This story gives new meaning to the old saw "Close enough for government work". The reporter, Scott Paltrow, has a lot of experience as an investigative reporter, giving this article a greater sense of credibility for me. As a liberal, I have to admit that stories about the government like this one cause me to give second thoughts about the concept of government run health care. Maybe I'm becoming more conservative in my old age. Nah.

This a great story, it actually gets to a reality that is being hidden and not discussed in any depth. The point that is missing is that it avoids the painful truth, via complacency amongst the voters, that corruption is the outcome whenever improper accounting occurs. This story has the potential to make Watergate look like a crossed line. I look forward to the time when our reporters actually go under cover for the real story within the pentagon which to me sounds very much like, generals get half to shoot off their big guns and half goes to the pentagon backed corporate mafia that siphons their bit off to their buddies and then says, hey "I know I can organise the logistics of a full theatre battlegroup, but please don't ask ... More »

Well-researched article on the challenges faced by the Defense Department towards improving its 'dysfunctional' financial systems. The report quotes a number of current and former government officials to give us an inside peek at the scope and complexity of the problem. While the article points out the failures of our government in effectively solving the problem, it is generally fair and objective. Yet a few more independent sources would have helped. A worthwhile read.

So, Conde Naste can publish an article detailing the completely unacceptable accounting practices of over 50% of our country's tax dollars - and make it cogent and linear. Conde Naste. The people who I rely upon for information about some glorious chateaux on the Mediterrean I'll never visit. The people who write about pretty, shiny places. Conde Naste. They laid waste to the "liberal media." Okay, it's their portfolio product, but still. We are truly living in a world of insanity. Maybe we should get our news from travel magazines and workout journals and leave the traditional media to replace "People," "Us," and "The Weekly World News."

This is a well-written account of the Defense Department failure to be fiscally accountable for its budget. Accompanying it is a timeline of unsuccessful attempts to reform the budget. http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/national-news/portfolio/2008/04/14/Past-Spending-Woes-at-Pentagon Nobel winning economist Stiglitz has written elsewhere that money spent by the Pentagon is taxpayer money that could be used elsewhere. We want the government to use defense money wisely or use it elsewhere, whether to reduce the deficit, increase education to make us more competitive, or cut taxes without incurring debt. It would be interesting to see a tie-in between th eproblems revealed in this article and our current economic woes.