Talk:Boondoggle

message: This is really a definition of the New Deal expression, not a description of depression-era activities that might be characterized as a 'boondoggles'. I suggest we move this to the wiktionary/merge it with the existing def. there.
Jbgreen 14:45, 13 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Move to the wiktionary 

message: IMO a boondoggle may well be known by its proponents to be meretricious from the outset, though that isn't necessarily the case. The true purpose of a boondoggle is to transfer public funds to other hands through a spurious project, as in fact was the case in the original example. The boondoggle may or may not be outright fraudulent.
The key issue is that a boondoggle is useless. In a fraud false claims are made as to the properties of what will be produced; the boondoggler may only make unrealistic claims as to the usefulness of what is produced, claiming a false public benefit.
The Concorde would have become a fraud if they had at some point realised that it would not achieve supersonic speed, but had carried on regardless, deceiving the sponsors. It would still also have been a boondoggle.
Swylie2 (talk) 17:09, 6 March 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Don't agree with the distinction made between boondoggle and fraud. 

message: It seems to me POV (or just wrong) to call Concorde a boondoggle.
Surely there must be better examples of boondoggles than this to illustrate the word.
The fact that Concorde initially made a loss is not enough, IMO, for it to be termed thus. Very many projects
are subsidised, but I think it would be a dilution of the term to call them all boondoggles. Using this
logic, we would have to apply the term to many national railway systems, most national
road networks, any subsidised car industry, the Apollo moon program, etc..  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.27.153.47 (talk) 22:31, 17 July 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Don't agree with Concorde being a boondoggle 

message: People have referred to Obama's socialistic healthcare system as a boondoggle, I don't suppose that deserves a mention under the examples? Invmog (talk) 17:41, 24 July 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: At this point, if it's a boondoggle or not is prognostication ... while the existing examples are things where the money was spent and after the fact the operators realized it was never going to work long before the operations and expenses were stopped. --- Barek (talk • contribs) - 17:50, 24 July 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Nationalized Healthcare 

message: I'm moving the following paragraphs out of the article for the time being.  They're unsourced and while I wouldn't go so far as to say they're "wrong", they read like a series of personal definitions of the term that are redundant and wordy.  It's not easy to fix this kind of material, other than to find real sources on the subject, and rewrite everything from scratch drawing from those sources.--Father Goose (talk) 03:16, 16 November 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Removed personal analyses 

message: I would like to link the article (in the left frame of the page, "languages") to german article "Investitionsruine". But I'm not sure, weather this is right. Maybe somebody could help and check this. Thank you!
--Impulsiv. (talk) 19:21, 28 September 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  German link 

message: *
--evrik (talk) 20:56, 6 April 2018 (UTC)
thread_title: Another source

message: Can the Hubble space telescope really be considered a boondoggle? It was launched, a defect was discovered, the defect was repaired as well as possible, and since it's been a huge scientific success. That doesn't seem to fit in with the definition of "a project which is being dragged on long after its failure became clear."
Opinions? --Syzygy (talk) 12:17, 6 September 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Hubble as boondoggle? 

message: I’m intrigued by the use of a picture of a Gillwell Scout Woggle and wood beads on this page as they are awarded to leaders of the Scout Association of Britain when they have completed their advanced leadership training, I would suggest a more generic image used to represent craft etc.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.137.17.102 (talk) 21:40, 21 October 2022 (UTC)
thread_title: Use of Gilwell woggle and wood beads image