IRS parodies "Star Trek"; gets raked over the coals

[NTRPRZ]

Just about everyone is lambasting an Internal Revenue Service "training video" that parodies ST:TOS. The video, made in an agency studio and featuring IRS agents as the Enterprise crew, cost about $60,000 to make (part of that money was spent on a similar "Gilligan's Island" video, also obstensively for "training.") That video has not been released to the public.

For Trek fans, it's an abomination ("Yeoman Rand" apologizes for the mixture of TOS and TNG uniforms) but for American citizens its a horrendous waste of tax dollars.

Trek fans not only should protest the use of our show for such purposes, but, even more importantly, should call for an accounting by those who approved this ridiculous idea.

To see the video, go to http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/...03/22/2011895/

[bbailey861]

I saw this on the news this morning. I wonder how many levels of approval this went through to get made. It would be interesting to note how many people didn't say, "Maybe this isn't a good idea."

[ZapBrannigan]

The sad fact is, when it comes to government agencies wasting money, $60,000 is nothing. That doesn't make it right, but taxpayers got off light on this one.

[Cyke101]

I don't blame them for the intent of the video -- government accounting and auditing must be one of the most horrifically mundane jobs in existence, I would imagine. A Star Trek training video sounds like a fun idea, but the ends probably do not justify the means.

[Mr. Adventure]

Depends how much money they normally spend on training videos because anything to make those things entertaining is not necessarily a bad thing.

[publiusr]

I remember some Social security billboards
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/presso...oldlygo-pr.htm
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/boldlygo/

[Metryq]

ZapBrannigan wrote:

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The sad fact is, when it comes to government agencies wasting money, $60,000 is nothing.

True, but can you imagine an IRS auditor merely brushing off a $60K accounting discrepancy in your filings?

[TREK_GOD_1]

Metryq wrote:

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True, but can you imagine an IRS auditor merely brushing off a $60K accounting discrepancy in your filings?

[MittRomney]Sure. Happens all the time. No biggie.[/MittRomney]

[Captain Nebula]

That crappy video cost $60,000? There must be some porn later on in the video or something...