41 replies to this topic

[Rogerdodger]

Meanwhile with too few taxes, too much waste and too many wars:
THINGS FALL APART

"Yesterday saw the opening of the stunning new bridge 890ft above the gorge of the Colorado river, linking Arizona with Nevada "

It's funny how that bridge went right to relatively low priced property which skyrocketed in value, which was owned by a certain politician who profited nicely with very little out of pocket investment.
But we accept that political graft is an acceptable part of life, whereas corporate profits are evil.

"But that wasn’t the end of "his" odd land deals. Bullhead City, Arizona, is just across the Colorado River from Nevada. In Bullhead, depending on location (as always in real estate), vacant land can sell for $10,000 to $250,000 per acre. Given this, it is surprising that "he" managed to gain control of 160 acres of vacant land for $10,000."

Edited by Rogerdodger, 21 October 2010 - 09:32 PM.

[Rogerdodger]

Well it's panic time at the million dollar baby sitter's house.
Just got an "urgent" e-mail requesting people write their representatives!
http://campaign.r20....e...0eHnLisRg==

[Rogerdodger]

As the cities go broke and the Unions have a hissy fit I read this: "The city's contract with police gives officers an average of $87 an hour for working holidays and can let workers retire with six-figure sums for unused leave, totaling $93 million." So a 45 year old police officer can retire with SIX FIGURES while several 60 year old guys are still working to pay for his "retirement." SWEET!

Edited by Rogerdodger, 17 February 2011 - 11:16 PM.

[Rogerdodger]

Political Patronage:
the use of state resources to reward individuals for their electoral support.

Highway funds, public service announcements, even babysitters. Are they just political slush funds in disguise?

Billions in Bloat Uncovered in Beltway...
The U.S. government has 15 different agencies overseeing food-safety laws, more than 20 separate programs to help the homeless and 80 programs for economic development.
These are a few of the findings in a massive study of overlapping and duplicative programs that cost taxpayers billions of dollars each year, according to the Government Accountability Office.
The agency found 82 federal programs to improve teacher quality; 80 to help disadvantaged people with transportation; 47 for job training and employment; and 56 to help people understand finances, according to a draft of the report reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The report took particular aim at government funding for surface transportation, including the building of roads and other projects, which the administration has made a major part of its push to update the country's infrastructure.
The report said five divisions within the Department of Transportation account for 100 different programs that fund things like highways, rail projects and safety programs.

One program that funnels transportation funds to the states "functions as a cash-transfer general-purpose grant program". DUH!

Edited by Rogerdodger, 01 March 2011 - 10:13 AM.

[Rogerdodger]

Detroit Public Library spends $1,092 apiece -- on chairs...


As Detroit continues to crumble...
"$1,100 per chair is reckless spending for a public institution," said Todd Kelly, president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1259, which represents 125 workers, including clerks, janitors and security staffers.

Union leaders argue the $2.3 million, which came from operational funds, could have helped reduce an $11 million shortfall.

A Detroit News review showed that, since 2008, the library has spent $1 million on 6 percent raises to union workers at a time counterparts in City Hall took 10 percent pay cuts.


Want to bet there's some political patronage shenanigans going on there?
Maybe some politician's wife/brother/cousin who makes chairs at $1 million a year, just happened to win the contract, etc...

Edited by Rogerdodger, 22 April 2011 - 09:49 AM.

[Rogerdodger]

"Government funds" dried up and the Million Dollar Baby Sitter filed for bankruptcy this week.
Now she will have to go back to market priced baby sitting rather than relying on political friends to take money from us to baby-sit someone else's kids.
3 and 4 year old kids need to be raised by their parents, not strangers.
But the government has taken the place of a father as the bread winner, and gangs of unsupervised kids now roam our streets.
Government "Pre-school" is just another slush fund which partially gets re-channeled into politician's pockets.
It is a HUGE scheme and runs all the way through graduate school.

For example:
Who needs a $150 textbook in the digital age?
Political friends (read donors)

Edited by Rogerdodger, 24 May 2011 - 12:18 PM.

[diogenes227]

So child care help for working parents goes down the drain while...

"4 FANTASTICALLY STUPID PROJECTS"

The beat goes on...

[Rogerdodger]

So child care help for working parents goes down the drain while...

So parents are forced to leave small children with strangers to go to work to pay high taxes to pay for another million dollar a year political machine slush fund called pre-school... while the pre-school "teachers" are mandated to pay union dues whether they are union members or not.

The beating goes on...
Detroit kids can't read but Detroit Public Library spends $1,092 apiece -- on chairs...


(How do you spell ACORN?)

Edited by Rogerdodger, 25 May 2011 - 04:36 PM.

[Rogerdodger]

Speaking of "4 FANTASTICALLY STUPID PROJECTS" try Jello Wrestling and Shrimp on treadmills.
Do we need this in an economic depression when the country is hopelessly in debt?

http://abcnews.go.co...age?id=13692367

Edited by Rogerdodger, 26 May 2011 - 09:51 AM.

[Rogerdodger]

$500 Million Administration Program Will Help Kids 'Sit Still' in Kindergarten...

If $500 million helps, why not a billion?

If a billion helps...