Big government more than ever resembles a clumsy giant, unable to act effectively in carrying out its most basic and important functions.  Democrats may blame sequester spending “cuts” (actually declining rates of increase), but when money is flagrantly wasted, that argument is readily debunked. 

Yesterday saw testimony that Homeland Security has bungled Ebola preparations. Sean Lengell reports in the Examiner:

“DHS purchased much of the equipment and drugs without thinking through how these supplies would need to be replaced,” Homeland Security Inspector General John Roth said during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing.

A recent inspector general's audit of DHS purchases shows the agency hasn’t conducted a needs assessment on funds dedicated to plan, train and prepare for a potential pandemic. Therefore "we could not determine the basis for DHS’ decisions regarding how much or what types of pandemic supplies to purchase, store or distribute,” he said. (snip)

The inspector general also found that drugs stored at multiple DHS sites weren’t being kept in a temperature-controlled environment. Because of this, the agency is recalling a “significant quantity” over concerns that the drugs' safety and effectiveness may have been compromised.

“Drugs and equipment have gone missing, and conversely, our audit has found drugs in the DHS inventory that the department thought been destroyed,” Roth said.

Other examples of DHS mismanagement found in the audit include:

• A stock of pandemic protective equipment for use by Transportation Security Agency includes about 200,000 respirators that are beyond the five-year usability date guaranteed by the manufacturer.

• Eighty-four percent of hand sanitizer bottles stockpiled by DHS for pandemic purposes have expired — some by up to four years.

• The antiviral drugs DHS purchased are nearing the end of their effective life.

Incompetence is not ameliorated by more money. Federal bureaucrats with lifetime tenure have no incentive to get their act together.  Civil service reform is a big fat issue awaiting the GOP to seize.