Tarry Health Fitness, Weight Loss, Workouts and Healthy Eating
Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul is upset about the government practicing yoga. According to the Kentucky Senator’s Waste Report, which is intended to highlight examples of wasteful spending by the U.S. government, yoga has been a egregious leach of taxpayers’ money with the Department of State, Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Railroad Retirement Board all offering free yoga to their employees. This amounts to approximately $150,000 of taxpayer spending since 2013, Paul says.
“Maybe you saw a Groupon for yoga classes and considered it, but, even at a discount you were not sure you wanted to spend the money,” the report reads. “Well, if you were an employee at certain federal agencies you would not have to worry about cost, as the U.S. taxpayer picks up the tab. That’s right, a variety of federal agencies in a number of locations provide “free” yoga classes to employees. But these classes are not free; since 2013, they have cost taxpayers over $150,000.”
That’s right! The people that run our country, govern our quality of life and protect our environment are participating in something to improve their own lives, and maybe ours as a result! This has GOT TO STOP!
Yes, we get it, taxpayer money is not something to kid around about. No, we wouldn’t want to joke about money that’s normally spent on unnecessary printing costs by the federal government ($930 million a year) or a laundry-folding robot ($1.5 million). Somehow $150k for yoga just doesn’t seem like such a big deal.
And it sounds like it’s pretty popular, too. Apparently, the Railroad Retirement Board tried charging employees for classes, “but in some kind of weird reversal of economic principles, there was so much demand, the agency decided to start picking up the tab in 2010,” Paul says through his clenched teeth. We know some good yoga tips for that, sir.
And guess who dares to spend the most money on yoga? The dastardly Department of Veterans Affairs, followed by the Defense Department where many of the classes are provided for veterans and rehabilitation for wounded troops. But Paul forgot to mention that.
“They are in less pain physically and mentally. They are able to go on and do a better job that’s less reactive and more responsive,” said Michael Hall, a yoga instructor who works with these government agencies.
“You come out better than when you went in and that makes you better for the world,” said Hall.
Rand Paul forgot that part, too.
We’ve recently reported on veterans who have not only found incredible benefit from practicing yoga and meditation, they’ve taken it a step further to help others by becoming yoga teachersthemselves. People are finding peace, feeling better in their bodies and making positive change. We’d say that’s all well worth it.
