Your tax dollars at work

[sailaway21]

This thread is open to all dubious uses of your tax dollars. Do not be hesitant to post, thinking that no one will believe you. Of course they'll believe you because the government's use of your dollars is so crazy that you simply cannot make it up.

"TURTLE FENCE"

In western Michigan you helped us construct a turtle fence to keep the little reptiles from becoming road kill on US 31. We'd like to thank you for your assistance, all $318,000 of it, but we've a slight problem. We need more money to fix it. Apparently someone in the highway engineering department forgot that it snows here in the winter and that not all cars stay on the road real well during some of those snow storms. Especially over on US 31 along the Lake Michigan shoreline where the lake effect snows are monumental. We've had a bit of damage to the fence as a result.

In the articles below you'll view actual photos of the fence and, for those of you in the NY metro area, a real snapping turtle. The fence is about two miles long and it looks a lot like the discount chain-link fence that Uncle Ray bought a number of years back, it's only about half the height of a normal fence. Uncle Ray got a pretty good deal on his. Can you see where we, and you-dear taxpayer, got 300 samolians out of this one? And, btw, it's not turtle proof; it's only stopping about 75% of them.

FOXNews.com - Lawmaker Questions $318K for Turtle Crossing Fence - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

Don't fence me in - Muskegon Chronicle - MLive.com

(my boss and I figure we could have tunneled under the road and installed one of those horizontal escalator thingies, like at the airport, for 300 large. with the extra 18K we've got this used 4x4 truck in mind)

[bwalker42]

Originally Posted by sailaway21

This thread is open to all dubious uses of your tax dollars. Do not be hesitant to post, thinking that no one will believe you. Of course they'll believe you because the government's use of your dollars is so crazy that you simply cannot make it up.

)

You knew I would bite this one!

What about the $70 billion it spends to put our own kids in jail and mess up their lives with records that will follow them all the days of their lives over a harmless little plant. You would think that money could be better spent elsewhere, not to mention it is America's #1 cash crop.

The lie that it cannot be taxed is usurped by the 1942 marihuana tax stamp act. Actually it's legal to grow and illegal at the same time...!! Perplexing.

And how could the Busch administration say that the growth of it makes a person not a patriot?? It's really the silliest thing I've ever heard, it's like the government is waging war against it's own people. is america going to vote an american hating muslim to it's presidency?

I don't get it really.
Maybe they need to smoke a peace pipe again!!!
Native Americans posses it,
use it,
they never get arrested.

Why??? and why can't anybody answer any of my questions??
what's so wrong with cannabis, the cure all plant?

Cutting down all those trees, and it takes them so much longer to grow.

Yep you better hug a tree today, cuz tommorrow......... well you just never know.

Also, in my not against the law research, I found a video of thc in normal brain activities, and thc on canerous brain cell activities. Amazing! it actually stopped the brain tumor growth!!
Fantastic news for Teddy!
Doc's prolly to scared to write him a ****** for it.
I really hate that.
B

[PBzeer]

One of my favorites still remains the "Whale Rescue" up in Alaska back in the '90s. When 3 Darwin-challenged whales managed to get themselves iced in, and then, contrary to the "let nature takes it's course" crowd, we spend over a million bucks to set the poor things free of their self-imposed prison. And not to forget, the million dollar a mile bike trail in Anchorage. $1,000,000 a mile, for a 3 foot wide strip of asphalt.

[bwalker42]

Or what about the money the Gvt. sent to LA for the repair of the dam that breached as a result of the hurricane Katrina? they spent the money on a survey of the dam, instead of the repair of the dam.
They knew it was just a matter of time before a Hurricane was to hit. but they did a survey instead of making the repairs the money was sent for.
I just don't know how much.
Bob said that their survey was done on Bourbon St.

[sailaway21]

Uh, Brenda?
The last guy that I read about being put in jail for weed had the whole trunk of a '72 Town Car full of it. It wasn't just a joint or even a baggie, I'm not real sure when the last time someone was incarcerated for that-maybe 1978?

This was hoped to be a thread on stupid government spending, not stupid government drug laws. While I agree with you on legalization, I also feel that somewhere around 99% of those guys in prison got there by making their own reservations without inane help from the government. I might also mention that you've had better missives than this paragraph:

And how could the Busch administration say that the growth of it makes a person not a patriot?? It's really the silliest thing I've ever heard, it's like the government is waging war against it's own people. is america going to vote an american hating muslim to it's presidency?


I love you, girl, but you might want to dial back on the weed a bit and keep the hashish in the hashish thread. (g)

[bwalker42]

Originally Posted by sailaway21

Uh, Brenda?
The last guy that I read about being put in jail for weed had the whole trunk of a '72 Town Car full of it. It wasn't just a joint or even a baggie, I'm not real sure when the last time someone was incarcerated for that-maybe 1978?

This was hoped to be a thread on stupid government spending, not stupid government drug laws. While I agree with you on legalization, I also feel that somewhere around 99% of those guys in prison got there by making their own reservations without inane help from the government. I might also mention that you've had better missives than this paragraph:

And how could the Busch administration say that the growth of it makes a person not a patriot?? It's really the silliest thing I've ever heard, it's like the government is waging war against it's own people. is america going to vote an american hating muslim to it's presidency?


I love you, girl, but you might want to dial back on the weed a bit and keep the hashish in the hashish thread. (g)

Sorry Sweetie,
Not intended to rant.. just was trying to make a point about the 70 plus billions of wasted tax dollars on this internal national war the office of the drug czar has cart blanche over. even the president.

the last drug bust I heard about was the one that just happened in Afghanastan. the largest ever recorded in history.

ps really I haven't been smoking any hashish, truly... I can't lie.
I love you too. no offense intended.

[poopdeckpappy]

$600,000 spent on researching the sex lives of South African ground squirrels.




Stupid ?? yes, but we all know a 9th circuit judge who can't wait to see the videos

[Sapperwhite]

turtles are cute though



Here is the "official" earmark site:
Earmarks

Take note of how easy the site is to use and how in depth it is. Also note:

"This database is not designed, and cannot accurately be used, to identify the individual congressional sponsors of earmarks. In addition, the recipient listed in the database may not in all cases represent the ultimate beneficiary of the earmark. For example, if the Federal Government provides funds to a specific recipient (e.g., a City), that recipient may then provide the funds or benefits to another entity and may not be required to identify the ultimate beneficiary to the Federal Government."

Hey, it only lists data for 2005 and estimates for 08......oh well, nobody is looking anyway.

You may find these a tad more informative:

EarmarkWatch.org: Bringing Citizen Oversight to Congressional Spending

Taxpayers for Common Sense

And my personal fav, a spreadsheet of earmarks for fiscal year 08 worth 18.3 billion, by member

Total Earmarks FY08


EDIT: and before it turns into a Rep vs. Dem vs. Me vs. You vs. Bush vs. Clinton vs. Martian thing.....almost every elected official that has the ability to waste tax dollars is making their best effort to do so.

[soulesailor]

Here's a dubious use of our tax dollars that really cooks my noodle: no-competition contracts to rebuild Iraq.

Our current administration, and for the most part every administration, has put a lot of our eggs in the capitalist basket. Competition will create the best product for the cheapest cost. Even though I don't personally believe this it IS the theory that more or less drives our business machine. No competition contracts on huge money construction projects? Something smells like fish.

[sck5]

I'm curious.. Are there any representatives who DONT do any earmarks?