'Fleece' Father Passes On

Former Sen. William Proxmire, D-Wis., the man who arguably did more than anyone else to foster the modern image of the federal government as wasteful, bureaucratic and inefficient, died Thursday at the age of 90. In 1975, Proxmire created the Golden Fleece Award to highlight “wasteful, ridiculous or ironic use of the taxpayers’ money.” He issued the awards monthly until 1988. Programs highlighted in the awards, which drew regular attention in the news media, included a $27,000 study to determine why inmates want to escape from prison and a $6,000 17-page set of regulations for purchases of Worcestershire Sauce.