Government Waste

I heard Congressman Issa’s concern about expensive government conferences — I ran one myself back in my earlier Navy days. A Captain I had worked for previously approached me in my office at the foot of Broadway and asked, “How would you like to run a conference for the Admirals of six or eight South American Navies, here in San Diego?”

 

“”Not really,” I replied. I was in a deep dog house with Navy brass because of my involvement with the USS Pueblo — the Navy had once actually sent me orders to transfer me to Keflavik, Iceland (Rose Bucher got those changed – the orders arrived in my office while she was having coffee in CNO’s Office) —  and I was not interested in any more “high -visibility activity.”

(I need not have worried!)

“What if I told you that you would have an unlimited budget?” The Captain asked.

The old story comes to mind about the time the great Washington Redskin coach, George Allen, was fired by owner William Bennett, who said of the controversial firing, “I gave George an unlimited budget, and he exceeded it!”

Anyway, I took the job. Flowers at the door of every Admiral (and his spouse) every morning along with three-language translation of every word of the previous day’s activities; sumptuous meals and activities…the list was endless.

Of course I never saw any of it. I was in a hotel room with my selected staff, trying to put out fires.  We had twenty Navy cars driven by multi-language Sailors roaming the city (some, reportedly, looking for prostitutes), getting people out of police situations, newspapers in Spanish and Portuguese being delivered late, liquor orders mixed up…

Meanwhile, I was sleeping in my dress whites in a small hotel room, eating sandwiches and sleeping at my desk, with my wife bringing new Whites and underwear each day.

But I hear it was a grand conference.

I wouldn’t know. What I do know is that there are many unnecessary, lavish, conferences. I suspect there are many, many of them but I only had experience with one.

The good news is that with social media, excesses that once flew under the radar now get some visibility. I remember being in a Working Party on the USS General Billy Mitchell some 60 years ago – throwing HUNDREDS of 60 pound packages of frozen beef over the fantail before arriving in San Diego, just so the ship could show it needed more food next time it applied than it really did need.

I would hope that there is now some mechanism for an iPhone report to someone about this sort of thing – the problem is that young Sailors probably don’t even realize the impact of such actions. I know I didn’t as a 17 years old Sailor.