Stimulus Roundup
Most people doubt Congress’ ability to spend money wisely. The stimulus has given them some proof:
-$800,000 for an African genital-washing program.
-$700,000 to create computer software that can tell jokes.
-$1.6 million to irrigate a golf course inTexas.
-Thousands of dollars to replace – twice – a sidewalk “that doesn’t front any homes or businesses, and leads into a ditch”
–300 truckloads of oyster shells.
Bonus non-stimulus spending: “[T]he Census spent $23,000 on a totem pole in Alaska. Census representative Hector Maldonado says the agency thought it was a great idea. The plan was to increase participation in Alaska, but despite the totem pole, participation dropped in the state by two percent from the last census.”