You won’t believe why they paid this money. I’m still reeling.

I must not be clever enough to bilk the government. Not that I want to bilk the government, but if there is any truth in this story, I’m thinking some folks have it figured out.

Aug. 16 (Bloomberg) — A small South Carolina parts supplier collected about $20.5 million over six years from the Pentagon for fraudulent shipping costs, including $998,798 for sending two 19-cent washers to a Texas base, U.S. officials said.

The company also billed and was paid $455,009 to ship three machine screws costing $1.31 each to Marines in Habbaniyah, Iraq, and $293,451 to ship an 89-cent split washer to Patrick Air Force Base in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Pentagon records show.

The owners of C&D Distributors in Lexington, South Carolina — twin sisters — exploited a flaw in an automated Defense Department purchasing system: bills for shipping to combat areas or U.S. bases that were labeled “priority” were usually paid automatically, said Cynthia Stroot, a Pentagon investigator.

When I was a kid, my grandfather (the one I adored) told me that the reason why screwdrivers cost $100 (or whatever because I’m making an example here) was for money to be creatively shifted. It seems in this case though, that the Pentagon wasn’t paying attention. And if they Pentagon allowed this loophole to happen, do we need some new folks up there?

Heck, I can’t even buy a Pilot Precise pen (in blue, mind you) without letting the Powers That Be know I did it, why I needed it and how long it took for the ink to run out.

I think Mabel would be more adept at running government.

Just saying.