Boondoggle

Boondoggles are, all to often malignant & downright fraudulent as well as wasteful; they do serve to keep the unworthy or useless off the dole queue. The Wikipedia gives a robustly cynical view of their functions. Their explanation of Regulatory capture is sound. Some splendid examples are below starting with Perverse subsidies.

Boondoggle ex Wiki
A boondoggle is a project that is considered a useless waste of both time and money, yet is often continued due to extraneous policy or political motivations.

Etymology
The term arose from a 1935 New York Times report that more than $3 million had been spent on recreational activities for the jobless as part of the New Deal. Among these activities were crafts classes, where the production of "boon doggles," described in the article as various utilitarian "gadgets" made with cloth or leather, were taught.[1] The term's earlier definition is thought to have its origin in scouting, particularly in reference to a woggle.[2]

Dynamics
The term "boondoggle" may also be used to refer to protracted government or corporate projects involving large numbers of people and usually heavy expenditure, where at some point, the key operators, having realized that the project will never work, are still reluctant to bring this to the attention of their superiors. Generally there is an aspect of "going through the motions" – for example, continuing research and development – as long as funds are available to keep paying the researchers' and executives' salaries.

The situation can be allowed to continue for what seems like unreasonably long periods, as senior management are often reluctant to admit that they allowed a failed project to go on for so long. In many cases, the actual device itself may eventually work, but not well enough to ever recoup its development costs.

While cost overruns are a common factor in declaring a project a boondoggle, that does not necessarily mean the project has no benefit.

The project may have unseen benefits that overshadow its initial problems. For example, the cost of construction of the Sydney Opera House ballooned over 1400 percent, but the building has since become an icon for the city and for Australia. The cost of the Space Shuttle vastly overran its initial estimates, but it was still able to carry out tasks unachievable by any other technology.

Another example is the RCA "SelectaVision" video disk system project, begun in the early 1960s and continuing for nearly 20 years, long after cheaper and better alternatives had come to market. RCA was estimated to have spent about $750 million (1985 dollars) (equivalent to $1.65 billion in 2014 dollars) on this commercially nonviable system, which was one of the factors leading to its sale to GE and later breakup in 1986.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program has suffered massive cost and schedule overruns and the fighter's military utility is the subject of heated controversy, yet the program continues to be the highest priority procurement activity for the United States Department of Defense.[4]

The Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand involved an extremely long planning cycle, cost overruns, allegations of corruption, and, when opened, was criticized for its poor construction. This led one Thailand commentator to label it the "Suvarnabhoondoggle" (Golden Boondoggle).[5]

See also

 

More Frauds: 

Agenda 21
Is a UN power grabbing operation. It is being snuck up on us and quite obviously using our tax money to rob us.

 

Ancient Wisdom
Is highly valuable. We have lost out in a big way by not remembering it. It sounds plausible but ask why it was forgotten in the first place. Then ask who resurrected these stories and whence. It is not always an excuse for making up stories for credulous mug punters. It needs a calm look before being taken seriously.

 

DDT
It kills mosquitoes and saves lives that would be lost to malaria. But the greenies hate it. Perhaps we should ask what kind of life is being saved. It is mainly black but then in Africa the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are saddled up and waiting to go.

 

Drugs
Have been made illegal which distorts the market place and stimulated demand. They have created a multigigabuck industry which pays policing agencies, Free Trade and the American CIA

 

Foreign Aid
It sounds worthy. It is not; it is a very profitable boondoggle.

 

Global Warming
When scientific ignoramii argue passionately in favour you know there is something dodgy about it. Then when the fraud is proven and they still go for it you know that it is fraud and a secular religion. A good refutation from a real scientist is at The Question of Global Warming

 

Swine Flu
The real issue is health scares and manipulating people rather than health per se.

 

Western Guilt
Is the idea that we are supremely guilty and that we must help foreigners while destroying civilization. It is heavily marketed by enemy aliens. See e.g. Jews Use Western Guilt

 

Errors & omissions, broken links, cock ups, over-emphasis, malice [ real or imaginary ] or whatever; if you find any I am open to comment.
 
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Updated on 11/03/2016 13:27