To get a sense of what made it through the supposedly thorough “scrubbing” process, consider the following provisions:
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$24 million for United States Department of Agriculture buildings and rent
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$176 million for renovating Agricultural Research Service buildings
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$290 million for flood prevention
* $50 million for watershed rehabilitation
* $1.4 billion for wastewater disposal programs
* $295 million for administrative expenses associated with food stamp programs
* $1 billion for the 2010 Census
* $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges and libraries
* $650 million for the digital TV converter box coupon program
* $2 billion for Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program
* $10 million to combat Mexican gunrunners
* $125 million for rural communities to combat drug crimes
* $1 billion for the Community Oriented Policing Services program
* $1 billion for NASA
* $300 million to purchase scientific instruments for colleges and museums
* $400 million for equipment and facilities at the National Science Foundation
* $3.7 billion to conduct “green” renovations on military bases
* $375 million for Mississippi River projects
* $10 million for urban canals
* $5 billion for weatherizing buildings
* $2 billion to develop advanced batteries for hybrid cars
* $3.4 billion for fossil energy research
* $5.1 billion for environmental cleanup around military bases
* $5.5 billion for “green” federal buildings
* $300 million for “green” cars for federal employees
* $20 million for IT upgrades at the Small Business Administration
* $200 million to design and furnish Department of Homeland Security headquarters
* $98 million earmarked for a polar icebreaker
* $210 million for State and local fire stations
* $125 million to restore trails and abandoned mines
* $146 million for trail maintenance at National Park Service sites
* $140 million for volcano monitoring systems
* $600 million for the Environmental Protection Agency Superfund environmental cleanup program
* $200 million to clean up leaking underground storage tanks
* $500 million for forest health and wildfire prevention
* $25 million for the Smithsonian Institution
* $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts
* $1.2 billion for “youth activities” (for “youth” up to 24 years old)
* $500 million earmarked for National Institute of Health facilities
* $1 billion for Head Start Program
* $32 million for home-delivered nutrition services
* $160 million for volunteer programs at the Corporation for National and Community Service
* $500 million earmarked for the SSA National Computer Center in Maryland
* $220 million for the International Boundary and Water Commission, U.S. and Mexico
* $8 billion for high-speed railways (This amount is 4 times higher than the one voted on Tuesday in the Senate bill)
* $1.3 billion for AmtrakOn the tax side of the package, the tax credit for golf carts was retained, along with $300 million for Federal Employee Company Cars. And despite the role that home buying played in putting the economy into recession, the conference report also includes tax credits—up to $15,000—for buying new homes.
Perhaps the worst part, however, appears in Section 1607 of the final bill. This section essentially says that if a governor refuses to accept stimulus funds allocated to his or her state, the state legislature can override the governor’s decision by passing a concurrent resolution. It means that governors, such as South Carolina’s Gov. Mark Sanford, who have said that they would not accept the money, could be overridden by their state legislative bodies.
Corruption and liberal fascism. That’s the Obama-Pelosi-Reid-Democrat recipe for success.
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