boondoggles
Wasteful government endeavors
Boondoggles are wasteful projects or activities that serve no practical purpose beyond spending money or appearing busy.
The term often targets government programs seen as frivolous: Critics called the highway expansion a billion-dollar boondoggle.
Originally, a boondoggle was a braided leather lanyard made as a craft project—busywork that produced something useless.
Self-serving legislative spending
- make-workUnnecessary labor created artificially
- junketExpense-account excursion
- earmarkDesignate for specific purpose
- misallocationImproper distribution of resources
squander · profligacy · misspending · excess
Humiliating public failure
- debacleSudden, complete failure
- mismanagementIncompetent handling of responsibilities
- shamFraudulent imitation
- charadeAbsurd or obvious pretense
farce · blunder · cover-up · graft · corruption · cronyism · kickback · patronage
Administrative written tasks
- administriviaPetty bureaucratic tasks
- rubber-stampApprove without real review
- officialdomCollective administrative authorities
- busyworkMeaningless assigned tasks
committee · oversight · regulations · compliance · forms · governmental · agency · departmental
Lacking any purpose
- futileIncapable of producing results
- unproductiveFailing to achieve results
- ineffectualFailing to achieve purpose
- purposelessLacking aim or intention
Sisyphean · wheel-spinning · time-wasting · fruitless · dead-end · useless · aimless
pork-barrel
Self-serving legislative spending
- make-workUnnecessary labor created artificially
- junketExpense-account excursion
- earmarkDesignate for specific purpose
misallocation · squander · profligacy · misspending · excess
fiasco
Humiliating public failure
- debacleSudden, complete failure
- mismanagementIncompetent handling of responsibilities
- shamFraudulent imitation
charade · farce · blunder · cover-up · graft · corruption · cronyism · kickback · patronage · embezzlement
paperwork
Administrative written tasks
- administriviaPetty bureaucratic tasks
- rubber-stampApprove without real review
- officialdomCollective administrative authorities
busywork · committee · oversight · regulations · compliance · forms · governmental · agency · departmental · protocol
pointless
Lacking any purpose
- futileIncapable of producing results
- unproductiveFailing to achieve results
- ineffectualFailing to achieve purpose
purposeless · Sisyphean · wheel-spinning · time-wasting · fruitless · dead-end · useless · aimless
lanyard
Wearable cord for items
scouting · knotwork · plaiting · weaving · handicraft · lacing
boondogglesnecessities
What you cannot lack
critical infrastructure · essential services · must-haves · bare necessities · bare essentials