Stimulus Package or Pork Spending??

[longhorn_92]

Useful or wasteful?

Quite frankly, I am getting fed up with all of the partisan politics (from both sides)....

Supporters say key provisions of the $825 billion economic stimulus bill will help create jobs and revive the U.S. economy, but critics see some of the spending as wasteful. Here's a sampling of how some of the money would be used:

$44 million for repairs at the Agriculture Department headquarters in Washington.

$200 million to rehabilitate the National Mall.

$360 million for new child care centers at military bases.

$1.8 billion to repair National Park Service facilities.

$276 million to update technology at the State Department.

$500 million for the Transportation Security Administration to install bomb detectors at airports.

$600 million for General Services Administration to replace older vehicles with alternative fuel vehicles.

$2.5 billion to upgrade low-income housing.

$400 million for NASA scientists to conduct climate change research.

$426 million to construct facilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

$800 million to clean up Superfund sites.

$150 million for the Coast Guard to repair or remove bridges deemed a hazard to navigation.

$6.7 billion to renovate and improve energy efficiency at federal buildings.

$400 million to replace the Social Security Administration's 30-year-old National Computer Center.

[Purplehood]

Useful or wasteful?

Quite frankly, I am getting fed up with all of the partisan politics (from both sides)....

Supporters say key provisions of the $825 billion economic stimulus bill will help create jobs and revive the U.S. economy, but critics see some of the spending as wasteful. Here's a sampling of how some of the money would be used:

$44 million for repairs at the Agriculture Department headquarters in Washington.
Construction jobs

$200 million to rehabilitate the National Mall.
Construction jobs

$360 million for new child care centers at military bases.
Affordable child-care for military personnel on tight budgets

$1.8 billion to repair National Park Service facilities.
Construction jobs

$276 million to update technology at the State Department.
PORK

$500 million for the Transportation Security Administration to install bomb detectors at airports.
I thought they had been doing this all along...when are they going to get it right?

$600 million for General Services Administration to replace older vehicles with alternative fuel vehicles.
Possible stimulus to Auto Industry, but I still think the Socialists are trying to gut US production

$2.5 billion to upgrade low-income housing.
Reward to the voter-base that supported you...

$400 million for NASA scientists to conduct climate change research.
Right organization, wrong mission

$426 million to construct facilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Construction Jobs

$800 million to clean up Superfund sites.
Construction jobs

$150 million for the Coast Guard to repair or remove bridges deemed a hazard to navigation.
Right mission, wrong organization. The Coast Guard? How about the USCG having involvement, and the Corps of Engineers making it happen?

$6.7 billion to renovate and improve energy efficiency at federal buildings.
Construction jobs

$400 million to replace the Social Security Administration's 30-year-old National Computer Center.
ONLY if you plan on keeping Social Security intact. Can you imagine what would have happened if the plan to change it had happened, in light of the current debacle with the stock market?

[Captain Matt]

Most of it is pork. Some of them look like they're straight out of FDR's WPA playbook.

[jimlongley]

It's coming from a Chicago politician, there is no doubt it's pork.

[ForTehNguyen]

funny thing is a small part of it will actually be allocated financially until 2010

He shouldve cut taxes and reduced spending, cutting taxes has an immediate effect on the economy when your next paycheck is bigger. Oh well "dont let a crisis go to waste"

[stroo]

About half of it, maybe a little more, will be spent by the end of 2010. The rest won't be spent until 2011 or later. It is hard for me to see anything spent after 2009 as "stimulus".

[Frost]

I reject the idea that the government can stimulate the economy.

[Pinkycatcher]

I think my version is more accurate

Useful or wasteful?

Quite frankly, I am getting fed up with all of the partisan politics (from both sides)....

Supporters say key provisions of the $825 billion economic stimulus bill will help create jobs and revive the U.S. economy, but critics see some of the spending as wasteful. Here's a sampling of how some of the money would be used:

$44 million for repairs at the Agriculture Department headquarters in Washington.
Construction jobs given to the politically connected, only worth 20 million dollars in the private market
$200 million to rehabilitate the National Mall.
Same as above but only worth 100 million dollars
$360 million for new child care centers at military bases.
would probably be cheaper to outsource to private business
$1.8 billion to repair National Park Service facilities.
would be done for less than 600 million in the private industry
$276 million to update technology at the State Department.
Could be done for half as much if it were a business running it
$500 million for the Transportation Security Administration to install bomb detectors at airports.
which won't detect anything that wouldn't be detected by other methods for twice the cost and breaks down twice as much
$600 million for General Services Administration to replace older vehicles with alternative fuel vehicles.
won't be used often, and will break down, causing them to hire new mechanics because the old ones don't know how to fix it
$2.5 billion to upgrade low-income housing.
which in 10 years will turn back into the horrible housing it is now, could be done for less by outsourcing to private business
$400 million for NASA scientists to conduct climate change research.
won't be conclusive, will need more money and research Though I do like money going to NASA, I think space is a wonderful idea
$426 million to construct facilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
which won't be up to code, will have too many pieces of art which won't do anything
$800 million to clean up Superfund sites.
Again, could be done cheaper and more reliable by private industry
$150 million for the Coast Guard to repair or remove bridges deemed a hazard to navigation.
Will only be used on bridges that are out of the way and not crossed by boats
$6.7 billion to renovate and improve energy efficiency at federal buildings.
will cost more in money and resources and emissions then letting them run the way it is now
$400 million to replace the Social Security Administration's 30-year-old National Computer Center.
still won't fix anything with SS

[evilmercer]

From the wall street journal

by our estimate only $90 billion out of $825 billion, or about 12 cents of every $1, is for something that can plausibly be considered a growth stimulus. And even many of these projects aren't likely to help the economy immediately.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123310466514522309.html

[boomerang]

$1.8 billion to repair National Park Service facilities.
Construction jobs

$276 million to update technology at the State Department.
PORK

Some of my college friends might look at it the other way.

$1.8 billion to repair National Park Service facilities.
PORK

$276 million to update technology at the State Department.
Computer jobs

[SCone]

The government has NEVER, repeat NEVER, created a "job"..... EVER!

Every government "job" is a tax on the rest of us. Some things we need for the better of us all, most we could do with out.

Ask yourself just TWO questions.... Where is the paycheck coming from? And how long will it keep coming? That's how much YOU will be PAYING and for how LONG you be paying it.

Said it before and I'll say it again.... We used to say "Oh no!" Now we say, "Oh BAMA!"

[couzin]

$600 million for General Services Administration to replace older vehicles with alternative fuel vehicles.
Possible stimulus to Auto Industry, but I still think the Socialists are trying to gut US production

Having worked for the Feds - I find this one most distasteful. Agencies, like the one I worked for, lease the vehicles from GSA (the vehicles you see with the G12, G14, G10 etc on the plates) - they (the agencies) get charged a pretty penny for these leases (similar to what a citizen would pay Hertz or Budget) to pay GSA salaries and overhead costs. GSA takes the vehicles back at 70K (or 5 years) and then sells them at auction (the agency has to pay for any damage, dings, etc. - agency also has to pay for the radios etc to be removed and installed in the new vehicles). Wish I only had to drive mine for 70K and out! Now, where it gets stupid, is an agency can request a V10 4 dr 4WD for one person to use - and that person doesn't do anything more than drive around changing lightbulbs and making sure the bathrooms are cleaned. Alternative fuel vehicles were once offered by GSA, but they quit doing it because it wasn't cost efficient (GSA wasn't making enough money). Another boondoggle regarding GSA is the purchasing of equipment (agencies purchase almost everything through GSA - all of it becomes GSA property), especially at the end of the fiscal year, because the agency will lose the funds if they don't spend it (so they buy a new boat and motor that never will see water and just sits until it is surplused back to GSA for disposal (auction again). At one time, some agencies were buying their own vehicles (bypassing GSA) - and a few bought Toyotas and Datsuns (Nissan) - GSA went to the congress with the buy american stuff and thus new Dodges, Chevys, and Fords were the order of the day. Someday, we are going to have to clean house and just start all over again.

[casingpoint]

I reject the idea that the government can stimulate the economy.

History has shown it cannot. The best government could do would be to pay every American's ISP bill for one year and let the message board experts work out a solution to the financial crisis.

[RPBrown]

Why dont they give me 10.5 million to find out if gun control really works

[KC5AV]

The good news is that all of the pork in this package should solve the world hunger problem.