Misery Index

These badges all have to be approved to be purchased.  Wednesday of last week, the new badges were approved in a unanimous vote by the Board of Police Commissioners approving December purchase.  And believe it or not, the board seems to make purchases WITHOUT knowing prices, or so they claim.

At a press conference called Saturday morning after the Post-Dispatch disclosed the purchase, Isom, the new Chief, called the badge expenditures “outrageous.”  He said there will be no more such spending.

In Isom’s defense, he said the badges had been ordered before a purchase order had been issued by the Police Board. A statement from the department said Isom had already “dealt with those responsible for purchase.”

The St. Louis Police Department bought a chief badge, two assistant chief badges and two lieutenant colonel badges.  The previous chief took one of the $5,900 badges with him, when he was forced out of his job by the board.  The new chief has the other $5,900 badge and will soon have a $1,987 badge as “backup”.  Two other high ranking officers in the department are retiring next month, also taking their badge with them, thus those two badges need replaced.

St. Louis officers have been allowed to keep their badges when they retire.  “It had been a long standing tradition, presumably as an honor to officers who are leaving the department after risking their lives day in and day out,” according to Police Department spokeswoman Erica Van Ross.

Meanwhile in Muskogee, Oklahoma, new badges are being manufacturer as a morale booster.  Officer Brad Holt leanred having a view of the city hall, which includes the police station, displayed on the badges meant the federal government would pay $6,000 on the die cost of the badges.  There are 91 police officers in Muskogee, and the badges cost $59 each for a total price of $5,369.

In Collier County Florida, Collier County EMS is spending $9,000 on new badges.  The department bought 200 of them at $46 apiece.  Currently the Collier County EMS is on a hiring freeze due to the economy.  Earlier this year, the agency proposed cutting 24 medics and postponing the replacement of three ambulances.  Cheryl Wilson – Watson, EMS Spokesowman, says the money for the badge bill could not be used for salaries or anything other than clothing.  The money for the badges “is like buying new boots for paramedics.” 

Examples of badge costs from other agencies:

• St. Louis Count Police Chief Jerry Lee’s badge, $110.
• Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton’s badge, $61.
• Kansas City Police Chief James Corwin’s badge, $48.75.
• St. Louis Police Officer’s badge, $19.75.
• Missouri State Highway Patrol do not wear badges, but instead wear insignias on each collar, $3.15 each.
• Belvedere, CA Chief Mark Campbell, $200

SOURCES:

• “St. Louis police chief wears $5,900 badge; Kansas City’s is $48.75”, STLtoday, 21DEC08
• “No More Expensive Badges For St. Louis’ Top Cops”, FOX News, 20DEC08
• “New Police Badges ‘uniquely Muskogee’, Muskogee Phoenix, 12DEC08
• “EMS blowing the budge on new badges?”, MSNCB, 17DEC08

To the American Taxpayer,

As part of my commitment to oversee how federal agencies in Washington, D.C. spend your money, I am releasing a series of oversight reports on federal spending. 

[…]

With billions of taxpayer dollars spent on low-priority and questionable projects, 2008 was a banner year for wasteful Washington spending.  In a time when the government is spending huge sums to address a struggling economy, Congress needs to ensure efficient use of our own resources before turning to taxpayers and asking for more.

[…]

With your help, we can begin making a difference and change the way Washington works.

The report shows examples of double money such as the Frank M. Charles Memorial Park in New York, which received $1 million in 2008 to repair tennis courts and to install Astroturf on a single baseball field.  The same park received a $1 million grant in 2000 for similar upgrades, but the money was squandered, leaving the park in a state of disrepair and in need of more federal funds.

A $500,000 was given to the “B In Tune” youth music program in 2008 to teach kids about “funk music and Nobel peace laureates.”  No proof was ever furnished to show the money was used for its intended purpose.  When asked why, the organization’s director said that a senior consultant became “ill”.  An additional $430,000 grant was given to the organization also in 2008, in which the director said it would be used to teach kids how to be a DJ or how to produce a TV show.

In the misappropriations, California used $3 million in federal funds intended for nutrition programs in the San Diego school district to assist low-income students by giving the funds as bonuses to San Diego employees leaving the district.  The Department of Education has not yet decided on whether the school district would be required to pay back the funds.

OTHER EXAMPLES

Just a thought here, are AIG’s accountants the same as those used by the U.S. government?  The complete list includes 65 examples [PDF] of wasteful spending.  Below are my favorites.  At least there aren’t any $400 hammers and toilet seats this year…..

• Bike paths, museums, scenic route, and roadside greenery, $800 million.  The funds were suppose to be used to fix federal highways and bridges.
• An IRS mailing notifying taxpayers that they were getting a stimulus check, $42 million.  This does NOT include the stimulus checks.  This is simply the cost to mail notices that their checks would be there soon.
• The National Park Service Centennial Party in 2016.  Congress authorized $24.6 million for 2008 with a build up to spend $1 billion overall on the celebration.
• To build an art museum in Iraq, $13 million.
• Medicare continuing to purchase brand name medication while generic is available, $6.5 million.
• A retractable shade canopy for Haddad Riverfront Park in West Virginia, $2.4 million.
• Training classes for casino workers in Kansas, $784,000.
• Clevelands Botanical Gardens “Green Corps”, which is a work study program that teaches teens to make salsa from the plants they grow, and then sell it as a money maker for the Gardens, $517,000.
• An inflatable alligator and under-the-sea waterslide in Texas, $367,000.
• FCC-sponsored NASCAR events to promote the digital TV transition, $350,000.
• Search for Alaskan Ice Worms in New Jersey, $326,733.
• For specialty potatoes at high-end restaurants, $300,000.
• EPA Administrators Junket Trip to Australia, $280,000.
• Funding for the “Lobster Institute” to promote the lobster industry throughout Maine, in part by deploying an underwater LobsterCam, $188,000.
• Six portraits for the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Commerce, the NASA Administrator, the Commandant of the Coast Guard and even the director of the National Cancer Institute, $167,290.
• A state barn census in Vermont, $150,000.
• Remounting the worlds largest fish in New York, $135,000.
• Studying American and Chinese Video Game Habits in California, $100,000.
• A non-functioning gas station shaped like an airplane, in Tennessee, $9,000.
• Money given to the Westfield Washington Public Library in Indiana for the purchase of a Nintendo Wii console, tv, camcorder and games”, $3,905.

And remember, this same government wants to give money to the Big 3?  They gave to AIG, and look what they did with the money.  Party time!

Well, it turns out that their complaints have worked.  Say goodbye tot he double cheese burger on McD’s Dollar Menu.  In a voting by franchisees, they approved a new sandwich for the Dollar Menu, while taking the Double Cheeseburger off the Dollar Menu.

McD’s announced that the recommended price for the Double Cheeseburger will increase from $1.00 to $1.19, a 16% increase, beginning December 1. 

However, you will still be able to get a double cheeseburger on the Dollar Menu called the McDouble.  It however, will come with only one slice of cheese.  Removing one piece of cheese will save franchisees about 6 cents per sandwich.  A memo to franchisees says the changes could boost cash flow by about $15,000 a year per restaurant.  Additionally, some media outlets are reporting that by reducing one slice of cheese, the fat content is lowered by 15% and reduces calories by 11%. [And maybe, just maybe the employees of McD’s will finally be able to actually put the slice of cheese somewhat ON the burger, instead of half on and half off.  This ain’t exactly brain surgery ya know.]

“Beginning December 1, we will add the new McDouble burger, made with two-all beef patties and one slice of cheese, to our popular Dollar Menu.  The Double Cheeseburger will still be available on our menu, and will still be offered at a great value.  We want our customers to know they can depend on McDonald’s to provide the everyday value and convenience they’ve come to expect, every time they visit our restaurants.  These changes will ensure we continue to satisfy our customers’ tastes and wallets.”

In test markets offering both versions prior to the menu change, about 60% to 70% of customers continued to order the classic double burger with two pieces of cheese.

The $1.19 price is a “suggested” price for franchisees from McDonald’s however, prices will vary.

“It is then up to the individual franchisees to decide how to price the classic Double Cheeseburger, which I expect will sell for $1.19 to $1.99, depending on the area of the country,” says Dick Adams, a McDonald’s franchisee consultant.

McD’s has already raised prices about 4% on its main menu items this year, while previously leaving the Dollar Menu items unchanged.

McD’s competitors will not be outdone however.  Wendy’s however, has a double-patty “stack attack” for a dollar, getting only one piece of cheese however, however in some markets it comes with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles, a better value for the same price than McD’s McDouble.

In the meantime, Burger King seems to be bringing back the Whopper Jr. to the chains dollar menu.   Fair warning however, BK was testing a slightly smaller $1 Whopper Jr. in order to offset rising food costs in August.  The “new” Whopper Jr. sandwiches are made with 2-ounces of hamburger instead of the 2.2-ounce patty it typically uses.

What you don’t hear about, and I’m looking for, is if the weight of the beef patties for these burgers changes.

Of course, if your REALLY hungry and want to waste $15, you could get a giant 2-pound cheeseburger with eight 1/4-pound patties and eight slices of cheese.

But before you do that, you might want to watch the video of the guy who has been collecting McD’s burgers, for 18 years……..  I bring you, the “Bionic Burger”! “Ba-La-Pa-Pa-Paaaaa.. I’m Lovin’ It!”