Ever wonder what science fiction projects our tax dollars are going to when they aren’t building the Death Star despite the massive petition for one a few months earlier? Well, apparently it’s spending $60,000 dollars to make a training film that spoofs Star Trek.

Now I think by this point, we’re used to our government doing all manner of fiscally irresponsible things, but when you find out what agency was behind this car-crash of a movie, it will send even the most cynical guffawing.

So who was behind it? The IRS. Not just that, though. They also did a Gilligan’s Island spoof for a training video with the money. Though, of the two, the most money went to Star Trek. The video, made in 2010, was realeased at the request of investigators for the House Ways and Means Committee.

In response, perhaps realizing another area in which it can be anal retentive, the IRS released the following statement:

“The IRS recognizes and takes seriously our obligation to be good stewards of government resources and taxpayer dollars. There is no mistaking that this video did not reflect the best stewardship of resources.”

Now, if you’re wondering how the IRS and Star Trek are related, I’d like to say look no further than the following video. Unfortunately, if you really want to figure it out, you’re probably going to have look significantly further… like light years further.

The comments on the YouTube section are all unfailingly funny, but perhaps the most cynical take on this whole charade is that of the uploader of the video and what the video is supposed to be about:

“You, the citizens, are tax cattle to be farmed for the state. Without genius central planners civilization itself would fall.

Whether this is really is a fair assessment of the video, that’s up to you. To me, it looks like someone in the IRS saw $60,000 dollars and a dream that could be made possible with it. As a Trekkie, I applaud this horrible car crash of a Star Trek “parody”. As a taxpayer who just recently got in a minor disagreement with the IRS, I’m pretty annoyed.

Source: USAToday