Could Americans consider “stimulus” and “wasteful” to be one and the same? Why does common sense often fly out the window when so much money is at stake?
The Democrats’ 1,100-page, $787 billion economic stimulus bill, officially known as the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” was hurriedly passed and signed into law in February 2009, one month after Barack Obama became president. It was the first of a number of Democratic-led bills that would be opposed by the majority of Americans.
Meant to “simulate” the economy and create jobs, it has accomplished that in some ways. However, anytime billions of dollars are involved there is sure to be waste, and the stimulus bill is no exception.
Many motorists have seen signs along the roadways indicating stimulus money at work paving highways and making other improvements. Few, however, know the extent of the wastefulness from stimulus funds that have been freely handed out for projects that most would consider to be ridiculous projects.
Susan Ferrechio, chief Congressional correspondent for the Washington Examiner, came up with a list of wasteful spending. Republicans came up with their top 100 stimulus wasteful spending projects. All I needed was eight to prove the point:
– The sidewalk to nowhere – $89,298: A small town in Oklahoma received stimulus money to replace a quarter-mile stretch of sidewalk that was replaced only five years ago. The sidewalk reportedly “led to a ditch.”
– Studying and photographing ants – $1.9 million: Yes, that’s right … $1.9 million was given by the federal government to the California Academy of Sciences so they could send researchers to the Southwest Indian Ocean Islands and east Africa to “capture, photograph and analyze thousands of exotic ants.” The information is to be used to catalog the thousands of ant species throughout the world. Helpful? For some people, yes, but should it qualify for tax money?
– Forest Service to replace windows in closed visitor center – $554,763: The visitor center at Mount St. Helens in Washington state was closed in 2007 and has no plans to reopen. However, the government designated half-a-million dollars of stimulus money to replace the windows, a prime example of misdirected funds. I know … it’s mind-boggling.
– Snowmaking and chairlifts for Mt. Snow, VT – $25 million: How does a ski resort qualify for federal help? Mt. Snow, the “gateway to Vermont,” will use stimulus money to replace chairlifts, construct a 120-million-gallon storage pond for snowmaking, and install additional snowmaking guns. I have nothing against Vermont but we have ski resorts in Virginia that would probably like to have $25 million handed over for improvements.
– “Greening” of Poff Federal Building in Roanoke, Va – $50.9 million: This is a building that cost several million dollars to build in the 1970s. The stimulus money will be used to replace windows and the heating/cooling system. No money, however, will be used on needs of individual tenants, and the building’s largest tenant is not planning to return to the building after the green renovation.
– Scientist attempts to create joke machine – $712,883: Northwestern University researchers want to develop “machine-generated humor” with almost three-quarter of a million dollars of your tax money. That certainly is not funny to fiscally conservative taxpayers.
– Turtle tunnel – $3.4 million: Florida plans to build a 13-foot long tunnel under U.S. Highway 27 to provide safe passage for turtles and other animals to avoid squashed creatures in the roadway. By my estimate that’s a cost of approximately $262,000 per foot of tunnel. Want to make bets on how many turtles miss the tunnel and still end up becoming speed bumps on the road?
– Smokers and smartphones – $497,893: Smokers in DC who want to quit may receive a smartphone so they can contact their “stop smoking” support group to prevent relapses, thanks to stimulus funds going to the American Legacy Foundation. That’s half-a-million dollars from taxpayers to provide smartphones. I don’t know about you but my old cell phone is just that … old, battered, and still being used. It is a bit like a kick to head to know that my hard-earned tax dollars are being used for others to own smartphones.
This is only eight examples of wasteful stimulus spending. Has the federal government succeeded at stimulating waste with its almost-$1 trillion giveaway?
