The Falls Church News-Press (a left-leaning publication) paints a sad picture of the power of good intentions.
Several years back, Uncle Sugar offered four electric buses and funds to operate them through Falls Church, Va. Nothing like electric buses as a means of reducing mass transit's carbon footprint!
Needless to say but the electric buses didn't pan out -- they were too maintenance intensive. So they went with diesel.
Now the federal dollars are gone and the Falls Church city manager is trying to find a way to either fund the system (more taxes) or cut back on service. (As any drug pusher knows, once you get folks accustomed to the product, they realize that they can't do without it.)
I suspect that in the thousand plus pages of a mess known as the Reinvestment and Recovery Act -- there are plenty of other similar stimulating ideas. Unfortunately in an effort to solve today's problem they only beget tomorrow's problem.
Showing posts with label stimulus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stimulus. Show all posts
Monday, March 23, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Things that Obama Will Not Be Known For...
...the "smart policy" president. When his political capital was at its height, he outsourced his stimulus package to a pair of big-government types. Then he "campaigned" on it by offering its chief virtue -- it's something. You may call it pragmatism -- I call it indecision. (BTW, his pick of Joe (Loose Lips) Biden hasn't gotten better with age.)
...the "post-partisan" president. Sure there were a couple of photo ops with the GOP as the stimulus was winding its way through Congress but Obama spoke as it the Republicans didn't have a plan to revive the economy. His denunciations of GOP criticism wouldn't be a big deal except for the fact that his campaign was all about crossing the aisle. I suspect when 2011 comes around, he may regret his clenched fist.
...the "ethical" president. When it comes to waivers for erstwhile lobbyists to work in his administration -- well, let's just say they've become "tidal waivers." When you have way too many exceptions, you really don't have a rule. And as long as poor Timmy Geithner is the Treasury Secretary, he'll remain the poster child for tax-dodgers everywhere.
The good news is that it's only the first month in office. The bad news, I suspect, is that it won't get any better.
...the "post-partisan" president. Sure there were a couple of photo ops with the GOP as the stimulus was winding its way through Congress but Obama spoke as it the Republicans didn't have a plan to revive the economy. His denunciations of GOP criticism wouldn't be a big deal except for the fact that his campaign was all about crossing the aisle. I suspect when 2011 comes around, he may regret his clenched fist.
...the "ethical" president. When it comes to waivers for erstwhile lobbyists to work in his administration -- well, let's just say they've become "tidal waivers." When you have way too many exceptions, you really don't have a rule. And as long as poor Timmy Geithner is the Treasury Secretary, he'll remain the poster child for tax-dodgers everywhere.
The good news is that it's only the first month in office. The bad news, I suspect, is that it won't get any better.
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