Do the right thing or keep the best job I've ever had?

Houndx

Thanks for the advice. I'll let it go.

dispatch.o

Let it fucking go.

Stop pondering, you're not talking about them concealing a cancer cure. It's small government wasting a few hundred dollars. Maybe next time it comes around that you need to upgrade in a year or so you'll have put in your time and be in a better position to do something about it, but right now all you're going to do is make folks angry and possibly make your work environment hostile.

Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut until you know who to talk to about this sort of thing.

Shogun

OP if this is a big deal to you, you have some seriously messed up priorities.

The squeaky wheel does in fact NOT get the grease. It gets replaced. You're already stepping on toes when frankly you don't have any business doing so. Believe me when I say I understand and agree with you and why you feel the way you do. Discretion is the better part of valor, etc.

edit: Ceres makes a great point also. Very often budgets that end up with a surplus lose that money the following year.

Killgrimage

You've made your case, the ball is in their court now and it's up to them to take your advice or not. If not, there isn't anything you can do about that. If this was something that had to do with your reputation and job performance (spending/budgeting being part of your job description) I would say hold on and try to get them to see it your way. But it's not. Leave it be.

ceres

I'm not saying this is what's going on here, but sometimes organizations, even (sometimes especially) governments, have a budget set aside for things like IT. They can only use it on IT, and if they don't show that they're using it then the next year it gets cut. From the sound of it, this is likely a very busy person trying to get rid of money and waste as little time doing so as possible.