The WMSRDC recently purchased and transferred homeland security equipment to these counties — including 13 snow cone machines at a total cost of $11,700.
The machines were funded by a grant from the Michigan Homeland Security Program. The request for a snow cone machine came from another county, but all 13 counties received them.
The purchase raised some questions at a recent Montcalm County Board of Commissioners meeting. Commissioners wondered about the machine and questioned its purpose.
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WMSRDC Executive Director Sandeep Dey said one county requested a popcorn machine, but that request was denied.
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“It is used to attract people so they can be educated and prepared for homeland security,” Dey said from his office in Muskegon. “More importantly, they (homeland security officials) felt in a medical emergency the machine was capable of making ice packs which could be used for medical purposes.”
Are you, “…educated and prepared for homeland security?”
You can’t make this stuff up.
Everything hoomans do has some elements of waste/fraud/abuse about them. In this case, I’d say the emphasis was on first abuse (if its free, I’ll take two no matter what it is) and waste (we won’t even use them but they are free to use) and fraud ((I wouldn’t be surprised if the manufacturer submitted this request)).
Government Tax Revenue–agreed: its not treated like its a responsibility to manage but more like it is for free.
Its the culture of the place. Interesting thing “culture.” How they form, mutuate, continue. We in the West are quite proud of our social culture that values the “rule of law.” Not perfect, but better than most. Then we turn to the social culture of pork spending in washington. Again–not perfect but closer to pure corruption than we should be. Sad, because it is abuse and waste.
“Treat everyone the same” even though they are not the same==thats why North Dakota gets a share of TSA Anti-Terrorism Response Geer because that is only fair if New York City gets anything at all.
Silly Notions.
It was probably something someone slipped in there as a joke.
I did the same thing when I first started working for a school district. My boss told me to make a list of supplies I needed from the Staples website. So as a joke, I threw a $300 beer fridge in there, just for a laugh.
My boss had completely rubber-stamped my request. Fortunately, I made a phone call before the order was placed.
Antiterrorism is the perfect excuse for the government to do whatever they want.
Hey, it’s only $11,700. What’s the big fricken deal? It’s not like it’s wasteful or nuttin.’ Anything that keeps me safe from scary bearded men, than Ima fer it.
Please Mr. Gubment, oh please raise my taxes…and give me another shot of Makers.
Its not like anyone ever had to work and earn this money.
Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely….I think I’m going to throw-up.I hope Obama gets brain freeze
Evidently you have not seen the M.A.S.H episode where Radar ordered similar ordinary kitchen tools and the doctors were able to save lives.
Why do TeaPublicans hate America?
I was thinking you meant a different MASH episode, when the doctors wanted a culture incubator, and couldn’t get it approved. But Army supply did allow them to order a pizza oven or a jukebox.
“Hey a snow cone maker would sure come in handy on summer movie nights. Do you have any snow cone requisition forms?”
“No. Just use the standard WMSRDC equipment order form. And write in Snow Cone, where it says Medical Supplies.” LOL
As soon as Congress gets back from their holiday, they will pass legislation to provide ice and syrup in the event if a natural disaster. You know, like a second O’Bama term in office.
Only in America, only in America!
Scoop-ready jobs!
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It gets worse. In all the federal offices across the land, over 2.6 billion dollars have been spent on coffee machines, 37 billion on refrigerators and a whopping 293.7 billion on air conditioning.
These unnecessary expenditures have got to stop.
Proves that you can justify practically any creature comforts, as an educational or recruitment tool. Wouldn’t it just be cheaper to buy microwave popcorn as needed, and use the MW ovens we know they already have? As for the ice cone makers. Non-frozen water alternatives exist for medical treatments. Just watch the final minutes of Harrison Ford’s “Fugitive” to see them. In fact it just came on Ion Tv, right now, as I type this. What a coincidence! I just remembered that Tommy Lee Jones took this chemical filled bag, bend it, shook it up, and handed it to Ford, to cool this hand injuries. They have a good shelf life, without the need for electricity to make ice.
How come “ignorance of the law is no excuse” for the common citizen? But public servants’ ignorance of practical spending of taxpayer dollar is always an acceptable excuse?
I’m lookin at this thing, and it’s not an ice maker. Just an ice chewer or “shaver”. Which means they still have to go and buy the bags of ice for it. How is that useful in an emergency? Buy the damn ice already shaved, and save he tax money. Plus they’ll need bottles of flavoring, cause who wants unflavored ice? Another yearly expense.
“the snow cone machine request would not have been granted by itself, but was approved because it came with other homeland security equipment.”
Ah yes, bundle up that waste of the tax money, so the bad gets approved along with the good. Like “riders” in Congressional bills.