Money Down The Toilet… Where are The Stimulus Dollars Really Going?

     I don’t often agree with the ‘maverick’ John McCain.  While he is rather docile for a republican, he still ends up seeming like a decrepit buffoon at times.  But good old John and I have finally found something we can agree on, it seems.

     We all have general opinions on the Stimulus package.  If you voted for Obama, you probably favor it, even though the odds are you have no idea where all of that money is going.  If you didn’t, you most likely oppose it, even though you probably don’t have any more idea than our Liberal friend over there.

     So let’s all open our eves together, and see just where our hard earned tax dollars are going in the name of salvaging our damaged economy…

$133 million to cover a building in Oregon with plants.

I took a bit of literary liscense here, but the truth is that the biggest stimulus project in the state involves spending $133 million dollars to ‘green’ the federal building in Portland Oregon.  Agency officials expect to construct a type of vegetative skin—made of plants—on the exterior of the building, to help with heating and cooling costs.  (small note:  no one has any idea if this actually works or not.  They could have torn the building and built it from scratch for less.

Bainbridge Island gets paid.

Bainbridge Island is an island just off the coast of Seattle.  CNN a couple of years ago listed it as one of the best places in America to live; 20,000 citizens, and virtually no crime.   Enough so that they actually cut the number of police officers.  Stimulus money awarded them  $190,000 to upgrade a patrol boat for which it has little need—while it considers downsizing its police force again.  And this is not the first such occurrence… a $646,000 grant helped Bainbridge Island purchase a Safe Boat, normally reserved for the Coast Guard, to patrol the island. Local officials were at first puzzled, citing little need for such an advanced boat at the small locality, though it ultimately accepted the funds.  A 2005 federal grant also provided Bainbridge Island with $637,000 for video surveillance and fencing.  Just a thought, but perhaps there are police expenditures that could have been a bit more useful…

$350 Million… for a map.

In a couple of years, you will be able to log onto a government website and see if broadband services are available in your neighborhood. Using as much $350 million in stimulus funds, the Department of Commerce  will build a broadband inventory map.  Never mind the fact that you can just call and ask.

Half a million dollars for a bike path in Minnesota

The path will lead from downtown Minnesota to the Minnesota Twins stadium.  Health and fitness are important, but half a million for a bike path?

$400,000 to study drunks and pot heads.

Researchers in Buffalo will receive nearly $390,000 to study young adults who smoke marijuana.and drink malt liquor

$1.8 million for Oklahoma river cruise boat.

It doesn’t employ many people; the average trip carries 12 people.  and this is while the bill only covers repairs for 130 bridges in the state in desperate need of repair, while over 700 remain in the same state.

Virtually unused bridge gets $3.1 million paint job.

The William B. Umstead Bridge in North Carolina was the main route to Cape Hatteras. In 2002, the bridge was made  obsolete with the building of the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge, which made the Umstead bridge all but obsolete.  Yet we’re spending $3 million to paint it.

$95,000 to study Icelandic pollen grains from the viking era.

Just what it sounds like.

$200,000 to study how Hawaiian honeybees learn.

Yup.

$700,000 for Retrieving lost crab pots.

The project will utilize planes, boats, and even a hotline for sightings.  In the end, they expect to spend $175 per pot to retrieve.  (The average cost of a new one: $20.

Paid for by the stimulus signs: $3.1 million.

This is my personal favorite.  No less than $1.3 million on roadside signs that tell you the roadwork was paid for with stimulus funds.  I shouldn’t need to explain the irony here.

     And sadly, these are just a few of the examples.  There are literally thousands of examples.  I have supported Obama, but this is a bit much.  Just on these few examples, we have blown in the neighborhood of $150 million.  Obama sounded great talking about fixing up our own back yard, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t what America thought he meant.  Another classic example of ‘ Who polices the police?  Maybe instead of paying to fish for crab pots, we could hire a few people to make sure we’re not using it to spend millions painting unused bridges and study pot heads.  A lot of people could eat for $150 million.