Tax dollars fund shrimp on treadmills, Jell-O wrestling in Antarctica

From the Washington Times today, government waste "watchdogs" have pointed out some silly ways the NSF has been spending out tax money!

The Senate’s top watchdog on government waste, in a new report Thursday, said taxpayer money has gone to fund such programs as Jell-O wrestling at the South Pole, testing shrimp’s exercise ability on a treadmill and a laundry-folding robot, all funded by the National Science Foundation.

In one instance NSF employees, in their spare time, engaged in a Jell-O wrestling contest at the agency’s McMurdo research station at the South Pole. In another case, the agency paid $559,681 to test sick shrimp’s metabolism, which one researcher said was “the first time that shrimp have been exercised on a treadmill. Mr. Coburn’s report noted that the researchers found sick shrimp “did not perform as well and did not recover as well from exercise as healthy shrimp”

Really? It takes a government grant along with vast amounts of time and other resources to figure this out? Hell, give me $20 and I could have told you sick shrimp would not perform as well as healthy shrimp!

But let's cut them some slack, the NSF provides some very important services and account for 1/5th of the R&D money passed out by the Gov. I'm sure they can have a track record of following through on everything else...right?

Mr. Coburn, in his report, said audits of NSF show it regularly fails to meet management goals. One 2005 audit found almost half of the reports the agency is required to file were submitted either late or not at all.

Are we really all that surprised? We should expect better but we all know that government waste is part of daily habit within the hallowed halls of government. Just remember, the next time you're going to the DMV, look out for baby pools and Jello! You never know which government agency may have "wraslin'" fever!

Thoughts, comments?

Washington TImes

Not too surprised. Congress has all thier heads up thier butts. i had a political science prof. tell us about 8 yrs ago there was a guy who got grants to see how fast ketchup fell to the floor off a board.....the american people just dont give a crp anymore.

Wait a minute here, don't go trashing jello wrestling at the south pole, penguins and polar bears need to have a little fun too and come on what so wrong with shrimp getting a little exercise. Relax people it's not like anyone needs the money.

stories like this make me question whether government technology is really 50 years ahead of the free market. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this is standard procedure for all government programs, akin to shrimp exercising on treadmills, the rest is all smoke and mirror.

I do like me some shrimp but I do not need congress to fund a study of them like that. How about find a way not to go bankrupt instead boys and girls? Sound good, great you do that and I will buy you a nice plate of Gulf Shrimp with a side of Maryland Blue Crab....then say opps I don't have the money to pay for it just like you idiots do all the time.

Thats effin hillarious testing shrimps backbone on a treadmill. i think its straight jacket time for them, thats an insane gross misuse of tax money. ide protest for every last penny mailed back to me, since i ddint consent too funding those stupid mindless programs...and too think, thier nearly the same ones helping to raise taxes and making our decisions for us? how can any of us stand for such abuse and incompetance. ide prtoest for every last penny sent back to me. whats next...sepdning a few grand alone too see if cows really can jump over the moon?

reply to post by stonebutterfly


The American people don't care, and is there any real oversight mechanism in place to ensure proper use of our money?

What other agencies are wasting our money in even more ridiculous ways?

reply to post by sheepslayer247


All without mention of the enormous pay raises congress votes for itself, and the multibillion bailouts given to their fundraisers.

I'll tell you the truth, Sheepslayer; I would rather ALL of my tax money go towards antarctic jello-wrestling shrimp FOR SCIENCE!!! than one red cent spent on a bullet to kill some kid in Iraq. We clear on that? Why do I feel this way? because I'd rather some polar crustaceans have fun with gelatin than some one being murdered with my money, that's why.

Originally posted by Golithion
I do like me some shrimp but I do not need congress to fund a study of them like that. How about find a way not to go bankrupt instead boys and girls? Sound good, great you do that and I will buy you a nice plate of Gulf Shrimp with a side of Maryland Blue Crab....then say opps I don't have the money to pay for it just like you idiots do all the time.

Good idea, but then I'm sure that would cause more government waste from your time spent in jail. They can get away with being broke, but we cant!

government dollars that went to study the effect of cow farts was the most stupid thing we have paid for.

shrimp on treadmills and jello wrestling in anartica is par for the course.

been that way for decades.

its not about the programs themselves its about paying out the congressman and their homestates.


bribes and kickbacks one of the most corrupt governments in modern history.

and now they are stealing from us and borrowing from other countries to fund their greed and stupidity.

a collaspe of this country would be the best thing that ever happened to us i am starting to think.

reply to post by TheWalkingFox

Can't argue with that!

I'd rather have ultra-fit shrimp to grill on the bbq than someone dead because of our government's actions.

Good point.

reply to post by sheepslayer247


The only way that this nonsense will ever stop is if you put the folks who authorize the spending in jail for misuse of public funds

The person who submitted the study for funding and the nine levels of paper pushing, don't give a rip government employees who moved this trash along the funding stream along with the folks who actually spent the money should all be prosecuted for engaging in a criminal conspiracy. Everyone of their names should be made public and they should serve jail and be required to perform restitution.

As it stands today, none of the folks involved in this nonsense will even be sanctioned, let alone lose their jobs.

Until that happens, this will continue to happen.

reply to post by dolphinfan

Even though I agree, that will never happen.

we will not hold people responable for their actions.....that's crazy talk within the government!