What's that, Lassie? Tom Coburn wants to kill a cost-neutral government agency in the name of "smaller government" and "accountability?" Say it ain't so! Really, Lassie? A rabid Republican wants to replace a public non-profit with a private enterprise? Color me shocked! So how much money are we actually talking about? HOLY SHIT! Four Hundred and Sixty Whole Thousand Dollars A Year? That's... that's shameful! What the hell are they doing with their ill-gotten gains? ZOMG. They've been putting archival footage online for free! Is no one thinking of the private sector? (terk er jerbs terk er jerbs terk er jerbs) Say, Tom- how much did your 2010 election campaign cost? Holy shit - you spent half as much in one year as the NTIS spent in ten! Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya, asshole.She says it has to charge for documents because of the law that requires it to be self-sustaining.
For that problem, Coburn has this solution: "Let me Google that for you."
That's the official title of Coburn's bill — The Let Me Google That For You Act of 2014. It has a pretty simply purpose: To abolish the NTIS.
The NTIS has spent more than $4.6 million on 27 contractor transactions between 2002 and 2012, according to USASpending.gov. The top five types of services used were public relations ($2,741,500), technical assistance ($468,364), IT and telecommunications ($462,433), housekeeping/janitorial ($416,482), and other IT and telecommunications products ($246,611).