After a screwup by government bureaucrats spending federal homeland security money in which they embarrassed themselves by accidentally selling off the $8,000 copier they’d just acquired for pennies on the dollar, the bureaucrats are, instead of being sensible and moving on, are being even more stupid and preparing to spend even more money to get “their” copier back.
But the story of the copier reveals these bureaucrats aren’t your garden variety stupid. They’re colossally, phenomenally, incredibly stupid.
Ted Anderson, Ken Dahlstedt and Don Munks, Skagit County (Wash.) Commissioners, spent $8,000 of federal homeland security grant money they were expecting in order to buy a state-of-the-art copier for the county’s new emergency response van.
A van they hadn’t yet bought.
That’s right, these morons put the cart before the horse, or in this case, the copier before the van it was going to be used in. And I haven’t even gotten into the question of why an emergency response van needs a $8,000 copier, when presumably, in an emergency, a $100 inkjet copier/printer/scanner off the local computer store’s shelf would do. (That’s because the bureaucrats aren’t spending their own money, but your money, and are horrible stewards of it. It’s enough to make you vote Libertarian out of sheer disgust. Which you should do anyway, but that’s a story for later.)
Anyway, so “Skagit County’s own version of Moe, Larry and Curly” decide to stick the copier in a warehouse. The warehouse where the county keeps surplus items. Do you see it coming yet?
Yes, you’re right. The county did have a surplus auction, and sold off the copier to a local businessman, who reportedly paid $250 for it, about three cents on the dollar.
After about a month goes by Skagit County officials decide they should get the copier returned.
The county reportedly offered $5,000 to buy back it’s $8,000 copier.
“No thanks,” said the businessman who’d bought it.
So now Skagit County officials will spend God only knows how much money as they sue the businessman in an effort to force him to give the copier back. — KOMO
So, let’s recap the math for you. After the auction, the county was out $7,750. It then offered another $5,000 to buy the copier back. I wouldn’t sell it for that low either. Now the city will spend many more thousands of dollars on lawyers to force this guy to give back the copier. You can be sure it will be more than $5,000.
And at the end of the day, even if they win, they’ll have a used copier, and no van to put it in. And the residents of Skagit County, as well as you and I, will have paid for these bureaucrats to waste the money they’re forcibly taking from us.
Might I suggest, instead of harassing this guy, getting on eBay and finding a nice copier instead? Or does that require too much brain power for three of the dumbest bureaucrats I’ve ever heard of?
(Hat tip: Christian Beckner, whose mom watches the local news.)
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Karl Marx would love the popular moves among politicians in various state governments and the federal government to ban so-called "junk" food in schools, and to "put healthy food in" convenience stores and on the tables of those they define as poor. It's a very elitist and arrogant mindset that promotes this ideology, and it needs to be addressed.
Ultimately, the war supporters in Congress prevailed in the vote on the resolution. Still, the vote was significant because it places every member of Congress on the record as supporting or not supporting the unconstitutional, costly, violent occupation of a country that never attacked us. This vote should serve as an important reminder to the American people of where their representatives really stand when it comes to policing the world, empire building, and war.
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Scott Lewis
Oct 13, 2006
If buying and then losing and then stealing back even one duplication machine means that our Iraq invasion and occupation will be supported then we are all better off. Yes, even you liberal Saddam-hugging homo-lovers. You would rather die in a terrorist attack than admit that George Bush has saved your bacon time and time again. When will you finally understand that only in a free society can the government force other people not to bother you. If giving up some piddly little aspects of freedom ensure that you are completely free aren’t you better off? As daddy used to say; “The end justifies the mean!”
I’ll bet the Democrats made up this story and then sat on it until right before the election! If they try to play stupid with us Republicans they’re gonna lose big time!
Michael Hampton
Oct 13, 2006
It would seem Washington state has better drugs, too.
Sindy Peehand
Oct 13, 2006
Scott, what you fail to realize is that by continuing to support the waste that these warmongers create you are feeding the machine that helps kill 500 poor Iraqis a day. For that kind of money spent on that one copier you could of feed hundreds of children in Somalia.
What these terrorist need is for us to apologize for making them mad and to give them funding so they can take care of their people and educate their children.
We have only ourselves to blame for the terrorist acts against our country. If we hadn’t been such Americans this would never of happened.
I hope the copier gets returned and we forgive the three commissioners. They were only trying to help. What do expect when you give a job to a person that says they care.
Q
Oct 14, 2006
lol, call in delta force, we must rerieve that copier.
Scott Lewis
Oct 14, 2006
Ms. Peehand,
I know those wacky Somalians will eat almost anything, but if you think a hundred of them could eat a copy machine you’re loonier than Jimmy Carter on a peanut binge. And how many bombs did Mr. Nobel Peace Prize winner drop on them Samoleans? Betcha don’t know, do ya.
And as for Q, making fun of the Delta Force. If they weren’t too busy saving your ass they would come and kick it! And not in a good way either, I know how you are! Maybe you could take a break from furiously masturbating in your mom’s basement and go stick your head in the oven!
Trunk Lever
Oct 14, 2006
Mr. Lewis, are you suggesting that Q is not baked already? Check yourself before you wreck yourself, you of nom de plumage.
And all of this argument is completely beside the point. Clearly these cogs in the political machine waited to create this screwup precisely so that when it came to light, they could blame the liberal media for the timing of the story, thus forcing the homeland stupidities of our world further to the right.
Sindy Peehand
Oct 14, 2006
Mr. Lewis, if that is your real name, what you need is a big strong hug. All this posturing and big talk is not doing anyone any good. If we would have embraced Saddam maybe there wouldn’t be 500 people dying a day. That is 15,000 people a month. That is 180,000 people a year being killed in Iraq just because we wanted to stop Saddam from torturing people. Perhaps if we would have been nicer and less American those poor people wouldn’t be dying in masses!
Mr. Trunk Lever, are you trying to say that us “Liberals” are responsible for this copier fiasco? Well that just isn’t nice. I think you need to pour yourself a big bowl of granola and herbal tea and think about what you are saying.
Why can’t you people be more caring for your fellow humans?
I’m going to run to Starbucks before I get to upset. I have to have my Starbucks or I just go crazy. Thank goodness for Public assistance!
XuYu
Oct 17, 2006
It’s the principle of the thing. That business basically stole that copier! He’s lucky they don’t send the local constable out to collect both him and the copier.
Nixer6
Oct 19, 2006
I don’t know which is more stupid…..
The incident or the comments her, lol.
Except Michaels, it was right on point. :D
Zak Robinson
Oct 23, 2006
I’m sorry, is this a real political discussion, or a role-playing forum? I don’t think I’ve ever before read such trite stereotypes of the political viewpoints in this country. I have to go under the assumption that neither Scott nor Sindy are in any way serious and as such I will applaud them (assuming it’s more than one person) for their hilarious acting. Because it *is* hilarious. I mean really: “embracing Saddam” and “eating a copier?!” That was a great laugh, guys.
…
and if either of them were serious… frak, I’ll just have to move to Scandinavia or something! :p
Michael Hampton
Oct 23, 2006
The story was serious. The comments, well, I’m not so sure about those.
Scott Lewis
Oct 23, 2006
I guess you told us Mr. Hampton.
Cool was ten days ago.
…
The story of your life.
…
Sigh