Veterans Affairs Employees using government credit cards on personal items? Yes it is true and it is happening at the DOD, Air Force, Navy. There have been stories of this happening at local sheriff's offices. At the US Department of Labor as well as local school districts. There was a recent report of widespread abuse at the DOI as too. Where is all this money spent?

Well everywhere you can spend money: at Casinos, Nude Bars, Car Washes, extra travel, etc. It seems to be at every level of government. But of course Government credit cards are only part of it. Some government employees assume this to be a perk and they expect it? Interesting considering that is taxpayers money and those fine folks in government are working for all of us. If you question any of this 'google it' yourself; key words: "Government Credit Card Abuse, employees, stealing." You will not believe the number of direct hits you get, scary stuff indeed.

There are people working on this problem in government at some very high levels, but there is work to still be done. There are of course penalties for these things such as misuse of government credit cards. What is done about it? Well some are being brought to justice for stealing. Some agencies have chosen to try to make rules to regulate morality, furthering the bureaucracy by additional defining of what stealing is.

Yet the root of the problem is a lack of integrity of the entire population from, which we draw upon for our fine folks in government. After all those people who abuse power, take bribes and dishonor self and country for personal gain while working under an oath to serve are much worse than any other abuse in our society. That is un-acceptable that we allow this to go on, surely living in the greastest country and civilization ever created; we can do better than this? As we watch those imperfect souls in government chastise the business community we need to have those same un-perfect souls refer to the nearest mirror. We do not need anymore "Porker of the Week" awards for these issues.

The PTO Office has decided it needs to educate the employees as to what is allowed and disallowed? What a great idea, they ought to patent it? Well folks; stealing is obviously stealing? What part of stealing do they not understand? More policies instead? Why so they can document the theft and make more paper work, create another department within these bureaucracies to see that employees do not steal, an investigative internal affairs office of sorts? Then they can create another department to check up on the oversights of the internal affairs office? What about the paper work reduction act? Look you steal, you go to jail or you lose your government job forever, do not pass go, do not collect that guaranteed pension? The passive additional policy making is not working folks? It is a sham and a slam in the face to the taxpayer. Apparently that oxy moron called responsible government is alive and well in all levels of what we call 'our' government for us and of us? Well needless to say after doing the study the PTO, which is 18 months behind in their work has to warn employees not to use the government credit cards for vacations, alcohol, strip clubs and non-PTO business vacation travel? Well perhaps if they were doing their job there would be no back-logs there? Here is their very nice new policy, I wonder how much money and travel was wasted in that set of committee meetings?

http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ahrpa/opa/pulse/epulse/pulse0206_5b.htm

Will making more laws and penalties work? After all, the real problem is the personal integrity level of the individual with the card. If 33% of our population would lie, cheat or steal for under $20 USD, and if we draw from our population for our government workers then the same percentage of abuse, misuse, lying or cheating will prevail in our government as well. So then we need to fix the ethics problem in the United States and that does not only mean the government. Perhaps the government ought to look in the mirror before it goes around harassing businesses, entrepreneurs who have to make payrolls and fund their little excursions with real tax dollars. Perhaps before we tell Mrs. Smith she has to pay a fine for 5 miles over the speed limit, we ought know exactly what the money is going for, how it will be spent and have a complete background check behind the people writing that ticket.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs