Jul 15, 2009

Stimulus waste: $3.4 million turtle crossing

Before approving a second stimulus plan, Mr. Obama needs to make sure the first $787 billion has been spent responsibly - not on a $3.4 million turtle crossing.

"I don't think we need to have another stimulus bill. I think we need to change this one so that we spend the money right now," said Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who has been critical of the plan.”

Then there are the questionable projects:

For instance, the Florida Department of Transportation wants to spend $3.4 million in stimulus money for a turtle tunnel. That's right, $3.4 million to help turtles cross under a highway. Each year, 1,035 turtles are killed on a half-mile stretch of highway north of Tallahassee, according to The Lake Jackson Ecopassage Alliance, a group advocating for the tunnel. They are hoping to use the stimulus dough to save the turtles.

Another example:

Across the country in Montana, a border crossing that averages fewer than two passenger cars a day and two to three trucks a month is slated to get $15 million in stimulus funds for upgrades.

And then there is the Utah sheriff asking for $25,000 in stimulus money for a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

It gets worse. A report at the link below says:

To keep track of all the spending, the government has created a Web site. But nothing in life is free.
The independent General Services Administration quietly put out a release Wednesday night saying the site would be redesigned -- for $9.5 million and, perhaps, as much as $18 million in the next five years!

Link