With twinkle in the eye, here`s a commentary about wasteful federal spending.
By executive order, a commission was appointed to study the expense of the maintenance of the lawn and plantings around the White House. The commission had eight people, including an agrarian economist, a statistician, two landscape specialists, a public relations consultant and a horticulturist. The commission was granted unlimited time to make the study and prepare a report on its findings.
The commission was expensive-almost $25,000 per week, and after a year of work and study, the charges for the year were around $1.3 million.
The commission had just one suggestion to save money: move a petunia bed on the east side of the grounds two feet to the left. If the above move was made, it was estimated that because the petunias would get more sunlight, and thus require less labor and fertilizer, there would be savings of between $45 and $50.
A copy of the commission findings is available from the U.S. Superintendent of Documents-$35 for the soft cover and $55 for the hard cover.
