Jim: Biggest Government Waste: I’ll let the other guys talk about pork or the Bridge to Nowhere. I’m actually going to name something I was going to consider for a later category, best idea of the year. In the December 4 National Review, John O’Sullivan revealed that in the aftermath of 9/11, a Washington think tank urged the White House that at that unique moment of national unity, “it should be possible to mount an initiative that changes the debate on such issues as multiculturalism, the teaching of American history and civics, and the general question of American exceptionalism. Animated by generosity of spirit and without a trace of racism or xenophobia, such an initiative would have broad bi-partisan appeal and could lead to permanent cultural/political realignments.” Among their ideas:

Veterans Day should be transformed into a celebration of the “greatest generation,” who fought and won World War II — and that the Washington celebration could then be used as a teaching device in America’s schools. They proposed a presidential commission, perhaps headed by Rudy Giuliani, to develop ideas for implementing “assimilative patriotism” (an idea championed by such figures as Teddy Roosevelt) throughout American life. They advocated a “Citizenship Agency” that would teach the obligations of citizens (rather than simply dispense “services” to immigrants) as part of a wider program of celebrating citizenship. And they urged that the president regularly preside over the swearing-in of new citizens in public ceremonies “that should be dignified, inspiring, and foster patriotism.”

The whole idea amounts to taking a sledgehammer to the concept of “progressive transnationalism” that pervades America’s elites, the depressingly popular belief that a global government would be better than irredeemably flawed American leadership. Someday, someone is going to pick up this mantle, and the idea will inevitably be reconsidered, perhaps after (sigh) some future terrorist attack.

Anyway – the fact that this idea was never taken to fruition, and now would be pretty much impossible in today’s polarized, rabidly-furious American political environment, amounts to the biggest waste of the year, maybe the decade.

Runner Up: The discussion surrounding the often and loudly-threatened filibuster against Samuel Alito was a colossal waste of time, since the Democrats didn’t have the votes.

Cam: Can you imagine the outrage from the media had the government actually gone through with this idea? Keith Olbermann would have started flinging his feces at the camera like some deranged monkey. Rosie O’Donnell and Joy Behar would have led a march down 6th Avenue (to a Krispy Kreme, but still…).

You’re right… this is a waste. If I wanted to be picky I’d say your timing is off since this was reported this year, but evidently considered and rejected before 2006. In the spirit of Christmahannukwanzukah, I’ll let it slide.

Shempu: Wheee! I love slides!! They’re so slippery and fu

Cam: I’m really beginning to hate that %$*!ing whale. My pick for biggest government waste comes from the folks at Citizens Against Government Waste.

$13,500,000 added by the House for the International Fund for Ireland (IFI), which has released a five-year strategy focusing on grassroots reconciliation and cross-community projects such as: the construction of Creggan Community Café and Catering Ltd., the Newcastle YMCA, the Donegal Town Waterbus, the Leitrim Food Center of Excellence, the Chef Development Program, and funding toward the World Toilet Summit. Could there be a better example of the government flushing away your money? 

You got that? We’re subsidizing the YMCA in Newcastle, a catering service in Creggan, and the World bleeping Toilet Summit. This is the type of crap (no pun intended) that makes me want to march down to the treasury and ask for my money back.

Jim: Wow. Word for word, Cam, this might be the funniest post you’ve written on On Tap - even if it does refer to feces with an odd frequency. And while I usually think that foreign aid is a too-convenient scapegoat and undervalued, the list you point to is an utterly ridiculous waste of money; with the Celtic Tiger’s economy doing well, the Irish ought to pay for those projects themselves. Sorry, State Department, you’re on your own. I’m not defending that shi… stuff.

Marshall, a bit late: I was going to say that Jim’s post might be one of the most insightful we’ve seen here at On Tap. And then I spent half a day trying to come up with a clever way to say, “I agree!” Needless to say, I didn’t come up with anything. Nevertheless, I still agree. In some ways wasted opportunity is twice as tragic as wasted money, and in this case, doubly so even to that. There was an amazing opportunity lost after 9/11 — one that we can never regain.

Runner-up: The Coast Guard Deep Water project. Let me be clear — I support the concept of Deep Water. If the Coast Guard says it needs bigger boats, I say build them; give the coasties all of the big boats they want. But Deep Water has turned into another procurement boondoggle. Recently, I learned from a friend of friend just how bad it is. And, not surprisingly, it comes down to a couple of contractors bilking the Coast Guard for billions. Also, not surprsingly, the first ships dleivered under the program aren’t seaworthy.