Many Americans simply think the word government is synonymous with the word wasteful.

The infamously expensive federal purchases of $400 hammers and $600 toilet seats during the 1980s have pretty much tainted all things government in the minds of many of us.

Those are cases in which the system just went crazy and all of the government people who were spending other people’s money just didn’t care about the costs.

Such cases are downright infuriating. But among the worst of all government issues are ones in which clear theft of public property or public funds occur.

A former administrator of the Adams County Juvenile Justice Center was charged in July with embezzling public funds.

The case seems to be floating in limbo now. The county alleges it expects to recoup the approximately $165,000 allegedly stolen from the juvenile center through civil court processes, presumably suing either Kevin Nations personally or a bank that may have allowed him to deposit or cash funds that were not his.

The local District Attorney said recently he turned over the matter to the state Attorney General’s office at the request of the Adams County sheriff.

We hope that two things occur — soon.

First, we hope that the matter doesn’t merely get swept under the proverbial rug to be forgotten. Such theft needs to be taken seriously and prosecuted fully under the law.

Second, we urge the county to take any means necessary to recover the county funds.

To allow such things to go on for so long is bad, but to allow the matters to linger is worse.