An editorial in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch today discusses the findings of one person who is rummaging through the purchases of state officials. Of the billions of dollars of spending, here are a couple of interesting things that they, and I, are wondering why the state purchased:

What did the taxpayers get for the $950 in prizes for the Missouri
Horseshoe Pitchers Association? And what’s the story on the $9 spent
for shoe repair at Albert’s Shoe Repair? Whose shoes were they, and why
was the state picking up the tab?

The editorial also points out how troublesome it is that we can see where the purchases were made, but little else. There are no details of what exactly was bought, or what the exact purpose was. The website is a great step toward accountability, as I explained in an earlier blog entry, but hopefully, as time goes on, the system will provide greater detail about government expenditures.

P.S. The state of Missouri spent $5,615.15 at Imo’s in the last fiscal year. That’s a whole lot of pizza and toasted ravioli.