Flaring Lights Up North Dakota

By Kieran Cooke, Climate News Network Aug 3, 2013 By burning gas released from its rapidly-growing oil industry, North Dakota is adding to greenhouse gas emissions and wasting about a billion dollars annually, a report says. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

If the Iraq War Is Over, Why Are We Still Losing Money?

Peter Z. Scheer / Truthdig Aug 1, 2012 It's not the biggest boondoggle in the war on terrorism/Iraq, but it's a reminder that two presidents into the great Mesopotamian adventure, the U.S. still knows how to find a hole and throw money in it. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Portraits of Misery in Coachella

Staff / Truthdig Oct 29, 2011 For those who live there, life at the wrong end of Avenue 54 in Southern California’s eastern Coachella Valley is a hot, rotting hell. As you head east, the “Bermuda shorts, putting greens and picture-window champagne dinners” found in abundance near the Arnold Palmer Golf Course give way to … (more) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

U.S. Wasting $12M Daily on War Contracts

Staff / Truthdig Sep 1, 2011 A three-year study by a nonpartisan panel reported Wednesday that the U.S. wasted between $31 billion and $60 billion, or about $12 million every day, on wartime contracts for services in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last decade. (more) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Wasted $30 Billion on Contractors

Staff / Truthdig Aug 30, 2011 By an estimate its co-chairs call conservative, the bipartisan Commission on Wartime Contracting has found that the government wasted $30 billion on the use of private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. The co-chairs, writing in The Washington Post, say that number could double. (more) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Pentagon Gets What It Wants

Staff / Truthdig Nov 30, 2010 “If the Pentagon wants something, the logic goes, then it must be necessary,” writes Gregg Easterbrook in a recent examination of military waste. As a result, military spending has jumped 119 percent since 2001, 68 percent if you exclude the two wars fought in that time. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Imperial Defense of Pentagon Bloat

David Sirota / Truthdig Oct 15, 2010 Beware the sophistry of budget talking points -- especially those seeking to deter any criticism of defense spending. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Dead People Are Immune to Stimulus

Staff / Truthdig Oct 8, 2010 Of the 52 million people who received $250 stimulus checks last year, 72,000 were dead. While the loss of much of that $18 million is unfortunate, and we are sure to hear all about it in various campaigns, the waste adds up to a tiny sliver of a fraction of the nearly $800 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pollution and Occupation

Staff / Truthdig Jul 17, 2010 We all know the violent side of occupation, but what about the environmental? It may sound ridiculous, but Israeli settlements are dumping untreated waste into a canal that runs into the West Bank while the Israeli government is banning attempts by Palestinians to divert or treat that waste. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Star Wars’ Technology Sees First Hit

Staff / Truthdig Feb 13, 2010 In news that would make Han Solo proud, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency has shot down a ballistic missile using a high-powered laser. The technology, which never, ever worked in the past, is criticized by some as weaponizing space and others as a colossal waste of resources. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Spam ‘Godfather’ Sentenced

Staff / Truthdig Nov 29, 2009 Encompassing an estimated 78 percent of e-mail, spam remains the bane of many Internet users. The man who has declared himself spam's godfather, Alan Ralsky, has been sentenced to 51 months in prison for his role in an e-mail stock scam. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Goofy Stimulus Projects Have Real Value

Staff / Truthdig Nov 6, 2009 Don't be fooled by stimulus critics who cite expenditures such as the "electric fish orchestra" (actually an educational demonstration of a larger project related to robotics and prosthetics) or trips to resorts (to train special-ed teachers). "Waste," as ProPublica reports, "is in the eye of the beholder." (continued) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )