Why is ANYONE surprised that the IRS spent $50 million on conferences and videotaped themselves dancing at them?

It’s amazing how you can justify spending other people’s money (OPM) and things necessary to the basic functioning of government, such as lavish conventions in far-flung locations, all on the taxpayer’s dime. But it’s way too easy to poke fun at the “wisdom” of any taxpayer-funded entity living it up on “OPM,” so we’ll let the video speak for itself.

Here’s a sobering thought: The IRS is understandably under the microscope these days in the wake of their other lapse in judgment. You know, the one where they targeted a specific political movement that just happened to be opposed to the party in power. People are going through their business with a fine-tooth comb and uncovering all kinds of interesting things.

Well how many other conventions, conferences, Electric Slide competitions and hoe-downs do you think YOU paid for last year? How many other government departments pulled out the old credit card and flew the whole office to Vegas for a weekend of “meetings?”

I’ll concede the need for a meeting or two, even though I have a long-standing hatred for anything and everything that happens in a “conference room.” The problem is the IRS, HUD, Justice Department (and about 100 other groups you and I pay for) think they can act like Google and celebrate by spending on their employees.

I mean, they work hard, hit their goals and deserve the perks, right? WRONG.

NONE of them actually produce anything useful and certainly aren’t capable of operating anywhere near the efficiencies of the private sector. The idea there is a penny extra to spend on travel, catering or off-site meetings would be funny if it weren’t so frustrating.

Next time the IRS wants to hold a convention in New Orleans to plan new ways to screw the American taxpayer (while dancing on Bourbon Street), let’s hope they are forced to do it in the atrium of their offices in Denver. During their lunch hour.