What's in it for me?
Monday, March 16th, 2009
“What’s in it for me” Â has been released.
The projects in my little corner of the world (NW Wisconsin) have been announced which will be funded by the Stimulus Bill. Let me say without hesitation that I support the idea of a massive public works program to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. I am willing to stretch my imagination a bit on what is “infrastructure.” So, I looked at the list from this “stimulus” point of view. Will these funds produce jobs and improve our crumbling infrastructure? That’s what we were told …right?
$4.2 million for the St. Croix Falls wastewater treatment plant.
Yes, this will create jobs and is needed infrastructure.
$1.9 million for US 53 intersection improvements.
Well, they first have to be studied and designed. Not shovel ready. These intersections have been studied to death over the past 10 years. Still no consensus what to do to improve safety. This $1.9 will be pissed away in the study stage giving make work to a couple planner for a couple of years. By the time anything does get decided, it will be passed the time we need stimulus work.
$1.33 million for after school programs funded by CESA 10 and 11.
After school programs? Stimulus package? I don’t think so.
$950,000 for Chippewa Valley Regional Airport expansion.
Yes, it will create jobs and is transportation infrastructure.
$500,000 for water infrastructure improvements in Cumberland.
You bet.Â
$335,000 for zebra mussel control on the St. Croix River.
The list gets pretty hard to defend starting now.
$263,000 for environmental studies on the St. Croix River watershed.
Starting to get the picture?
$174,000 for some kind of program at UW-Stout to use technology to improve efficiency.
Whatever?
$70,000 for a water quality study on Cedar Lake in Barron County.
Yet another water quality study.
So, we have about $5.65 million in stimulus shovel ready jobs and $4 million not. Let’s call it 60-40.
If this is the percentage of shovel ready stimulus vs. non shovel ready stimulus in my area, why would I think the percentage would be different elsewhere.
Forty Percent Non-Stimulus Waste.
That’s too high for me.
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