Romney Campaign Press Release - Case Closed: "Sheriff" Joe Biden Failed To Stop Wasteful Spending

"For nearly four years, President Obama has promised to stop Washington's reckless spending habits. But whether it was his trillion-dollar stimulus package or other budget-busting policies, the Obama Administration has repeatedly failed to live up to the President's own promises. Governor Romney will finally end Washington's spending addiction and stop passing our financial burdens to the next generation." –Andrea Saul, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

For The Last Three-And-A-Half Years, Vice President Biden Has Led President Obama's So-Called "Oversight Effort" To Stop Wasteful Spending:

President Obama Appointed Vice President Biden To "Lead A Tough, Unprecedented Oversight Effort" Over Stimulus Spending "Because Nobody Messes With Joe." OBAMA: "And with a plan of this scale comes enormous responsibility to get it right. That is why I have asked Vice President Biden to lead a tough, unprecedented oversight effort – because nobody messes with Joe. I have told each member of my Cabinet as well as mayors and governors across the country that they will be held accountable by me and the American people for every dollar they spend." (President Barack Obama, Remarks, Washington, DC, 2/24/09)

President Obama: "Around The White House, We Call Him The Sheriff ... If You're Misusing Taxpayer Money, You'll Have To Answer To Him." OBAMA: "To you, he's Mr. Vice President, but around the White House, we call him the Sheriff -- (laughter) -- because if you're misusing taxpayer money, you'll have to answer to him." (President Barack Obama, Remarks, Washington, DC, 3/3/09)

And What Result Has "Sheriff" Joe Biden Achieved? A Trillion-Dollar Stimulus Packed With Wasteful Projects:

Vice President Biden, Shortly After President Obama Appointed Him "Sheriff" Joe Biden: "We Know Some Of This Money Is Going To Be Wasted." "U.S. Vice President Joe Biden acknowledged on Tuesday that some waste is inevitable in the spending of a $787 billion economic stimulus package, in a characteristically blunt assessment. 'We know some of this money is going to be wasted,' Biden said during a roundtable discussion in New York with business leaders aimed at promoting the two-year stimulus plan." ("Biden Says Some Waste Inevitable Part Of Stimulus," Reuters, 6/3/09)

At The Energy Department Alone, More Than 100 Criminal Investigations Have Been Launched Into The Way Stimulus Money Was Spent. "The Energy Department's inspector general has launched more than 100 criminal investigations related to 2009 economic stimulus spending. In written testimony prepared for delivery to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today, Inspector General Gregory Friedman said the investigations have involved 'various schemes, including the submission of false information, claims for unallowable or unauthorized expenses, and other improper uses of Recovery Act funds.'" (Darius Dixon, "DOE IG: 100+ Stimulus-Related Criminal Probes," Politico, 11/2/11)

Examples Of Stimulus Waste Include A Federal Contractor Who Was "Told To Use Smaller, Nonstandard" Materials That Were More Expensive "In Order To Increase The Cost Of The Project." "One of the major patterns Messrs. Jones and Rothschild uncovered was that the top-down stimulus was poorly targeted. In one redolent example, a federal contractor said he was told to use smaller, nonstandard tiles that are harder and more expensive to install in order to increase the cost of the project. That way, the government could claim the money was moving out the door faster. The famous Milton Friedman line about government ordering people to dig with spoons to employ more people comes to mind." (Editorial, "Why The Stimulus Failed," The Wall Street Journal, 9/8/11)

President Obama's Stimulus Spent More Than $1 Million In A Non-Existent Congressional District In Ohio. "You might be a stimulus fan, you might be a stimulus foe, but you've got to admire the sweep of stimulus spending in Ohio. It has provided more than $1.2 million and added three jobs in Ohio's 21st Congressional District. Never mind that there is no such district." (Stephen Koff, "Stimulus Is Working In Ohio – Even In Phantom Districts," Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/17/09)

Columbus Dispatch: "It's Hard To Argue That Taxpayers Got Their $800 Billion Worth." "With the recent marking of the third anniversary of the first federal stimulus bill's passage, it's hard to argue that taxpayers got their $800 billion worth. If anything, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — passed along party lines, with the aid of all sorts of side deals and kickbacks to woo holdout lawmakers — ultimately might have delayed and extended the pain of the recession by providing only short-term and inefficient fixes to a much-larger economic problem, while significantly increasing the nation's burden of debt." (Editorial, "Unstimulating," The Columbus Dispatch, 2/27/12)

And The Stimulus Wasn't The Only Waste From The Obama Administration, Which "Squandered" Taxpayer Money On Lavish Trips For Federal Employees:

"Taxpayer Dollars Were Squandered" After GSA Officials Spent Nearly $1 Million For A Lavish Conference For Only 300 Attendees. "GSA Administrator Martha Johnson admitted in a letter of resignation that her agency had made a 'significant misstep' and that 'taxpayer dollars were squandered.' A GSA Inspector General's report on the 2010 GSA 'Western Regions' training conference in Las Vegas shows the government spent more than $822,000 for the 300 attendees..." (Lesa Jansen, "GSA Head Resigns Over 'Wasteful' Las Vegas Seminar," CNN, 4/2/12)

The GSA Sent Employees To Hawaii "For Up To A Week" To "Attend An Hour-Long Ribbon Cutting." "The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said Wednesday that five employees associated with the recently scandal-plagued Government Services Administration went to Hawaii for up to a week in 2011 to attend an hour-long ribbon cutting on space leased by the federal government for the FBI." (Chad Pergram, "GSA Employees Travel To Hawaii Five-Days For A One-Hour Ribbon Cutting," Fox News, 4/11/12)

In 2010, GSA Sent 120 Interns And 20 Executives To A Five-Day Conference In Palm Springs. "About 120 interns and 20 GSA executives attended a five-day conference for the interns in May 2010 at a Palm Springs, Calif., resort, according to information provided by the GSA inspector general to a House committee." ("General Services Administration Treats Its Interns To Conference At California Resort," The Associated Press, 4/12/12)