From cnsnews.com comes this article that will make your head hurt and your blood pressure rise. Bungalow Bill pointed out the one incidence of waste in one his posts yesterday, but here are more.
Obama Stimulus Spending Includes Rental Cars, Outhouses, and ‘Sediment Removal’ Tuesday, July 21, 2009 By Matt Cover
President Barack Obama (AP Photo)
CNSNews.com) – Among the 3,266 entries in a government database detailing to-date spending under the Democrats' stimulus law are expenditures for concrete outhouses, “deli-sliced” turkey, and hotel bills.
Passed in February, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (AARA) – also called the “stimulus package” -- was sought and signed into law by President Obama, who declared at the time, “We have begun the essential work of keeping the American dream alive in our time.”
Among the more than 3,000 projects, purchases, and grants made with stimulus money obtained through the Federal Procurement Data System, some of the projects that have contributed to keeping the American dream alive include:
- $2.2 million to the Seneca Foods Corporation in Marion, NY for “fruit, canned;” the same company received another contract worth $196,797 also, for “fruit, canned”
- $4.8 million for “frozen, sliced ham”
- $5.3 million for “deli-style turkey breast” from the Jennie-O Turkey company
- $5.5 million in “canned fruit” from the Del Monte Corporation
- $16.8 million in “canned pork” from Lakeside Foods Inc
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack explained that food purchased with stimulus money went to help the needy, which also stimulated the economy.
“While the principal purpose of these expenditures is to provide food to those hardest hit by these tough times, the purchases also provide a modest economic benefit,” Vilsack said in a statement Monday.
Obama defended the broader impact of stimulus spending, saying that the ARRA was intended to “rebuild” the country better then he found it.
“[O]nce we clear away the wreckage, the real question is what we will build in its place. Even as we rescue this economy from a full-blown crisis, I have insisted that we must rebuild it better than before,” Obama said June 11.
Among the many things that have been built with stimulus money so far are:
- $971,711.42 to “replace pond liners” at the Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery in Cole Harbor, N.D.
- $193,077 for a “double-vault toilet building” at the Hoyer Campground in Spokane, Wash.
- $487,944 for “toilet buildings and vaults” in the Pike andSan Isabel National Forests
- $254,000 for “pre-fabricated restroom facilities” in Atlanta, Ga.
- $17,110 in hotel bills at a Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va., for the Employment Standards Administration’s annual “Prevailing Wage Conference.”
- $1.8 million for the “renovation of Slate Hill Barn and Hay Shed” in Front Royal, Va. According to the database the money was requested by the Smithsonian Institution.
Defending the stimulus from Republican critics, President Obama said the Recovery Act was doing exactly what it was intended, adding that the many projects already being funded would shield the country from the brunt of the recession.
“In a little over 100 days, this Recovery Act has worked as intended,” the president said. “We also knew that it would take some time for the money to get out the door, because we are committed to spending it in a way that is effective and transparent.”
Other things the government has spent money on are:
- $326,304 for “roadside vegetation removal” in the Six Rivers National Forest in Eureka, Calif.
- $928,194.50 to nine different firms to provide an “increased level of effort for dtv [digital television] installation”
- $25.3 million for the National Institutes of Mental Health to study schizophrenia
- $65 million for NASA’s James Webb telescope project
- $20 million for “sediment removal” at the EPA’s Iron Mountain Mine Superfund site
- $6,066.18 to buy “three laptop computers” for the National Fish and Wildlife Service
- $4,250 for “short-term vehicle rental” from Enterprise Rent-A-Car in order to “run errands” in Kings Canyon National Park in King’s Canyon, Calif.
- $840 to “disassemble” one desk and “properly reassemble and relocate” 2 other desks in Reston, Va.
Obama claimed that the stimulus wasn’t done yet, saying that it really wasn’t designed to kick in until late 2009 and early 2010.
“In the months to come, thousands more projects will begin, leading to additional jobs,” Obama explained. “But, as I made clear at the time it was passed, the Recovery Act was not designed to work in four months - it was designed to work over two years.”
Passed in February, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (AARA) – also called the “stimulus package” -- was sought and signed into law by President Obama, who declared at the time, “We have begun the essential work of keeping the American dream alive in our time.”
Among the more than 3,000 projects, purchases, and grants made with stimulus money obtained through the Federal Procurement Data System, some of the projects that have contributed to keeping the American dream alive include:
- $2.2 million to the Seneca Foods Corporation in Marion, NY for “fruit, canned;” the same company received another contract worth $196,797 also, for “fruit, canned”
- $4.8 million for “frozen, sliced ham”
- $5.3 million for “deli-style turkey breast” from the Jennie-O Turkey company
- $5.5 million in “canned fruit” from the Del Monte Corporation
- $16.8 million in “canned pork” from Lakeside Foods Inc
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack explained that food purchased with stimulus money went to help the needy, which also stimulated the economy.
“While the principal purpose of these expenditures is to provide food to those hardest hit by these tough times, the purchases also provide a modest economic benefit,” Vilsack said in a statement Monday.
Obama defended the broader impact of stimulus spending, saying that the ARRA was intended to “rebuild” the country better then he found it.
“[O]nce we clear away the wreckage, the real question is what we will build in its place. Even as we rescue this economy from a full-blown crisis, I have insisted that we must rebuild it better than before,” Obama said June 11.
Among the many things that have been built with stimulus money so far are:
- $971,711.42 to “replace pond liners” at the Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery in Cole Harbor, N.D.
- $193,077 for a “double-vault toilet building” at the Hoyer Campground in Spokane, Wash.
- $487,944 for “toilet buildings and vaults” in the Pike and
- $254,000 for “pre-fabricated restroom facilities” in Atlanta, Ga.
- $17,110 in hotel bills at a Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va., for the Employment Standards Administration’s annual “Prevailing Wage Conference.”
- $1.8 million for the “renovation of Slate Hill Barn and Hay Shed” in Front Royal, Va. According to the database the money was requested by the Smithsonian Institution.
Defending the stimulus from Republican critics, President Obama said the Recovery Act was doing exactly what it was intended, adding that the many projects already being funded would shield the country from the brunt of the recession.
“In a little over 100 days, this Recovery Act has worked as intended,” the president said. “We also knew that it would take some time for the money to get out the door, because we are committed to spending it in a way that is effective and transparent.”
Other things the government has spent money on are:
- $326,304 for “roadside vegetation removal” in the Six Rivers National Forest in Eureka, Calif.
- $928,194.50 to nine different firms to provide an “increased level of effort for dtv [digital television] installation”
- $25.3 million for the National Institutes of Mental Health to study schizophrenia
- $65 million for NASA’s James Webb telescope project
- $20 million for “sediment removal” at the EPA’s Iron Mountain Mine Superfund site
- $6,066.18 to buy “three laptop computers” for the National Fish and Wildlife Service
- $4,250 for “short-term vehicle rental” from Enterprise Rent-A-Car in order to “run errands” in Kings Canyon National Park in King’s Canyon, Calif.
- $840 to “disassemble” one desk and “properly reassemble and relocate” 2 other desks in Reston, Va.
Obama claimed that the stimulus wasn’t done yet, saying that it really wasn’t designed to kick in until late 2009 and early 2010.
“In the months to come, thousands more projects will begin, leading to additional jobs,” Obama explained. “But, as I made clear at the time it was passed, the Recovery Act was not designed to work in four months - it was designed to work over two years.”
This is just wrong on so many levels, but the one that jumped out at me while reading was $5.5 million in “canned fruit” from the Del Monte Corporation. Who do we know who has a HUGE stake in Del Monte? Hmmmm..... If you said "Nancy Pelosi", go to the head of the class. Tell me that's not payoff for political favors!
I'm rapidly becoming of the mindset "Screw them all." Maybe a clean slate is what this country needs.
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4 comments:
Yup, unemployment is going to continue to rise.
Clay: It's gonna be a loooong term!
Two bad he won't be using that outhouse. I'd really like to see him fall in.
Dr. Dave: Where do you think he came from? lol
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