The title of our blog, “BELTWAY BANDITS“, needs some explanation. First, let’s discuss what we mean by the BELTWAY. You may have heard political conversations referring to actions taking place within the BELTWAY. Some TV programs even are titled with reference to this area, one being called “Inside The Beltway.” This is a word describing the series of roadways surrounding the Capitol complex of the United States, Washington D.C., the District Of Columbia. Wikipedia defines it this way: “a 64-mile Interstate Highway that surrounds Washington, D.C., the Capitol of the United States, and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia.” Look at the picture below for better clarification. We will be discussing the activities occurring within the large circle of freeways shown in red.
Within this area identified above, our elected political government leaders (and a few appointed by them), Senators and Representatives, and the vast underbelly of this massive beast composed of unelected bureaucrats, all carry on the national business of the United States of America. Also, in line with the major thrust of this blog, many of our richest cities and counties within our Nation lie within, or very close to, the interior of the BELTWAY.
BANDITS. We typically think of them as being those who would rob trains, covering their nose and mouth with a scarf, and not because of some mask mandate. The word probably originated as the Italian word “bandito”, translated then into English in 1590. BANDITS is defined as “lawless robber, brigand (especially as part of an organized band)” (Etymology.com). “An outlaw who lives by plunder, especially a member of a band of marauders” (Merriam-Webster). Today, we live in an era where those who rob others often dress in suits and ties, are considered among the elite, and have the wealth and power to pad their coffers with dishonest gain, often contrived. They have little regard for others, and seek only the advancement of their personal agendas and wealth. (Read our blog on June 13, 2021 titled “DANGERS OF SOCIOPATHS”), and our blog on June 23, 2021 titled “FOLLOW THE MONEY.” Modern day BANDITS have resources, including lawyers and friends in high places, that allow the theft from others, and are often protected by a biased judicial system that promulgates a two-tiered justice system, where the poor and powerless are punished for offences far less encompassing, while those living in the upper crust of society escape any scrutiny. Laws are often ignored, rights are often trampled on, and favors are often traded or exercised by modern day BANDITS. So, just who are these people? How do we identify them, and hold them to account?
Do you have any idea of how your tax dollars are spent? We wager that most, if not nearly all, cannot even list anything beyond paying pensions, healthcare, education, defense, and welfare. So where does the money go? Who accounts for the spending, and monitors its use? According to the CBO (Congressional Budget Office), the Federal Budget in fiscal year 2020 brought in $3.4 Trillion in Revenues, with $6.6 Trillion in Outlays. Of the Outlays, $4.6 Trillion were Mandatory Expenses, and $1.6 Trillion were Discretionary Expenses. Trying to break down each of these two expenses further can be an exercise in futility, as it all depends upon what one chooses to include into each chosen category, and like having a CPA figure out how to accurately do your taxes, no two are ever in agreement. We dare the reader to search any government spending pie chart, and come away with anything other than a splitting headache! “The Government is not sure exactly how much it is spending on third-party social services, advice from Treasury has revealed. Treasury were also not sure how to measure the impact of the billions of dollars spent which one ‘working estimate’ put at $7.8 Billion, or around 7 percent of all Government spending.” (Stuff, Henry Cooke, January 28, 2021). One thing is for certain, there is an abundance of “discretionary” expenses in any model viewed. This is the area in which we have chosen to center upon in this blog. These include items we have all become familiar with, things like money paid for “The Bridge To Nowhere”, $320 Million (The Heritage Foundation), or $10,000 for a C-5 Galaxy’s toilet seat cover (The Washington Post). Even more specific, we are choosing to focus on those “Discretionary” items entrusted to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), often monies (our taxpayer dollars) distributed through Government Grants.
On January 1, 2021, the U.S. Department of State said there were approximately 1.5 Million NGOs operating within the United States. It was estimated that 1,083 were in existence in 1914 (Wikipedia). “While there is no fixed or formal definition for what NGOs are, they are generally defined as non profit entities that are independent of governmental influence – although they may receive governmental funding” (Wikipedia). The following is also the lead paragraph on the U.S. Department of State’s website: “The United States firmly believes that a robust civil society – independent of state control or government involvement – is necessary for democracy to thrive. From the earliest days of U.S. history, civil society organizations have played a key role in protecting human rights and advancing human progress. Civil society is a source of all-encompassing ideas, promoting everything from transparency and free expression, reversing inequality and rescuing our environment.” Their website also states the following facts about NGOs. These are just a few snippets.
^ Individuals do not need to be U.S. Citizens to create a new NGO.
^ Many NGOs in the United States are qualified as exempt from state and federal taxes.
^ Some foreign NGOs are affiliated with foreign political parties.
^ Foreign NGOs also provide funding to and conduct joint projects with American NGOs.
^ Foreign NGOs do not have special restrictions on their activities . . . . and are not required to provide reports to other U.S. Federal Government agencies.
^ U.S. law imposes no limits or restrictions on the receipt of foreign funding by NGOs operating in the United States.
^ The U.S. Government does not interfere with how the NGO accomplishes its purposes . . . and need not provide notification to any Government agency about its membership, activities, or outreach . . . and they are free to collaborate with foreign NGOs or foreign governments to achieve their purposes.
Does any of this disturb you? Let’s further develop our concerns about unbridled NGOs. “Many NGOs receive funding from local, state, and federal government entities through grants.” “Grants are essentially gifts that do not need to be repaid.” (Investopedia, Jean Folger, October 20, 2021.) “More than 12 million people are employed by nonprofits – more than 10 percent of the total private workforce in the U.S. – with payrolls exceeding construction, transportation and finance. Nonprofits spend nearly $2 trillion annually, including $826 billion on salaries, benefits, and payroll taxes.” “Overall, 80 cents of every dollar of nonprofit revenue in the United States comes from government grants or contracts and fees for services. Universities and hospitals skew the numbers a bit, accounting for much of the 49 percent of nonprofit revenue specifically from private fees for services. Only about 10 percent of overall nonprofit comes from individual donations and another 4 percent from foundations.” (thenonprofittimes.com) “In many cases NGO employees receive more fringe benefits.” (Wikipedia) Examples of NGOs that currently receive government funding, or have received government funding in the past include Doctors Without Borders, American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The National Institute of Health (NIH), according to their own website, “is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world investing more than $32 billion a year . . .” Planned Parenthood receives more than $600 million a year from the federal government.” (SGT Report, November 3, 2021.) According to an analysis of federal spending data, “Taxpayers funded eight nonprofits that serve, protect or advocate for illegal immigrants with more than $291 million between 2012 and 2016.” (Daily Caller, Ethan Barton, March 9, 2017.) Of course those amounts have skyrocketed under the current government administration. The threat of paying each illegal alien $450,000 if “families” were separated after entering the U.S. illegally, is just the tip of this massive ice burg of payouts. The Cartels, often using “rent-a-kid” methods, aim to siphon money off of illegal aliens desperate to get into the U.S. The illegal aliens would never get all that money, as those NGOs providing lawyers bringing these suits would take more than their fair share, and much, if not all, of what is left would be funneled back to the Cartels by conscription. Do not be fooled by the current government settling for lower payouts. Those who are illegal aliens have no standing to bring suit in the U.S., and payouts to criminals who violate our laws is criminal in and of itself.
We are not sure how many grants funded by the U.S. are outstanding. Some grants pay millions of dollars. We were able to view grants currently available on GRANTS.GOV. “The specific reporting requirements, schedules, and systems can vary for each grant.” Currently there are 2,292 posted and forecasted grants being offered by our government. Let’s just look at one example: “AF-DRC-01, Curbing Misinformation and Disinformation through Information Literacy and Fact Checking. Award Floor $25,000. Award Ceiling $50,000. Offered by the U.S. Department of State.” It is offered under the “Agency Name: U.S. Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo.” “Posted Date: Nov 02, 2021.” We do not want to disparage all NGOs who receive federal funding. Some do great work for humanity. However, others claiming to serve humanity, heavily weight this belief over the best interests our our Nation. As one example, Catholic Charities receives government funding, yet they use some of that funding to support the plight of illegal aliens, not just within the U.S. (Breitbart, John Binder, 8 May, 2021), but also by assisting those who are making their way here. (Intellectual Takeout, Jeff Minick, January 30, 2020.)
There is a problem in the BELTWAY. There are BANDITS who are using our taxpayer money for purposes often foul. “For nothing can seem foul to those that win.” (William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Act 5, Scene 1.) Nothing is truer than this, that if you leave candy outside at your front door, you will have more trick-or-treaters! Congress, and many in the bulging bureaucracy, seems to be filled with many radical rubes, those who gleefully spend your taxpayer dollars without a thought as to where it really goes, and for purposes sometimes foul. When we vote for Senators, Representatives, and other government officials, we do so in good faith, expecting them to preserve our FREEDOM and LIBERTY, and to be fiscally responsible. Sometimes, expecting your elected officials to support you, is like expecting a professional escort to love you. We expect our elected leaders to spend our tax dollars wisely, by reading the fine print, doing due diligence, and continuing to listen to their constituents. We do not expect them to act rashly or foolishly, throwing money around as if they were wealthy, because it is not their money they are entrusted with . . . . it is ours. We need to expect better from our elected officials, and hold them accountable. After all, our Constitution of the United States says “WE THE PEOPLE”, not “They The Elected”.