WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) today opened voting in their #SourSixteen Tournament of Waste. The March Madness-inspired #SourSixteen tournament is a yearly culmination of each senator’s ongoing efforts to highlight egregious and unnecessary federal spending.
Some of the teams that will be pitted against each other include – part of a $1 million grant to see where it hurts most to be stung by a bee, $1.5 million to put fish on a treadmill, $99,787 to improve Kenyan farmers’ cell phone literacy, including training on Google and Facebook, and pulling from $700,000 in grants to unsuccessfully determine what Neil Armstrong said on the moon.
Follow the 2017 #Sour16 Tournament of Waste to see whether or Team Paul or Team Flake discovered the most outrageous example of government spending on March 13.
First round votes can be cast now at the following locations:
Paul’s #SourSixteen webpage Paul’s official Facebook page
Flake’s #SourSixteen webpage Flake’s official Facebook page
Also follow along on Twitter using #SourSixteen
TEAM PAUL’S 2017 #SOURSIXTEEN MATCHUP SUMMARIES:
FACEBOOK FARMERS VS. CLOWN SHOW
Facebook Farmers
Funded by: U.S. Agency for International Development?
Cost to taxpayers: $99,787?
Description: Teaching Kenyan farmers how to google and use Facebook
Alma Mater: Worldwide Wa$te Part VII: Institutional Development
Clown Show
Funded by: Inter-American Foundation?
Cost to taxpayers: $324,015?
Description: Funded a program to teach poor kids in Argentina the circus arts, in the hopes that they would pursue careers under the big top?
Alma Mater: Worldwide Wa$te Part V: Inter-American Foundation
LEMME TAKE A SELFIE VS. PAGAN VACATION
Lemme Take a Selfie
Funded by: National Science Foundation?
Cost to taxpayers: Partially funded by a $500,000 grant?
Description: Studied if taking selfies (and smiling) made people happy… it does?
Alma Mater: A Selfie of Waste
Pagan Vacation
Funded by: U.S. Agency for International Development
Cost to taxpayers: $1,946,000?
Description: Funded agro-ecotourism projects in Belarus, including a B&B that features Pagan goat sacrifices
Alma Mater: Worldwide Wa$te Part VI: Foreign Tourism Promotion
SUPERNATURAL DISASTER VS. NOT SO HOT
Supernatural Disaster
Funded by: National Park Service?
Cost to taxpayers: $150,000?
Description: Studied Alaskans’ personal experiences with the supernatural, including sightings of sea monsters, big foot, and invisible birds?
Alma Mater: National Park Service X-Files Project
Not So Hot
Funded by: National Institutes of Health?
Cost to taxpayers: $500,000?
Description: Studied people’s tolerance for spicy food and used alcohol prevention money to study how to select the best wine?
Alma Mater: Some Like it Hot: The Taste of Waste
HIP-HOP GRAFFITI VS. OUT OF THIS WORLD
Hip-Hop Graffiti
Funded by: U.S. Department of State?
Cost to taxpayers: $209,000 ?
Description: Funded a project using hip-hop to “develop the artistic skills of young Pakistanis and Pakistani Artists namely in Graffiti, Mural and Public Art”?
Alma Mater: Worldwide Wa$te Part I: Foreign Cultural Promotion
Out of This World
Funded by: National Science Foundation?
Cost to taxpayers: Pulling from $700,000 in grants?
Description: Used autism research money to unsuccessfully determine if Neil Armstrong said, “That’s one small step” for “a man” or just “man” when he landed on the moon?
Alma Mater: One Small Step for Waste, One Giant Leap for Wastekind
TEAM FLAKE’S 2017 #SOURSIXTEEN MATCHUP SUMMARIES:
FISH OUT OF WATER VS. THE SEE-THRU SHOWCASE
Fish Out of Water
Funded by: National Science Foundation
Cost to taxpayers: $1.5 million
Description: Study timing how long fish can run on a treadmill
Alma Mater: Wastebook: Fish on a Treadmill
The See-Thru Showcase
Funded by: Department of Commerce
Cost to taxpayers: $1.7 million
Description: Holograms of stand-up comedians star in an adults-only comedy club
Alma Mater: Wastebook: Hologram Comedy Club Laughing all the Way to the Bank
THE GLOWING DOOBIES VS. THE DRILLING DENTISTS
The Glowing Doobies
Funded by: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Cost to taxpayers: $35,000
Description: A 28-foot tall, glow-in-the-dark joint displayed in the Mile High City
Alma Mater: Wastebook: Giant Glow-in-the-Dark Doobie
The Drilling Dentist
Funded by: National Institutes of Health
Cost to taxpayers: $3.5 million
Description: Studying why people fear dentists
Alma Mater: Wastebook: What Causes Fear of the Dentist
BINGE WATCHING BETAS VS. SHAKE ‘N BAKE
Binge Watching Betas
Funded by: National Science Foundation and Department of Defense
Cost to taxpayers: $460,000
Description: Computers programmed to watch “Desperate Housewives”
Alma Mater: Wastebook: Computers Try to Learn Human Behavior by Binge Watching “Desperate Housewives”
Shake ‘n Bake
Funded by: Institute of Museum and Library Services
Cost to taxpayers: $150,000
Description: Cooking class on building earthquake-proof gingerbread houses
Alma Mater: Wastebook: Earthquake-Proof Gingerbread House
SQUAD GOALS VS. THE STINGING BEES
Squad Goals
Funded by: National Science Foundation
Cost to taxpayers: $1.1 million
Description: Determining if cheerleaders are more attractive in a squad
Alma Mater: 20 Questions: Are Cheerleaders More Attractive in a Squad?
The Stinging Bees
Funded by: National Science Foundation
Cost to taxpayers: Part of a $1 million grant
Description: Bees forced to sting various parts of the body to find out where it hurts most to be stung
Alma Mater: 20 Questions: Where Does it Hurt the Most to be Stung by a Bee?