Critics have long maintained that much of the stimulus package in Congress was a thinly veiled opportunity for members to spend wildly on pet projects in their states without fear of debt ceilings or backlash. Montana appears almost eager to prove the critics right. Bozeman City, Montana spent a chunk of its stimulus money to install new tennis courts in a park. They did not even use local contractors but went out of state for the work.
Bozeman City bills itself as “the most livable place.” It is easy to see why. They are so stimulated.
The Bozeman City Commission authorized spending $49,140 of stimulus money on the tennis courts.
Sure, Obama said that he did not want any stimulus money going to swimming pools, but he never mentioned tennis courts, here.
I suggest the following video be sent to the good leaders of Bozeman and the entire Montana delegation:
For the full story, click here.
BIL, I didn’t read your reply the next day and basically ‘lost’ the thread thereafter. Creeping senility.
“I just haven’t had the time for the ruminations you may prefer as of late”
It’s not subject matter, the tone had changed and it concerned me on a couple of levels.
I am glad to hear it’s not a health issue (though too much stress can turn into a health issue) and is just too much to do and too little time to do it. That could easily account for the altered style. Here’s hoping your schedule builds in more slack and less stress for the new year.
LK,
When it comes to badman, he’s made his own bed. As to the “old BIL”, I’m still him. I just haven’t had the time for the ruminations you may prefer as of late. Thank you for the health concern, but right now my health is fine other than a lot more stress than usual. I know myself well enough to know than can make me more aggressive and I will stipulate I’ve been harder on the troll than usual and probably for that reason.
But neither bdaman deserves nor will he get any slack from me.
He’s a demonstrated bigot, racist and a confessed troll who has used false fronts.
That makes him fair game.
If this bothers you, just don’t read my responses to him. I promise as time permits more empty spaces to compose the longer diatribes in my head before posting, I will be posting more to your liking. That still won’t get me off bdaman’s back.
Ever.
He’s our resident bad example. I don’t hate him. I don’t want him to leave. I think he provides a valuable public service, just not the one that he thinks he’s providing. But part of that service is making sure he’s always on the defensive and/or discredited. A bad example that is not illustrated as such runs the risk of being misinterpreted as a good example.
LK,
I don’t remember who recommended this, although I’ve heard it from several people– whoever wants a job should get one. It would cost less money than this phony stimulus plan and people who actually needed the money would have it!
A girl can dream…
BIL / Bdaman’s reversed postings:
BIL, are you so comfortable with a propensity of late to attack (viciously and often times preemptively) that you are now crossing threads to do it? Srsly, something is wrong lately. Your first impulse is seemingly/increasingly to attack. You jumped some poster that I think was a first time poster here (as I don’t recall seeing postings from him before) and s/he posted a pretty tame contrary opinion to the thrust of JT’s blog entry- s/he was certainly no 2T. You were vicious. No, I’m not going back to find it and point you to it because wading through your postings in the last several weeks would be a downer- too much vitriol. You’re on a hair-trigger lately and it’s getting out of hand, the tone of too many of your postings is ugly.
Remember that guy that had ‘your’ Gavatar? What happened to him? Some of us asked him nicely to change it, he didn’t, and even though he made a couple of postings tentatively worth acknowledgment no one ‘talked’ to him. NO ONE. He left. He got the point. That wasn’t an accident. There are more tools in the box than hammers.
Your posting style has changed. You have talked about pain before. I can relate to chronic pain. If that’s a problem I feel for you. It can affect the way you post. We have both lost people this year and I still get depressed and angry over it. If it’s something else I still feel for you. (Presumptuous assumptions of a ‘projecting’ nature- yea’ I know.)
I don’t know what is going on with you but I have sincerely, sincerely enjoyed your company here for most of a year but lately I see your name as a potential ‘warning’- read at your own risk. I’m not the fastest on the up-take and never have been but lately I’m seeing something change with your approach and it’s not a good change IMO. You can tell me to go fuck myself (at least that would be short and refreshingly non-combative), post a response (in all too typical vitriolic fashion lately) or take my observation for what it’s worth which is probably not much, being only one among many. Still, I miss the ‘old BIL’ and would like him to visit more often.
Jill: “I’m certain there are better things to do with the money, but had it brought in local jobs, I would take it. ”
—
The lack of a directive to use local workers wherever possible in the stimulus bill was a big mistake. Builders make a point of importing low pay, non-union workers (generally from the south) and green-card construction workers to cut costs. In a thriving building market this is a problem but unionized workers can still make a middle-class living. If the building boom slows down it has a major impact on unionized construction workers. My brother-in-law HVAC installer/specialist has been complaining about losing work to migrants and scabs for years.
Honestly, I don’t care if they spend it on a tennis court. I do care that they did not use local people to build it, because that is the point of stimulus money, to give local people work.
I’m certain there are better things to do with the money, but had it brought in local jobs, I would take it.
Here’s the larger problem, I think: (by Dean Baker)
“After throwing the economy into the worst downturn since the Great Depression, the financial industry has used its political power to become stronger than ever.
On Christmas night in 1776, George Washington led a surprise attack on a group of Hessian mercenaries employed by the British to suppress the American revolution. This was one of the biggest military victories of the Revolutionary War.
In the same spirit of surprise, the Obama administration announced on Christmas eve that it was removing the $400bn cap on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s access to the U.S. Treasury. The new draw is limitless. It also announced that the chief executives of the two government-controlled mortgage giants would be getting compensation packages worth $6m a year. This was another big blow for the financial sector in its effort to sap every last cent from the productive economy.”
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/workplace/144836/obama's_outrageous_christmas_gift_to_fannie_and_freddie
From the article:
“The Bozeman City Commission authorized spending $49,140 in federal stimulus money on Monday to install new tennis courts at Bogert Park.”
“The money spent on the tennis courts is part of $621,000 in stimulus money that the city received through the Montana Reinvestment Act”
From these two lines, I came away with the tennis courts are only a part (not the whole) of the $621000, making your title off by over a factor of 10. Since you included this first quote, I gather that you read the article, but I’m not sure how you came up with your headline.
-Jonathan
You’ve failed at comedy on anther thread, bdarube. Now I see you are losing your paste and copy skills. The last bastion of your “talents” as a propagandist. A mind is a terrible thing. Good thing you left yours along the way. If this doesn’t pan out for you, I understand there is employment to be found in the Rove household. So you’ve got that going for you.
Hey now, if they were indoors I have no problem. But hell you will only be able to use them when the wind is down and it is not snowing. You’ll be able to use them 2 maybe 3 months out of the year.
Makes sense to me.
Videos should be reversed, across, aggressive, ferret.
I have told each of my cabinet as well as mayors and governors accross the country that they will be held accountable by me and the American people for every dollar they spend. I have appointed a proven and aggresive inspector general to feret out any and all cases of waste and fraud. And we have created a new website called recovery.gov.
What was the number Joe
Oh but just like the recent Christmas Day attack, we have a system in place where you will be able to follow the money.
We, as in the Obama administration are gonna create a website, I’m sorry Joe,(Biden) what was the number of the website again? To make sure the money is not spent in wasteful ways.
And everybody from here to Ko-Kimo knows, you don’t mess with Joe.
And what’s wrong with tennis courts? We need more tennis courts, not fewer. This world would be a better place if we all played tennis, or at least it would be easier to find a partner.
Visit my site:
http://coloradotennis.blogspot.com
🙂