How the government wastes "wisely spends" your money

The Social Security Administration, one of the sad-sack government agencies that seems to forever find itself in dire financial straits, has just blown $700,000 of our hard-earned dollars, confiscated from us on pain of imprisonment, to treat 700 of their executives to a three-day retreat at the historic Biltmore Hotel here in Phoenix, a swanky place indeed.

It appears that the muckety-mucks at the SSA decided that this trip represented a good idea even though the government is in the middle of a dire financial crisis. Why not? It's not like it's their money.

The stated purpose of the gathering: To help these high-level employees learn how to cope with the stress that results from allegedly receiving death threats:

"'We received threats against our employees by people who are in the American public,' said SSA Regional Commissioner for San Francisco Peter Spencer in defense of the conference."

The 700 workers who were "seriously" threatened by the likes of retirees and the disabled were all top managers, and none were front-line employees? That sounds a little far-fetched, to say the least.

Wait until reports of this debacle get wide coverage. Is it possible the agency will now have to schedule a retreat for stress from death threats, prompted by news of this retreat for stress from death threats?

In other news, acceptable methods of "stress relief from death threats" now apparently include motivational dance lessons (whatever that happens to be. Sounds weird, and quite expensive.) from a troupe, the ability to bring one's relatives along on this expensive boondoggle and an evening trip to a local casino (where gambling, not motivational dancing, hopefully took place).

All levity aside, is this the type of "responsible" stewardship to which you would feel comfortable entrusting the health care of you and your loved ones, along with everyone else in the country (whether they wish to participate or not), to the tune of one-sixth of the U.S. economy?