Hot Air: "What Percentage Of Our Economy Is Fake?"

In his article "What Percentage of Our Economy Is Fake?," David Strom points out:

    But now that we are learning that hundreds of billions—at least—of government expenditures go to fake nonprofits and businesses, and that likely a similar amount is sent out in inflated costs attached to legitimate government contracts, it has been dawning on me and others that some significant fraction of our apparent economy amounts to storefronts that provide little to no actual goods and services. 

[snip]

    How much? God only knows, but it can't be a small percentage. 

    Ten percent of all employment in the US is in the NGO sector, and much of that money comes from local, state, and federal governments. The people who run these nonprofits are often, perhaps usually, tied in some way to government officials or even former government officials, and there sure are a lot more "service providers" than services provided. 

    As Nick Shirley showed, you only have to scratch the surface to discover that recipients of government largesse are frauds, and that many of the people who provide the funding are in on it. 

Read the whole thing and particularly the excerpt he quotes about how the dumpy, run down businesses are mostly fronts for money laundering ("In Los Angeles, and many other cities, there are miles and miles of streets full of businesses with no customers.  And yes, most of them are owned by immigrants."). But it is more than just empty storefronts with sham businesses. He notes that Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon just bragged about getting $689 million for a rural broadband connection program that started under the Biden Administration that has yet to connect anyone to broadband. That money that Oregon got will pay for approximately 104,654 connections or $6,854 per connection, but Starlink is only $350 with free shipping. "That's $6500 of pure waste per connection, assuming it ever happens, and that money goes somewhere."

Related:

• "How $30BILLION of taxpayers' money put aside for welfare pot became a 'slush fund' for states with lack of oversight: 'Fraud by design'"--Daily Mail. 
• "Inside ‘Shangri-La’ homeless scam as taxpayer millions bankroll jets, mansions and luxury excess — and Newsom won’t cut ties"--New York Post. 
• "Four defendants, including 2 Venezuelans, allegedly used 115 stolen identities in massive food stamp fraud"--Fox News.  
• "Obscure Mandatory Independent Audits Show Huge Waste, Potential Corruption Problems in Blue and Red States"--Washington Post.