Drunken sailors, by contemporary standards they're quite prudent
I've used a trite old phrase repeatedly when talking about government spending ...
"like a drunken sailor (adding) with certainly no offense to any sailor, drunken or not."
After all, The Navy has a large presence in Charleston and I've sold a number of homes to many fine sailors and their families and I never intended to offend.
Barry Ritholtz at The Big Picture clarifies. Drunken sailors, by contemporary standards, they're quite prudent.