When I was first introduced to the idea taxes in grade school I always wondered what the hell the government is spending our money on. We always hear about our tax dollars going towards things like Social Security, National Security, and Medicare. I plan to shed some light on the things we do not normally hear about the government spending money on.
Amtrak
Many people do not know this but Amtrak is owned by the United States Government as The National Railroad Passenger Corporation doing business as Amtrak. The average person would think Amtrak is doing well based on the tickets prices and the large congregation of daily riders. Amtrak is actually the total opposite. Since Amtrak’s inception in 1971, Amtrak has NEVER finished a year where they made a profit. So how can Amtrak continue to operate for almost half a century with no profits? The Government provides Amtrak with over $1 billion a year that manage to keep the company Operating. Some believe that the Government should cut their losses and get out of the rail businesses sooner than later. I think the same can be said about the United States Postal Services, but USPS does not rely on tax dollars for operating expenses.
Akutan Airport
The Government spent $75 million on building an airport for a town in Alaska that has a population of 75. On top of that, the Airport is about 6 miles away from the town on an island. The only way for passengers get to the airport is they will have to take a hovercraft from the town over to the island. Getting there is an issue all in itself, but needing a reason to go to the airport is another. The airport doesn’t have any flight leaving or landing at the airport. So essential an airport was built for $75 million that you have to fly to get to only to find out that no flights are leaving or arriving anytime soon.
Vacant Property
The Government owns lots of territory across the United States. What the common US citizen doesn’t know is the Government have thousands of vacant properties that they pay to keep maintained. According to the Washington Post, The Government’s vacant properties has cost US taxpayers up to $8 billion. With all of this vacant property and no real motivation to sell it off, the Government still lease new office space and buildings.
Reblogged this on SamadRobinson.com.