Government Waste - TLF099

The government wastes a lot of your money on a regular basis, but here are some examples in Afghanistan that are beyond the pale. What's in the News with stories on good news for Ross Ulbricht, civilians killed by the US government, and three city governments banning employee cafeterias, banning plastic straws, and tearing down a 91-year-old woman's wheelchair ramp. Also, an Ancap Apps segment on one of the best charity apps around, DonorSee. This episode is brought to you by ZenCash, a cryptocurrency that infuses privacy, anonymity, and security done right. Also brought to you by Free Talk Live, providing you with fresh, pro-liberty content 7 days a week on more than 180 radio stations across the country.  WHAT’S RUSTLING MY JIMMIES We all know that there is a ton of government waste, especially since the money is not really theirs, only our money that was stolen from us at gunpoint. Since it is not their money, they don't really care much how they use it. However, when there comes out a story about such blatant government waste as this, I would be remiss to talk about it.   Apparently, "Congress has appropriated $126 billion for Afghanistan reconstruction since Fiscal Year 2002," wrote Special Inspector General John F. Sopko in testimony delivered in May to the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management. By 2014, he added, inflation-adjusted appropriations for that purpose "had already exceeded the total of U.S. aid committed to the Marshall Plan for rebuilding much of Europe after World War II."   WHAT'S IN THE NEWS In some good news, a U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland has filed a motion to dismiss pending charges against Ross Ulbricht, known as “Dread Pirate Roberts,” who is serving a life sentence following his conviction for his role in the Silk Road marketplace which facilitated the sale of illegal drugs.   In government is evil news, US Airstrikes have killed 14 civilians in Northern Afghanistan.   Sadly, this is a growing trend in Afghanistan due to the rise in bombings there. New data from US Air Force Central Command once again confirms a trend of escalating US airstrikes against targets inside Afghanistan. The data shows 2,911 munitions have been dropped in Afghanistan so far in 2018.   And, it's not just in Afghanistan that they are killing civilians in our names. US-led coalition airstrikes targeting Islamic State militants have killed at least 73 Syrian civilians during the month of July, with most of these deaths occurring in two strikes in Deir Ezzor province, according to monitor and media organizations.   In government protectionism news, in an attempt to attract employees to local restaurants and businesses, San Francisco Supervisors Ahsha Safaí and Aaron Peskin are co-sponsoring an ordinance that would ban “employee cafeterias” from new office buildings in the city. This comes as local retailers, particularly those downtown, complain of a drop in business as more companies offer their workers meals in private corporate cafeterias, Safaí said.   In other California liberal insanity news, the city of Santa Barbara, California has passed an ordinance that will allow restaurant employees to be punished with up to six months of jail time or a $1,000 fine after a second offense of giving plastic straws to their customers. The bill was passed unanimously last Tuesday and covers bars, restaurants, and other food-service businesses. Establishments will still be allowed to hand out plastic stirrers, but only if customers request them.   In more evil government news, Prince George’s County Maryland filed a legal case against a Laurel couple in their 90s over a wheelchair ramp in their own home. To avoid legal trouble, the elderly couple’s son tore down the ramp, trapping the woman in her own home. The county permitting department said the family had no permit to build a wheelchair ramp in front of their own home.     ANCAP APPS I talk a lot about putting your money where your mouth is. Private charity is one way we can do that by showing that it is much more efficient and effective than government charity funded at the point of a gun. DonorSee is a new type of charity that actually allows you to watch, quickly and easily, the impact of your money on charity. When you select a charity to support on the site at DonorSee.com, you will receive text and video updates on how your money is impacting the people, all directly on the website.