'Shutdown' - Government Buys $47,174 Mechanical Bull

The government shutdown may be keeping furloughed federal workers at home, but on Monday the U.S. Army contracted to buy a mechanical bull. The $47,174 contract was awarded on Oct. 7 to Mechanical Bull Sales Inc. of State College, Penn. According to the General Services Administration (GSA) listing, the National Guard of Utah made the request for a “bull which needs to be durable and low maintenance.” The bull that was sold to the Utah National Guard should meet any state safety requirements. The Mechanical Bull Sales website says, “Our mechanical bulls are approved for use in all 50 states and Canada. This includes: Pennsylvania, New Jersey and California which have stringent safety requirements for amusement rides.” Lt. Col. Hank McIntire of the Utah National Guard tells CNSNews.com that the mechanical bull is regularly used as a tool by recruiters at fairs and other events. “It draws attention to their message,” McIntire said...more

Update:  The order has been canceled.

EPA offers “golf swing seminar” on EPA work hours and in an EPA facility

From the “why can’t we have fun on the taxpayer’s dime while we are destroying the economy” department. Here’s the content of an email making the rounds internally at the EPA today...more

EPA: Let's Rap About Climate Change

I still don't have access to my music files so I bring you this EPA Rap Rip-Off from James S. Robbins at the Washington Times. After all, you paid for it.

The Environmental Protection Agency wants kids to rap about climate change. No, not talk about it, rap about it. The EPA web site has a downloadable tune called "Click It -- Flip It" intended to inspire kids to live more sustainable lifestyles. The nearly fine minute long song urges kids to:

Click it, flip it, turn the handle to the right, turn off the water, twist the handle real tight. Slip on your sneakers, lace em up tight, leave the car parked you know that’s alright. Public transportation is the way to go, it’s one of the ways to keep emissions low, you can ride your bike, instead of the car, if we save on fuel then we’ll all go far.


You can pick up paper and recycle it too, and there are many other things that you can do. You can click off the game boy, flip off the light, while you’re brushing your teeth, turn the handle to the right. Close the fridge door - keep it shut tight, no food has been added since the middle of the night. A 5 minute shower is all that’s needed to keep energy from being depleted. A long sleeve sweater is what I know – will keep you toasty and the fuel bills low. Plant a tree in your neighborhood, besides giving shade you know it looks real good...

Here's the video of the song for your listening pleasure. I'm sure you'll agree your taxpayer dollars are being well spent.

Audit: $4B in USDA Stimulus Loans May Be Erroneous

An internal Agriculture Department report says the government may have given out more than $4 billion in stimulus housing loans to ineligible borrowers. A preliminary report from the USDA inspector general made available Friday says a sample of 100 loans out of 81,000 showed that almost a third were given to ineligible borrowers - including some with income that exceeded the program limits, others who already owned homes and borrowers who purchased homes with swimming pools. The loans were paid for by the 2009 economic stimulus. The inspector general's report says the loans precluded other, eligible borrowers from receiving the help. Based on the sample results, the report estimates that 27,206 loans worth about $4 billion - or more than a third of those granted - could be ineligible. AP

2 Fined For Deer Rescue

Natural Resources Police fined two men who helped rescue a deer trapped in a frozen river because they were not wearing life jackets aboard their inflatable boat, but the duo said they'd do it again if they had to. Albert said that because the men didn't follow instructions, they were each fined $90. But the men said they did have flotation devices. "Everyone could see the two big black personal floating devices on the boat," Abusakran said. Natural Resources Police Superintendent Col. George Johnson said Monday evening that he reviewed the reports and is standing by the officer's decision to ticket the men...more

Two Census Bureau managers fired for creating at least 10,000 bogus questionnaires

Two Census Bureau managers from a Brooklyn field office were fired after their bosses found they faked household surveys to meet deadlines, the Daily News learned. Instead of pounding the pavement and knocking on doors, the corner-cutting people-counters mined the phone book and Internet to make up answers to questionnaires, regional director Tony Farthing said. Census officials in Washington only admitted to a string of incomplete forms and poor tracking in disclosing the firings Friday afternoon. But Farthing corroborated worker accounts to the Daily News that managers Alvin Aviles and Sonya Merritt began dummying up responses in the final crush to finish the surveys, which field workers are supposed to compile from in-person household visits...more