Case study: A simple tool
The $436 hammer is an enduring example of government waste. See how the costs added up.
Case study: A simple tool
Hammer time
Two decades later, perhaps the most enduring example of government waste is the $436 Pentagon hammer. The ignominious piece of hardware, though hardly the most egregious purchase of the time, struck a chord with the American public and became an emblem of the Department of Defense's procurement scandals of the 1980s.
Critics fear that such wasteful spending will continue and worsen under the Homeland Security Act because, they say, the federal government is applying even less scrutiny to antiterrorism budgets than it did to defense programs at the height of its contract controversies. At that time, the price of a $7 claw hammer--officially termed a "uni-directional impact generator"--ballooned by $429 (not accounting for inflation), thanks to the government's byzantine accounting processes.
Al Gore created the Hammer Award while vice president to recognize government efficiency. Made up of a $6 hammer, a striped ribbon and an aluminum frame, the award parodies the Pentagon's infamous hardware.
Conspicuous consumption
The proverbial hammer was just one of many embarrassing Pentagon purchases revealed in the early 1980s. Here are some other examples of note:
• Coffee brewer: $7,622 (Air Force)
• Pair of pliers: $748 (Air Force)
• Vinyl armrest pad: $670 (Air Force)
• Toilet seat: $640 (Navy)
• Drill set: $599 (Navy)
• Rechargeable flashlight: $181 (Air Force)
Sources: "The Pentagon Underground" (Dina Rasor, Times Books, 1985); congressional records; federal court documents.
Case study: A simple tool
Hammer time
Two decades later, perhaps the most enduring example of government waste is the $436 Pentagon hammer. The ignominious piece of hardware, though hardly the most egregious purchase of the time, struck a chord with the American public and became an emblem of the Department of Defense's procurement scandals of the 1980s.
Critics fear that such wasteful spending will continue and worsen under the Homeland Security Act because, they say, the federal government is applying even less scrutiny to antiterrorism budgets than it did to defense programs at the height of its contract controversies. At that time, the price of a $7 claw hammer--officially termed a "uni-directional impact generator"--ballooned by $429 (not accounting for inflation), thanks to the government's byzantine accounting processes.
Al Gore created the Hammer Award while vice president to recognize government efficiency. Made up of a $6 hammer, a striped ribbon and an aluminum frame, the award parodies the Pentagon's infamous hardware.
Conspicuous consumption
The proverbial hammer was just one of many embarrassing Pentagon purchases revealed in the early 1980s. Here are some other examples of note:
• Coffee brewer: $7,622 (Air Force)
• Pair of pliers: $748 (Air Force)
• Vinyl armrest pad: $670 (Air Force)
• Toilet seat: $640 (Navy)
• Drill set: $599 (Navy)
• Rechargeable flashlight: $181 (Air Force)
Sources: "The Pentagon Underground" (Dina Rasor, Times Books, 1985); congressional records; federal court documents.