed.

      Report Post »  
    • AmazingGrace8
      Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:24pm

      I confessed awhile back that I agreed with Pres. Bush & a loan for GM…then when Pres.Obama & the private planes & then the car drive to the capitol….I felt sorry for GM & then as things went along & the unions were the big winner for this bailout and salaried employees were slighted.and other backroom shenanigans. I was very disappointed with GM. I will not be fooled twice and disagree with all of the bailouts that have been going on & of course the waste of taxpayers-no-money-in-the-kitty-printing-&-borrowing-$-from-Big Red.

      Report Post »  
  • American_Idle
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:24pm

    This story is not about Me. I have alibis . Shame on you Blaze trying to implicate Me.

    Report Post »  
    • qpwillie
      Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:38pm

      Yeah, yeah, too late to try to wiggle out of it now. You have been exposed. LOL

      Report Post » qpwillie  
  • Owt_Raged
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:22pm

    Unfortunately, that’s the mind set of most federal government employees. I once worked for a company that had LLNL (Sandia Labs) as a customer. Near the end of the budget cycle each year they would begin spending thousands of dollars a week at our business. Their normal monthly bill was about $500. They were quite open about it and told us numerous times that they had to spend all of the money left in their budget and that what they spent with us, was just a drop in the bucket. Now I was in my early 20′s at the time and even then I could see the waste and fraud in our government. It made me sick to think I was working hard so these people could waste my money on lavish baby showers, birthday parties and retirement parties, which have NOTHING to do with their government contracts.

    Report Post » Owt_Raged  
    • PAlibertybelle
      Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:35pm

      These are the snot nose little pukes who spend our hard earned money. They wouldn‘t know what an honest day’s work was if their lives depended on it. They should be fired – every last one of those entitled little taxeaters.

      Report Post »  
  • CatB
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:18pm

    Federal workers are idle. Except of couse when they are busy taking away our LIBERTY! OR wasting TAXPAYER money!

    OMG 2012!

    Report Post »  
  • American_Idle
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:17pm

    Me ? Not Me folks. I got dibs on this name.

    Report Post »  
  • monster123
    Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:12pm

    Not sure what to think of this.

    http://politicalbowl.com – Political Videos

    Report Post »  
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