Spending Bill Dies, but Cost of Printing Substantial
WASHINGTON, DC—The omnibus spending bill that never saw the light of day, a 1,926-page monster, nonetheless set taxpayers back $78,000 to print 650 copies of it, according to the Washington Times. That's more than 1.25 million pages wasted, and that $78,000 worth of printing is a mere drop in the bucket compared to the $1.1 trillion in spending contained in that bill.
Speaking of Congress, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) released his wastebook report, which highlights government programs he feels are pointless. One of this year's targets: the Government Printing Office's (GPO) educational comic book, "Squeaks Discovers Type!" It cost $60,000 to print a run of 5,500, and the $5 cover price would only cover less than half of the cost. The GPO called the loss a marketing expense.