Paul I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to bring up spending and transparency in two important hearings.

I questioned Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on some highly questionable uses of funds at the Fed, and I asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about exorbitant spend- ing at the State Department.

It is important to continue bringing up these issues, especially in light of our difficult economic times, when so many are out of work, as I saw up close in my district at the Oceans of Opportunity Job Fair in Galveston a few weeks ago.

Those who are working live with the fear of losing their jobs as they struggle to pay bills.

Meanwhile, Washington is talking of increasing their taxes, something voters were promised, clearly and adamantly, would not happen in this administration.

Government also struggles with money, but the struggle centers on how to get more of your money into government coffers. Rather than expanding the federal budget in the face of economic downturn, we should be focusing on eliminating waste and being the best stewards of public funds possible.

But the State Department is building a $1 billion embassy in London, the most expensive ever. The plans even include surrounding it with a moat.

I asked the secretary of state about this massive expenditure, and she claimed the funds for this were coming from the sale of other properties.

If money can be saved, then save it. Don’t spend it on such an extravagant structure overseas when people back home can’t find jobs or pay bills.

I asked Bernanke about Fed agreements with foreign central banks and if he had conversations about bailing out Greece, which he flatly denied.

However, he has announced the Fed will look into Goldman Sachs’ derivative agreements with Greece.

Goldman Sachs, as we know, has “too big to fail” status with the Fed, so it is conceivable that any Greece-related catastrophic losses at Goldman Sachs will again be passed on to taxpayers.

Perhaps most sinister are the revelations in Robert Auerbach’s book “Deception and Abuse at the Fed” that $5.5 billion was sent to Saddam Hussein in the 80s — money that allowed Iraq to build up its military machine to fight Iran prior to the first Gulf War, the very machine turned against our brave men and women within just a few years.

I agree with Bernanke’s characterization of this, that it is indeed “bizarre” to think Americans at the Fed could engage in this behavior, which some have called “criminal.”

The lack of accountability and transparency in our leaders on government spending is appalling. We must keep voicing our objections.

Ron Paul represents the 14th Congressional district of Texas.