High-tech projects hit the most wasteful list

Federal spending on technology may be innovative and interesting, but it can still be a prime example of government waste, according to a new report from Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.).

Coburn’s “Wastebook 2011” annual report on allegedly squandered federal dollars highlights several projects involving Twitter, Facebook, video games, podcasts, holographs and other new technologies.

The report, released on Dec. 20, showcases dozens of examples of alleged wasteful federal spending approved by Congress and federal agencies totaling nearly $7 billion. About $5 billion of the total is from Iraq War-related contracting.

“This report details 100 of the countless unnecessary, duplicative or just plain stupid projects spread throughout the federal government and paid for with your tax dollars this year that highlight the out-of-control and shortsighted spending excesses in Washington,” Coburn wrote in the report.

Several of the projects involve new technologies and are funded by the National Science Foundation.

The list of alleged waste includes a science foundation grant to study how college students use mobile devices for social networking. The $765,000 study at the University of Notre Dame will provide smart phones to selected students and monitor their locations, digital communications on Facebook and Twitter, and online purchases.

Coburn noted that Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, whose company is partnering on the study, is a graduate of Notre Dame. Hesse was not immediately available for comment.

Coburn also takes the science foundation to task for funding a study of whether Twitter is considered a trustworthy source of information. The agency provided $492,055 to Wellesley College researchers to determine how Twitter users use the social network to make decisions and obtain information.

“To Trust or Not to Trust Tweets, That is the Question,” Coburn wrote in his report, listing the study as the #34 example of government waste.

He also scolds the science foundation for providing $300,000 to the University of Alaska to develop educational podcasts about scientific research being conducted in the polar environment. The podcasts are to be offered to tourists to state’s national parks. The tools also will incorporate Facebook, Twitter and other social media into the tourist’s experience.

“Next time tourists in Alaska wonder what to do with a backseat full of cranky kids, they‘ll have the National Science Foundation to thank for coming up with a solution,” Coburn wrote about the project, which he listed as example #32.

Other tech-related projects cited as examples on Coburn’s waste list included:

• $100,000 to the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, an educational center devoted to video game preservation and study that is part of the non-profit National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y.
• $96,000 in economic stimulus law funding used to purchase iPads for kindergarten students in Auburn, Maine. “Technology is something that students should be acclimated to at an early age. However, it may be wise to get them to read and write first before they are handed an iPad,” Coburn wrote.
• $25,000 to the Milwaukee Public Museum for an exhibit on mummies utilizing three-dimensional, high-definition holographic images. Coburn wrote that taxpayers are taxpayers are essentially paying twice for the mummy exhibit, since individuals are charged $24 admission to the museum.