When Missouri members of the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) looked closely at their state's online database of government expenditures, they found that from 2000 to 2008, the State of Missouri had spent more than $1.6 million at coffee shops, $387,210.14 at picture framing stores, $278,053.46 at florists and nurseries, $70,849.02 at donut bakeries and $15,482.57 at Ann's Bra Shop for "professional services" and "clothing supplies."

In a press release, NTU Director of Government Affairs Kristina Rasmussen said, "Taxpayers should never be forced to finance bureaucrats' 'I love me' walls of framed awards and photos, nor should residents be shelling out for floral bouquets, beauty treatments, or caffeine fixes."

Also See:
Big Business Pays No Taxes, GAO Finds
Tax Burden of the Wealthy Continues to Grow

Some 2.4 million Americans were diagnosed with tobacco-related cancer from 1999 to 2004, according to a massive new report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Almost half of those diagnosed suffered from lung and bronchial cancer, according to the CDC report.

The report, Surveillance for Cancers Associated with Tobacco Use --- United States, 1999—2004, represents the most comprehensive study of its kind ever conducted, covering all types of tobacco-related cancers for more than 90 percent of the U.S. population.

"The data in this report provides additional, strong evidence of the serious harm related to tobacco," said Sherri Stewart, Ph.D., lead author of the study in a press release. "We've long known tobacco was associated with lung and laryngeal cancer, but this study gives us even greater clarity. The rates for these two cancers were highest in areas with the highest prevalence of tobacco use."

Those areas, according to the CDC, are mainly in the South, with Kentucky showing the highest rate of lung caner in both men and women. Kentucky also reported the highest percentage of smokers in the nation at 28.6 percent. The lowest smoking rates were found in the Western states of Utah (10.4%), California (18.5%) and Montana (18.5%).

Also See:
List of Organs Damaged by Smoking Expanded
Smoking Deaths Cost U.S. $92 Billion a Year (2005)

The entire U.S. population of red fire ants, which is... well, the only number bigger than the national debt, came from just nine to 20 very prolific queens in Mobile, Alabama, according to researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

A well-deserved member of the World Conservation Union's top 100 worst invasive alien species, the red fire ant is believed by USDA researchers to have first come to the U.S. from its native South America on board trading boats in mid-1930s. The painful pest now calls more than 320 million acres in several southern states and Puerto Rico home.

Besides their aggressive nature of swarming and delivering painfully dangerous stings to people and animals, fire ants build massive mounds and tunnels that cause millions of dollars in damage to plants, farm buildings and equipment every year.

Biological, or non-chemical control of the red fire ant continues to be a major area of research for the Agricultural Research Service.

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You know the breathtaking, unspoiled Andes Mountains of South America? Well take them in while you can folks, because the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) says the Andes may contain vast undiscovered deposits of copper, molybdenum, gold and silver.

USGS estimates the Andes could hold as much as 750 million metric tons of copper, 20 million tons of molybdenum, 13,000 tons of gold and 250,000 tons of silver. So grab your picks and shovels or hydraulic mining systems and come on down.

While USGS notes that not all of this mineral booty is likely to be found and mined, the Andes copper deposits alone represent about 2.5 times the total undiscovered copper thought to be left in the United States. Copper is one of the most in-demand minerals in the U.S. today. And gold and silver, well, they’re gold and silver, dude!