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31 Compelling Reasons to Chuck Capitalism in the Trash

Reason 1: America’s $1.7 billion sensors that were thwarted by urine

31 Compelling Reasons to Chuck Capitalism in the Trash

March 25, 2024 Add Cracked to Google

We know what you’re thinking: You think that our harsh judgment of capitalism means that we must want Communism or a dictatorship instead. Well, that’s simply not true. We just stumbled upon a batch of foolish money-squanderings that had us questioning the system. Luckily, we’re typing this from a place that won’t have us imprisoned for judging its capitalistic ways. So let the judgments begin!

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31

KIA are INTERNATIONAL TENDER S KB45 A VEGGIE с DELLAL NOTE 46279860I VIDEO GAME THE TENECA adidas - NICE YOU Zauduta White - David INTOINO 12 Kiddo IT'S a veggie and if you want dessert, you have to taste it. GRACKED.COM me The NIH spent $1.55 million on a video game app called Kiddio: Food Fight. In it, you play a mother KB4 persuading her kid to taste veggies. It did not actually prove popular among parents, who have better 60 I things to do in their spare time. — Source

30

KB46278 For - DESTA NICE MUSA MINDO TENDER ANA FRIGATY B2 KB46^ Yohal - en HUNDRED the BAD САМО U.S.A. NOTE 46279860I 82 H TENSER Vegate LATER AUTO TAKIS HAN OL - have Bible D 46 CRACKED.COM One more Afghanistan expense (out of many, many more): $28 million for licensing fees to give Afghan KB4 soldiers camo. Camo which doesn't actually work as camouflage in the desert. A different, licence-free 60 I pattern would have worked. — Source

29

Government Spending

When healthcare.gov launched and immediately crashed, the government paid $4 million to fix it. Affordable Care Act That money went to the same contractor who screwed it up. Despite the fact that the flaws were generated by the contractor, the CMS withheld only $267,420 of the $4 million. http://www bloomberg com/news/articles/2015-09-22/-s-paid- GRACKED.COM healthcare-gov-contractor-4-million-to-fix-its-own-mess — Source

28

Kanye West

Kanye West paid $12,5 million to run a failed presidential campaign in 2020. The total amount spent was $13.2 million, but all of that was his own money except for $700,000 (and he got a total of 66,000 votes). CRACKED.COM — Source

27

Kylie Jenner got her 2-year-old daughter a $200,000 pony from the Netherlands. Delivery cost between $7,000 to $10,000 extra, and the pony was named Frozen, after 2-year-old Stormi's favorite Disney movie. CRACKED.COM — Source

26

Jennifer Lopez' 48th birthday cake featured edible gold, plus crystals. The cake - all six tiers of it - was decorated with a total of 10,000 Swarovski crystals, plus a custom design of her name (on both sides). CRACKED.COM — Source

25

Lil Uzi Vert

Rapper Lil Uzi Vert had a $24 million diamond implanted on his forehead. Не spent several years paying it off, and he had a jewelry company that specializes in customized celeb jewelry actually craft the diamond. CRACKED.COM — Source

24

CRACKED $150 MILLION SPENT ON RICH-GUY KNICKKNACKS Nicolas Cage has splurged on a private island, a dinosaur skull, 15 homes, two castles, a huge burial tomb, shrunken рудту heads, a Lamborghini, a pet octopus, and the first Superman comic - all adding up to a whopping $150 million. — Source

23

Elon Musk

CRACKED $182 BILLION IN A LITTLE MORE THAN A YEAR In January 2023, Elon Musk had lost a huge amount of money - around $182 billion - since November 2021, which was the biggest loss of personal fortune ever recorded. — Source

22

A $33 Billion Financial Loss

CRACKED TUTE MILK $33 BILLION IN 18 MONTHS Eike Batista, a Brazilian oil tycoon, went from an estimated wealth of $34 billion to less than $1 billion in just 18 months. Until Elon came along, that made him a contender for the person who has lost the most money in the history of the world. — Source

21

CRACKED $14.6 BILLION IN A DAY In November 2022, Sam Bankman-Fried, the head of FTX, lost a lot of money - about $14.6 billion - in a single day, after he made a deal with Binance to get some help. — Source

20

CRACKED $4.5 BILLION LITERALLY OVERNIGHT Elizabeth Holmes had a lot of money, estimated to be around $4.5 billion, but it all disappeared in a single night. Her company, Theranos, had promised a revolutionary blood-testing technology, but it didn't work out as planned (to put it mildly). — Source

19

The State Dept. and Facebook

PARK FOR FROM S KB46 ONE HUNDRED THE FACEBOOK IRAL HENERYE NOTE making 8 J LIKES KB46279860I B2 TENDER PRODUCE Loon - AND DESTR RUL wool Coolede - CLASS - DEP GRACKED.COM DOPTE 12012 nice UNITED ST Today Coca-Cola The State Department spent $600, ,000 in 2012 to attract fans to its Facebook page. Shockingly, KB4 this did nothing to raise America's standing in the world, not even in terms of the sad metric of social 46279 60 I media engagement. 860 I — Source

18

KB46279 FOR OLI NEW MINDO UNK PRODUTO B2 KB46 The Leokie NOTE STORING CRAP INKIOTE 79860I EXPIRES PRIVATE Carledo Wint Class - OZ CRACKED.COM 2011 HS PER Toke People's Customs and Border control spends $1 million a year on storage. Specifically, on storing KB broken furniture and obsolete computers, because no one's KB 46279 yet ordered the stuff to PESSE 60 I KB be trashed yet. 860 I o2 — Source

17

Congress

THE FOR FEDERAL - a TEXTUR recorn KB462 NOTE en 60 I REGISTER KB WILL B2 TOSHER PRIME of NATURAL THE con I098 VES RUC AJATE سفتا LITTEN SCRIPTA MANET THE REGISTER FEDERAL VOLUME 1 OF THE UNITED 1934 STATES NUMBER 1 D 46 Washington, Saturday, March 14, 1936 8 22'28 g. 19.26 ebs to curner No. 2 . point on the nor RESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES seesbore of mull Island, facing easterly end of the this coruer & U. B. 21 IL standard Atlantic Ocien: from e EXECUTIVE ORDER -2 WC OOR 2 BULLA ISLAND 1935 crete poet marked — Source

16

FOR NITE POLICE a USA TEXTURE KB46 ONE HUNDRED KB SAVING FEDERAL NOTE HIPSTERS KB 46279860I B2 860 I TOSHA AND - 500 Done Coca-Cola the - 0 A CRACKED.COM HS His Collect Coobede People's The NIH spent $5 million on an anti-smoking campaign targeted specifically at hipsters, those KB4 focused on the alternative music scene, local artists and designers, and eclectic self expression. 60 I Hipsters went on smoking. A — Source

15

THIS DORMANT PARK United TEXTURE KB45 BUILDING KB46 B2 THE Health LESH TENDER NO CENTE the United - D 2011 HS PER CRACKED.COM Toke Cookeds The military built a $36 million military headquarters in Afghanistan. Not that bad a price for a military HQ. Except, the KB military there never actually wanted it, and it was never used. 60 I 46279 KB46219 02 9860I — Source

14

PARK USA FOR TENDER PREMIUM S KB46 ONE HUNDRED DO PENIS NOTS H FEDERAL HEMERVE NOTE KB 46279860I PUMPS B2 TENDER PRODUCE LOSAL NOVO 140% Done - Class - 0 GRACKED COM HS PER People's It's surprising that until 2005, Medicare covered penis pumps, which can do bad things to men's equipment. Worse, it spent $14 million more on the things than the devices normally retail for. 46279 60 I KB462798 160 I 02 — Source

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13

PARK NICE For FROM KB OPERATION MEHERVE NOTE 45279860I IGLOO WHITE au en LOSAL DE Dates - KOL عشالا BATTERY MODULE ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNAL PROCESSOR ACOUSTIC ENCODER PORTS CODE PLUG D 46 MIKE ASSEMBLY DECODER AUDIO AMPLIFIER RECEIVER TRANSMITTER GRAGKED.COM SOFT FER the المملكة America spent $1.7 billion on airdropping sensors along the Но Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam KB4 War. The enemy immediately spotted the sensors and threw bags of pee at them, giving the Air Force 846279 160 I KB DO false readings. 860 I — Source

12

PARK TENDER FOR S POLICE KB46 WEB 98601 NOTE KB FEDERAL NOTE RES 846279860I SCREW-UPS TOSHER 450 V NOT con Close - Pake HealthCare.gov Learn Get 46 All T Small Businesses Individuals & & Families CRACKED CON $4 million is not the amount spent on the site HealthCare.gov. $4 million is just the additional amount spent in the opening days after the site failed : ... the amount sent to the same contractors who screwed the site up 46279 160 I in the first place. 860 I — Source

11

The US flew nearly $12 billion in shrink-wrapped $100 bills into Iraq. after KAZA Then they tossed it around without checking to see who was receiving it or how it was being spent. A congressional committee found that a staggering amount of the cash, which was was earmarked for Iraqi ministries and US contractors, was lost to corruption and waste. CRACKED.COM http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/feb/08/usa iraq1 — Source

10

In 2010, the Census Bureau wanted people to get excited about taking the census. 2 se So they spent T $2.5 million on a on Super Bowl ad. mo S The dreary commercial featured Ed Begley Jr. and a few other B-list celebrities standing around a table, talking. this CRACKED.COM http://www.cbsnews.com/news/census-spends-25m-on-super-bowl-ads/ — Source

9

The Pentagon has so far invested over $4 million on the NAV. (That's short for Nano Air Vehicle.) the NAV Not the NAV It's a robot hummingbird. It's 6 inches tall and weighs less than an ounce. And yes, it's for spying. CRACKED.COM http://www.avinc.com/nano — Source

8

Cities across the country are implementing gun buyback programs. RUD 63832296 J070692 Buyback K.1913 value: $50 - $250 Which are causing people to buy more guns. Not only are the collected guns not likely to be the ones used in violent crime, but a seller will often use the money to buy a new gun. CRACKED.COM http p://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp7id=2128 — Source

7

Centralia

In 1962, council members in Centralia, PA, hired firefighters to burn their trash. It's still burning. The landfill was adjacent to an underground coal mine, and the fire spread to the tunnels beneath the city. Smoke continues to billow from the fire, which is expected to burn for another 250 years. In 1984, Congress spent more than $42 million to relocate the town's residents. CRACKED.COM David DeKok, 1986 Unseen Danger; A Tragedy of People, Government, and the Centralia Mine Fire — Source

6

Between 1942 and 1964, the U.S. Military built an artificial island in the Pacific. Johnson Atoll, 860 mi southwest of Hawaii It was abandoned in 2004. We don't know how much it cost, but a comparable project in scope and scale would be the Japanese Kansai Airport. That was another artificial island built to support a landing strip, and it cost around $20 billion. CRACKED.COM www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2010/04/isolated-and-abandoned-military-airbase-johnston-atoll — Source

5

Government Spending

In 2010, the GSA spent $800,000 on a conference in Vegas. conositara P | I I P no 850198IN2 D OM НО ВЕ ... OTI CCOS OOT NATION eep ried Twinkie The General Services Administration is the eRm agency that is in charge of eliminating government waste. Expenses included a $75,000 team building exercise, various $5,600 in-room parties, $31,000 networking receptions and assorted mysterious catering bills, such as a $7,000 sushi bill. CRACKED.COM http://www.gsaig ov/?LinkServID=90537F5B-FBF8-E39E-A4F0D09005742C28&showMeta=0 — Source

4

Anti-matter

The production of anti-matter at this point in time costs $62.5 TRILLION dollars per gram. That's almost 4 times the entire United States national debt. CRACKED.COM — Source

3

Hyperinflation

In 1923, hyperinflation caused German currency to lose, almost all of its value. It became so worthless that people gave it to children to play with or used it as wallpaper. CRACKED.COM — Source

2

It took 10 years GRACKED.COM (from 1938 to 1948) for the Secrets Service to catch the desive HUNDRE Eight-Eighty Mister NOT TE If ONE PL LAY LA - DOLLARS ... who had 'Wahsington' on his counterfeit $1 bills. That's right. Counterfeit $1 bills. — Source

1

Russia

ochi.ru 2014 Russia spent $8.7 Billion to construct a highway connecting Sochi to the mountain hosting the ski and snowboard events. This is more than the total cost for the 2010 Winter Olympics. GRAGKED.COM — Source

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