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Fri 2 Apr, 2004 06:57 pm
Department of Energy compensation program
applicants 23,000
applicants determined eligible 1
compensation for the 1 eligible $15,000
administration costs $74 Million
The Department of Energy program to compensate sick nuclear weapons plant workers has cost $74 million of taxpayers' funds - and only one worker has been paid.
The $74 million has gone to paperwork involved in deciding whether workers were sickened by radiation or toxic chemicals on the job.
The DOE says it wants another $76 million for this year and next and a few legislative tweaks in the program. With that, DOE Undersecretary Robert Card said Tuesday, a few hundred more sick workers should be paid by the end of the year.
Ir appears to this independent voter that the republican congress is hell-bent on proving that it can outspend 50 years of democrats in 4 years, rave on conservatives.
Two top Energy Department officials resigned Friday just three days after the Rocky Mountain News reported that a compensation program for sick atomic bomb plant workers had paid only one worker $15,000 - while spending $74 million on paperwork.
Under Secretary of Energy Bob Card and Assistant Secretary of Energy Bev Cook were responsible for the compensation program called "a catastrophic failure" by one senator on Tuesday. Both Card and Cook said they were leaving in two weeks, citing a need to spend more time with their families.
Well, let's do the math. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt and say that other administrative costs (less their salaries) for running the program totaled $1 million. That still leaves them over $36 million each...they ought to be able to spend some real "quality time" with their families with that.
I'd be willing to do pointless paperwork for $36 million a year. How 'bout you? Oh wait. We're not Friends of Bush. I forgot.
Dys - Is this a new program?
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