Senators Coburn & McCain Release Report: "Stimulus" Check-Up

Tuesday, December 8, 2009 3:55 PM by Mattie Duppler

Senators Tom Coburn and John McCain teamed up to release a report today that focuses on 100 projects funded by the Ameican Recovery and Reinvestment Act. They highlight the numerous ways tax dollars have been wasted in the guise of "stimulus" to illustrate that the $787 billion plan has contributed to waste, not job growth. This report builds on a report released by Sen. Coburn in June, when unemployment was a paltry (sarcasm included) 9.4 percent. According to the Senators' press release, some of the examples of the outrageous things your tax dollars have been spent on in the "stimulus" plan include:

• Broadband Map That May be Obsolete by the Time it’s Complete ($350 million):$350 million was awarded to states from the Department of Commerce to build a map of its broadband Internet infrastructure, though it duplicates existing maps. Rather than spend $350 million on the project, one firm said it could map the whole nation for $3.5 million – one percent of the cost. Or, anyone with a computer could Google it – for free.
• Anti-Capitalist Puppet Shows ($50,000): Puppet theatres with socialist, anti-capitalist messages were paid $50,000 to put on puppet shows.
• Non-Competitive Contracts ($7.8 billion): Half of all stimulus contracts awarded as of the fall were not subject to full competition.
• Empty Mall Gets Energy Award ($5 million): $5 million was awarded to the Oak Ridge Mall in Tennessee to provide geothermal heat – only the mall has few stores and customers.
  

To read the entire report, click here.

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