Stimulus Spending

[The Troll]

then don't buy a meal at Noblesville, hamiltong county..........pretty simple, really.

  I just love your brain, sorry the lack of it. 

[Henry Hawk]

  I just love your brain, sorry the lack of it. 

lmao..............am I wrong?..................NO!.......if it bothers you that you are paying 7 cents (to the Colts) for your Grand Slam Meal at Perkins in Noblesville, then don't go there.  Nobody is putting a gun to your head. 

[The Troll]

lmao..............am I wrong?..................NO!.......if it bothers you that you are paying 7 cents (to the Colts) for your Grand Slam Meal at Perkins in Noblesville, then don't go there.  Nobody is putting a gun to your head.

  I just pay it an bitch about it.  Just like you do about paying any tax.

[Henry Hawk]

  I just pay it an bitch about it.  Just like you do about paying any tax.

I don't bitch at all, I just bitch about the way we mis-spend it.  We don't need to generate MORE revenue, we need to quit spending more than we bring in.  You have to admit, if we would quit spending on some amazingly stupid stuff, we may not even need to try to generate more money than we are currently bringing in.

[followsthewolf]

The real problem would be agreeing exactly what is the "incredibly stupid stuff."

[Henry Hawk]

The real problem would be agreeing exactly what is the "incredibly stupid stuff."

how about this "incredibly stupid stuff" for starters:

100: University studying hookup behavior of female college coeds in New York ($219,000)

99: Police department getting 92 blackberries for supervisors in Rhode Island ($95,000)

98: Upgrades to seldom-used river cruise boat in Oklahoma ($1.8 million)

97: Precast concrete toilet buildings for Mark Twain National Forest in Montana ($462,000)

96: University studying whether mice become disoriented when they consume alcohol in Florida ($8,408)

95: Foreign bus wheel polishers for California ($259,000)

94: Recovering crab pots lost at sea in Oregon ($700,000)

93: Developing a program to develop "machine-generated humor" in Illinois ($712,883)

92: Colorado museum where stimulus was signed (and already has $90 million in the bank) gets geothermal stimulus grant ($2.6 million)

91: Grant to the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance to support the traditional arts apprenticeship program, gathering and festival ($30,000)

90: Studying methamphetamines and the female rat sex drive in Maryland ($30,000)

89: Studying mating decisions of cactus bugs in Florida ($325,394)

88: Studying why deleting a gene can create sex reversal in people, but not in mice in Minnesota ($190,000)

87: College hires director for a project on genetic control of sensory hair cell membrane channels in zebrafish in California ($327,337)

86: New jumbo recycling bins with microchips embedded inside to track participation in Ohio ($500,000)

85: Oregon Federal Building's "green" renovation at nearly the price of a brand new building ($133 million)

84: Massachusetts middle school getting money to build a solar array on its roof ($150,000)

83: Road widening that could have been millions of dollars cheaper if Lousiana hadn't opted to replace a bridge that may not have needed replacing ($60 million)

82: Cleanup effort of a Washington nuclear waste site that already got $12 billion from the DOE ($1.9 billion)

81: Six woodlands water taxis getting a new home in Texas ($750,000)

80: Maryland group gets money to develop "real life" stories that underscore job and infrastructure-related research findings ($363,760)

79: Studying social networks like Facebook in North Carolina ($498,000)

78:18 North Carolina teacher coaches to heighten math and reading performance ($4.4 million)

77: Retrofitting light switches with motion sensors for one company in Arizona ($800,000)

76: Removing graffiti along 100 miles of flood-control ditches in California ($837,000)

75: Bicycle lanes, shared lane signs and bike racks in Pennsylvania ($105,000)

74: Privately-owned steakhouse rehabilitating its restaurant space in Missouri ($75,000)

73: National dinner cruise boat company in Illinois outfitting vessels with surveillance systems to protect against terrorists ($1 million)

72:  Producing and transporting peanuts and peanut butter in North Carolina ($900,000)

71: Refurnishing and delivering picnic tables in Iowa ($30,000)

70: Digital television converter box coupon program in D.C. ($650 million)

69: Elevating and relocating 3,000 feet of track for the Napa Valley Wine Train in California ($54 million)

68: Hosting events for Earth Day, the summer solstice etc. in Minnesota ($50,000)

67: Expanding ocean aquaculture in Hawaii ($99,960)

66: Raising railroad tracks 18 inches in Oregon because the residents of one small town were tired of taking a detour around them ($4.2 million)

65: Professors and employees of Iowa state universities voluntarily taking early retirement ($43 million)

64: Minnesota theatre named after Che Guevara putting on "socially conscious" puppet shows ($25,000)

63: Replacing a basketball court lighting system with a more energy efficient one in Arizona ($20,000)

62: Repainting and adding a security camera to one bridge in Oregon ($3.5 million)

61: Missouri bridge project that already was full-funded with state money ($8 million)

60: New hospital parking garage in New York that will employ less people ($19.5 million)

59: University in North Carolina studying why adults with ADHD smoke more ($400,000)

58: Low-income housing residents in one Minnesota city receiving free laptops, WiFi and iPod Touches to "educate" them in technology ($5 million)

57: University in California sending students to Africa to study why Africans vote they the way they do in their elections ($200,000)

56: Researching the impact of air pollution combined with a high-fat diet on obesity development in Ohio ($225,000)

55: Studying how male and female birds care for their offspring and how it compares to how humans care for their children in Oklahoma ($90,000)

54: University in Pennsylvania researching fossils in Argentina (over $1 million)

53: University in Tennessee studying how black holes form (over $1 million)

52: University in Oklahoma sending 3 researchers to Alaska to study grandparents and how they pass on knowledge to younger generations ($1.5 million)

51: Grant application from a Pennsylvania university for a researcher named in the Climate-gate scandal (Rep. Darrell Issa is calling on the president to freeze the grant) ($500,000)

50: Studying the impact of global warming on wildflowers in a Colorado ghost town ($500,000)

49: Bridge built over railroad crossing so 168 Nebraska town residents don't have to wait for the trains to pass ($7 million)

48: Renovating an old hotel into a visitors center in Kentucky ($300,000)

47: Removing overgrown weeds in a Rhode Island park ($250,000)

46: Renovating 5 seldom-used ports of entry on the U.S.-Canada border in Montana ($77 million)

45: Testing how to control private home appliances in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts from an off-site computer ($800,000)

44: Repainting a rarely-used bridge in North Carolina ($3.1 million)

43: Renovating a desolate Wisconsin bridge that averages 10 cars a day ($426,000)

42: 4 new buses for New Hampshire ($2 million)

41: Repaving a 1-mile stretch of Atlanta road that had parts of it already repaved in 2007 ($490,000)

40: Florida beauty school tuition ($2.3 million)

39: Extending a bike path to the Minnesota Twins stadium ($500,000)

38: Beautification of Los Angeles' Sunset Boulevard ($1.1 million)

37: Colorado Dragon Boat Festival ($10,000)

36: Developing the next generation of supersonic corporate jets in Maryland that could cost $80 million dollars each ($4.7 million)

35: New spring training facilities for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies ($30 million)

34: Demolishing 35 old laboratories in New Mexico ($212 million)

33: Putting free WiFi, Internet kiosks and interactive history lessons in 2 Texas rest stops ($13.8 million)

32: Replacing a single boat motor on a government boat in D.C. ($10,500)

31: Developing the next generation of football gloves in Pennsylvania ($150,000)

30: Pedestrian bridge to nowhere in West Virginia ($80,000)

29: Replacing all signage on 5 miles of road in Rhode Island ($4,403,205)

28: Installing a geothermal energy system to heat the "incredible shrinking mall" in Tennessee ($5 million)

27: University in Minnesota studying how to get the homeless to stop smoking ($230,000)

26: Large woody habitat rehabilitation project in Wisconsin ($16,800)

25: Replacing escalators in the parking garage of one D.C. metro station ($4.3 million)

24: Building an airstrip in a community most Alaskans have never even heard of ($14,707,949)

23: Bike and pedestrian paths connecting Camden, N.J. to Philadelphia, Penn. when there's already a bridge that connects them ($23 million)

22: Sending 10 university undergrads each year from North Carolina to Costa Rica to study the rainforests ($564,000)

21: Road signs touting stimulus funds at work in Ohio ($1 million)

20: Researching how paying attention improves performance of difficult tasks in Connecticut ($850,000)

19: Kentucky Transportation Department awarding contracts to companies associated with a road contractor accused of bribing the previous state transportation secretary ($24 million)

18: Amtrak losing $32 per passenger nationally but rewarded with windfall ($1.3 billion)

17: Widening an Arizona interstate even though the company that won the contract has a history of tax fraud and pollution ($21.8 million)

16: Replace existing dumbwaiters in New York ($351,807)

15: Deer underpass in Wyoming ($1,239,693)

14: Arizona universities examining the division of labor in ant colonies (combined $950,000)

13: Fire station without firefighters in Nevada ($2 million)

12: "Clown" theatrical production in Pennsylvania ($25,000)

11: Maryland town gets money but doesn't know what to do with it ($25,000)

10: Investing in nation-wide wind power (but majority of money has gone to foreign companies) ($2 billion)

9: Resurfacing a tennis court in Montana ($50,000)

8: University in Indiana studying why young men do not like to wear condoms ($221,355)

7: Funds for Massachusetts roadway construction to companies that have defrauded taxpayers, polluted the environment and have paid tens of thousands of dollars in fines for violating workplace safety laws (millions)

6: Sending 11 students and 4 teachers from an Arkansas university to the U.N. climate change convention in Copenhagen, using almost 54,000 lbs of carbon dioxide from air travel alone ($50,000)

5: Storytelling festival in Utah ($15,000)

4: Door mats to the Department of the Army in Texas ($14,675)

3: University in New York researching young adults who drink malt liquor and smoke pot ($389,357)

2: Solar panels for climbing gym in Colorado ($157,800)

1: Grant for one Massachusetts university for "robobees" (miniature flying robot bees) ($2 million)

GRAND TOTAL: $4,891,645,229

[followsthewolf]

Source?

[Henry Hawk]

Source?

sean hannity used this on a segment of his show................IF they are incorrect, please point them out.

the point stands, our government MUST stop this kind of discreationary spending, especially when we face the debts and deficiets of today.

[followsthewolf]

First of all, Hannity is not a primary source.

Second, if any of these are real, they may have very important use in further research.

Example: Where are tree frogs born?

On the face of it, it would appear to be a silly question. Who cares where they are born? The fact is that where most tree frogs are born is indicative of the destruction of habitat and the frogs themselves, due to logging choices and herbicide use by low-till and no-till farming practices.

To call research silly simply by identifying them by title is absurd, because it does not identify the result and/or importance of the result of that research. Sometimes the importance of the research is to simply rule out what we seemed to think was of no importance, but weren't really sure was unimportant.

Who could have known how incredibly important the result would be when Gregor Mendel asked a really stupid question like, "Why are some peas wrinkled and some peas smooth?"  The results of his study have affected the world and its use of hybrids in a earth-shaking way.

Who is to say, until the study is made, what is "stupid" and what isn't?

Hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20, but foresight is always dim and requires intestinal fortitude to proceed when others in smug and safe positions can take the pot shots.

[Henry Hawk]

I think you are twisting and turning this whole point I was making, there are laws that DO exist of this caliber, that is extremely arrogant for our Congress to suggest to the American people that we MUST spend this money on such, to make this a place to pursue happiness.  Raising Taxes for such outrageous spending is asinine.  Lets cut what we can first, THEN lets talk about IF we need to raise taxes.

[followsthewolf]

NO!!

I am NOT twisting or turning anything.

The identification of what is appropriate or inappropriate for scientific study and the funding for same is in danger when a flip answer to what is "stupid" to research and what is not is not called out.

Let those who know what they are doing, do the research.

Let political fools like Hannity spout their crap to their lackeys and groupies so they can revel in their ignorance, and leave the serious choices about research to those who know what they are doing.

Ignorance of serious research by our former POTUS was the reason my brother died.

Letting it go on is criminal.

And we have taken this thread far off track.

[Henry Hawk]

how bout dem bears?

[followsthewolf]

Bear-ly escaped with their lives.

They certainly didn't salvage their pride.

[Palehorse]

how about this "incredibly stupid stuff" for starters:

100: University studying hookup behavior of female college coeds in New York ($219,000)
The study of human sexual behavior is imperative to many things, such as  the identification of birth control methods that are effective, identification of methods that encourage abstinence instead of promiscuity. . . etc.  Without it, we'll just let the kids fall where they may. Of course not doing it could also stimulate the economy by making abortion clinics busier too!

The National Institute of Health (NIH) is using stimulus funds to pay for a year-long $219,000 study to follow female college students for a year to determine whether young women are more likely to ―hookup‖ — the college equivalent of casual sex — after drinking alcohol.163   Researchers will recruit 500 female students prior to their first year of college and contact them monthly over the course of a year to document sexual hookups, noting when there is alcohol involved.

99: Police department getting 92 blackberries for supervisors in Rhode Island ($95,000)
Perhaps those "tracfones"  would be better? http://www.tracfone.com/e_store.jsp?task=buyphone

98: Upgrades to seldom-used river cruise boat in Oklahoma ($1.8 million)

"It does provide an integral part of our transit service. It's just very different then what anyone would consider to see in Oklahoma City," said Michael Scroggins, Public Information Manager for Central Oklahoma Transportation Authority.

When Karen Ingraham of Oklahoma stepped off of an Oklahoma River Cruise boat recently, she was torn. She loved the leisure boat cruise, but when asked about it getting stimulus money, remarked, ―It's wasteful.‖113   The river cruise boat company will get $1.8 million in federal funds for operations and maintenance.114   Relatively few Oklahomans may benefit from the project—the boats are averaging less than 12 passengers per trip115 despite being able to hold 35 passengers.116   Money for the boats comes from Oklahoma's transportation-related stimulus budget, which will also cover repairs for only 130 of the State's 7,000 deficient or obsolete bridges.117   An application was made at the local level to fund the ferry boats with stimulus money, which was then forwarded to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).   Once FTA approved the application, Oklahoma officials gladly accepted the funds, ―We're not the judges of a beauty contest . . . The people who write the checks, the Federal Government, they're the judges of the beauty contest.‖118 One FTA employee noted that Congress has the ultimate responsibility: ―If it's a transit project and the local government says it's what they need to meet their transportation needs, then the federal government by law, can't withhold funding,‖ said Paul Griffo, agency spokesman.119   In addition to stimulus money, a federal earmark worth $1.6 million was provided to the river cruises in 2008.120   Millions of dollars in private funding has also been made available for the Oklahoma River Cruises, raising questions about the need for additional federal funding.

97: Precast concrete toilet buildings for Mark Twain National Forest in Montana ($462,000)
Montana
Beaverhead National Forest
Bitterroot National Forest
Custer National Forest
Deerlodge National Forest
Flathead National Forest
Gallatin National Forest
Helena National Forest
Kootenai National Forest
Lewis and Clark National Forest
Lolo National Forest

Humm. . . according to the USDA Forest Service there is no MTNF in Montana. . . http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/map/state_list.shtml

BUT, there is one in Missouri. . . The forest is 1.5 million acres scattered throughout 29 counties. But perhaps everyone visiting it should continue to relieve them selves right on the ground eh? Sounds like a sound environmental practice to me!

96: University studying whether mice become disoriented when they consume alcohol in Florida ($8,408) Researchers at Florida Atlantic University received $8,408 to study whether mice become disoriented when they consume alcohol.   The researchers note that ―spatial navigation. . . is essential for accurate moving about,‖ and that humans who consume alcohol have trouble with ―navigation, memory and attention.

95: Foreign bus wheel polishers for California ($259,000)
The Foothill Transit agency approved $259,141 of federal transit money for two automated wheel polishers from Australia, the Pasadena Star News found. Watchdogs are obviously not happy, but the agency said no U.S. companies placed a bid, that the polishers will "dramatically" reduce time spent on prepping buses, therefore streamlining operations, and $72,000 a year will be spent on polisher supplies from the U.S.

94: Recovering crab pots lost at sea in Oregon ($700,000)
A $700,000 grant will pay for 48 people to help Oregon crabbers recover crab pots they have lost at sea.178   The two-year project expects to yield 2,000 lost pots a year. Oregon crabbers reportedly lose an estimated 15,000 crab pots a year.   I guess leaving them in the ocean makes a whole lot of sense. . .

93: Developing a program to develop "machine-generated humor" in Illinois ($712,883) Computational creativity has been a goal of artificial intelligence since nearly its inception. But while many interesting models have been developed, and some of these have produced interesting creative works, most have been built on foundations that either don't scale, or don't easily scope across different domains, or both. This project will create intelligent comedic performance agents and deploy them both on- and off-line
for the enjoyment and illumination of everyday citizens. Secondly, this research will attract, develop, and produce an equally new type of artificial intelligence (AI) researcher whose vision of the mind scopes beyond the confines of a single machine. In particular, the goal is to attract a broader set of students (including the underrepresented group of women in engineering) from communications studies and theater, who want to do research on the machine as a device for communication and creative expression made possible and supported by the mediation of intelligent systems. This is a crucial step in the development of AI as a field, drawing in a next generation of creative and innovative thinkers who will be able to bring new light into the world of semantics and inference while building artifacts with artistic power.

Computational creativity has been a goal of artificial intelligence since nearly its inception. But while many interesting models have been developed, and some of these have produced interesting creative works, most have been built on foundations that either don't scale, or don't easily scope across different domains, or both. This project will create intelligent comedic performance agents and deploy them both on- and off-line
for the enjoyment and illumination of everyday citizens. Secondly, this research will attract, develop, and produce an equally new type of artificial intelligence (AI) researcher whose vision of the mind scopes beyond the confines of a single machine. In particular, the goal is to attract a broader set of students (including the underrepresented group of women in engineering) from communications studies and theater, who want to do research on the machine as a device for communication and creative expression made possible and supported by the mediation of intelligent systems. This is a crucial step in the development of AI as a field, drawing in a next generation of creative and innovative thinkers who will be able to bring new light into the world of semantics and inference while building artifacts with artistic power.

92: Colorado museum where stimulus was signed (and already has $90 million in the bank) gets geothermal stimulus grant ($2.6 million) The Denver Museum of Nature and Science received a $2.61 million grant for a geothermal stimulus grant to demonstrate ―the use of municipal waste water as a medium for a new heating and cooling system.394   The grant was part of $18 million the state of Colorado received in geothermal project funding.

91: Grant to the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance to support the traditional arts apprenticeship program, gathering and festival ($30,000) The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) recently awarded its first grants to 26 American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian artists and organizations. This year's recipients include a Maine Native arts and cultural organization. The $20,000 grant will support the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance's community based programming, in Old Town.
The NACF, incorporated in 2007, is a permanently endowed national organization dedicated exclusively to the revitalization, appreciation and perpetuation of Native arts and cultures. This is the first year the Foundation has awarded grants. The year's total grant allocation is $394,319, with grant sizes ranging from $7,000 to $20,000.
"It's the NACF's mission to provide financial support to artists and organizations to help our Native cultures flourish," said Lulani Arquette, president and chief executive officer of the NACF. "We look forward to creating opportunities to emphasize the shared values of Native communities, and to receiving applications next year from artists and organizations in all 50 states, and the District of Columbia. After years of planning, it's thrilling to embark on our journey to strengthen Native arts and cultures. The arts have always played a significant role in Native cultures, and are a powerful path for connecting one generation to the next."

90: Studying methamphetamines and the female rat sex drive in Maryland ($30,000) Researchers will spend nearly $30,000 to determine whether methamphetamine gives female rats an overpowering desire to have sex. Human meth users report the drug creates ―an insatiable need and urgency for sex,‖ notes the University of Maryland researchers, and female meth users ―are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors‖ than women who use other drugs.

89: Studying mating decisions of cactus bugs in Florida ($325,394)
Insects that attack prickly pear cacti, Opuntia spp., in North America have been under investigation for a century. The primary purpose of this research has been to determine which insects have the most promise as biocontrol agents where cacti are severe weed problems.

88: Studying why deleting a gene can create sex reversal in people, but not in mice in Minnesota ($190,000)So understanding the gene structure in mice and humans is not important???

87: College hires director for a project on genetic control of sensory hair cell membrane channels in zebrafish in California ($327,337) Could zebrafish hold the key to helping people who suffer heart attacks? Possibly, according to Duke University Medical Center scientists who studied the tropical fish and their "amazing" heart muscles.
Humans have very limited ability to regenerate heart muscle cells, which is a key reason why heart attacks that kill cells and scar heart tissue are so dangerous, according to Duke's news release.
So in other words, we ought to just let humans suffering heart attacks die???? . . .

[Exterminator]

Second, if any of these are real, they may have very important use in further research.

I thought exactly the same thing as I was reading the list but you can't honestly expect Hank to think beyond the superficial?