Stimulus Funds for Martini Bars, Rat Sex?

(CBS)  The public's overall assessment of the condition of the national economy remains grim; 77 percent of Americans say the economy is in bad shape.

The economic stimulus package was supposed to help with that. As of the end of November, the government has spent $217 billion in stimulus, and two Republican Senators say that at least 15 percent of it has been pure waste, as CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports.

You probably wouldn't guess that a martini bar and a Brazilian steak house would be on tap for stimulus funds. But in St. Joseph, Missouri the two privately-owned facilities are getting $100,000 of your tax dollars. The idea is that their success will help revitalize the area.

But to Senators John McCain and Tom Coburn, it's a glaring example of stimulus spending that ranges from "wasteful to silly and shortsighted."

"The American people have to realize that the priorities oughta be what creates the most jobs and what gives the best value to the American people," Coburn said.

In a new report, the Senators highlight 100 stimulus projects worth $7 billion, including:

-A water pipeline to a money-losing golf course in San Francisco ($2.2 million).
-Fossil research in Argentina ($1.57 million).
-Puppet shows ($50,000) and clown theatre ($25,000).
-Money for people to keep journals of their malt liquor and marijuana use ($389,357);
-Money to study the "hookup" behavior of college co-eds ($219,000); and
-A big cut of stimulus funds for Lockheed Martin to develop supersonic jet travel catering to upscale clientele ($4.7 million)

We're also spending a lot to learn from the animal kingdom: cooperation from birds ($90,000), the sex drive of rats on hard drugs ($30,000), the "caste system" and division of labor in ants ($100,000).

The Obama administration's stimulus spokeswoman said, "Even if there are a few unwise projects, it's only a handful out of the over 50,000 projects ... approved to date."

The administration has become increasingly sensitive to appearances. A case in point is the $9 million plan for a footbridge over Rt. 1 in Foxboro, Mass.

The governor and his staff made the astonishing claim it could create 8,000 jobs, by enticing a major development.

"We're looking at is as a major corporate or [research and development] park," Massachusetts Secretary of Economic Development Greg Bialecki said at the time.

But with no imminent prospects, the head of state stimulus oversight said the only one sure to benefit is the billionaire who owns the parking lots, mall and stadium on both sides of the road.

Massachusetts sate Rep. David Linsky called it "a waste of public funds" and stressed that tare are many other projects that genuinely deserve the funds.

Just last Friday, after federal officials voiced concern about the project, the state yanked the stimulus funds saying the project wasn't ready to go.

Taxpayers are still picking up the tab to renovate that martini bar in Missouri. But if it's any consolation, they're offering two dollars off martinis. Think of it as a taxpayer rebate.

[bankersvox]

Could CBS look into the use of Stimulus to pay 6 milloon for 3 jobs, was this a pay off of Hillary's debt to that company ? Will HC now pay off the debt or will it be "forgiven" as a tax write off, and thus more taxpayer payoff ??? Just asking.
I wonder is this A SLUSH FUND ?

[Swift2]

I remember when the stimulus package was being debated, the right was completely contemptuous of the project the money was supposed to fund. I remember Bobby Jindal standing there, looking like a teenage Dracula, ridiculing the use of funds for monitoring a volcano. And then, two weeks later, the volcano erupted, and people could be warned, and the scientists knew how serious the eruption would be -- because they were monitoring it. These hack political news conferences are the easiest things in the world to do. "Hyuk, hyuk, them pointy-headed idjuts want to look at fossils in Argentina! Why, the earth's only 6,000 years old!" None of the purposes to which this money is being put is honestly stated. Why is the golf course a money-loser? Because it doesn't have enough water, maybe?

The states gave the feds a list of projects that were ready to go.

[tblclthholly]

' .. a bomb exploded accidentally hurt war babies against their wills when they weren't trying to giggle and orgasm that way .. allah and her entourage arrived on the fastest swiftest flashiest most extravagant space garden around and began making breakfast .. that part didn't surprise me, it was what she was doing the day before .. i was dancing in an african plain with a naked lazy little first aid free lunch girl, and her garden moved in above us .. and, against my will, when i wasn't trying to giggle and orgasm that way, she dressed me and paddled me and called me a pedophile and did the same to the other girl .. it felt as though all forever had collapsed around me, and i was on fire and drowning and couldn't get the my inter cosmic phone booth to frolic and folly around my sick bed of limitless delusion of wrongful persecution and prosecution and torture and mayhem .. i cried more whole seconds before it all self-adjusted in the endless winds of muck and fabrication .. '


' .. usually i just wish for things, sometimes i have little microscopic bunnys and other creatures and tuning forks dance things into play for me .. sometimes i have to go soliciting the passersby at the curbsides and corners and such and scanning the inter nets and intra nets and hoping for an enthusiast with a good fit .. most often when i find i can't find something with a wish: often the scans and cross references and other index fail and i have to have some passing travelers aid me in conjuring it from a little fertilizer and other compost and compost and other fertilizer and air and water for a base and a start and just keep putting in new side pots the garden anamolys and mishaps and errors blooming in the correct directions .. '


' .. at a school side park, a preacher girl welted a woman's bottom for she was diligent and sober .. a crowd of passing woman gathered to watch and where so turned on, they followed the preacher inside .. two hours later, they left the school better and less courteous and efficient folk more interesting and intelligent and wearing not their sick beds on their sleeves but wearing themselves and sleeves upon their sick beds because they were injured and abused and exhausted after the two hour giggle and tickle on their exterior and interior and exo and endo organs and appendages sexual ond otherwise alike .. '


' .. though the little ferret girl promised not to send the big huvan girl to a involuntary war, she still refused to allow her to run for office .. '




' .. there were six pictures on the computer screen .. three arcoss the top, followed by a break <br> .. three across the bottom .. four of the, random position, photos were pieces of one of the other two photos .. the other of the other two photos was a unique photo .. the unique photo would acess the photo index }scrolling blocks and other shapes of dots?( the other of the other two photos that wasn't the unique photo to access the index was a back button .. '

[Empire-George]

How about Hillary's pollster, receiving 6 million dollars to save 3 jobs ?? How do you liberals feel about that kind of waste ?

yeah, this Stimulus was about jobs.....we found out how Hillary's election debt got paid off, if you recall this was the price for her support of Obama, her election debts being paid-off, now we know how it was done, through Hillary's pollster

[afrazier1]

And say, how do you conservatives feel about billions wasted on an uncalled for war? I agree that this is wasteful but don't be so fast to finger point to liberals. For all your blustering about spending, we didn't see ANY oversight when you guys were in power.

[wtcmedicdidntforget]

How about the 6 million in stimulas money h. clintons pollster company friends recieved to save 3 jobs? thats a whole lot of jobs for 6 million isnt it?

[bankersvox]

A SLuSH FUND ??? Will HC pay off the debt ??? We need to follow //

[endurorob_5]

I havge two dogs and they are both fixed. but the male on occasion still trie to hump the female. Maybe I could get a few hundred thousand in stimulus money to study this behavior.

[leepoe1]

This always happens. Power corrupts. Corrupt officials eke out dollars from the taxpayer by using their power for their own profit. Does everyone forget that the executive in charge of purchasing was taking golf trips with Jack Abramoff? Comments here are written as if Bush was a saint and this is something new. I would wager you could find stuff that was not needed in George Washington's budget.

[berlinfoto-2009]

One has to ask oneself, is any of this stimulus really suppose to work? or is the US, suppose to continue in a tailspin, so that the very form of government be changed.
If one, were so inclined, how would you go about changing a democracy into some kind of dictatorship, or some other form of totalitarian government.
First you would convince the citizens that democracy simply was not up to the task of governing this complex computerized nation any more.
We must have the chip, and the implanted microchip, is a new form of "totalitarian government", it is a way of interfacing humans to computers, so that humans can be much more controlled and manipulated.
Follow the path of the Weimar Republic, up until the ascension of Adolf Hitler, but I suppose it will be some form of government by committee. Remember what they say about a camel, "A camel is a horse built by committee.

[tafhdyd]

Lets see the whole list and decide for ourselves what is truly waste on BOTH sides of the isle. I recall a few years back the Repubs wanted a quarter billion for a bridge to nowhere. Besides I would rather see some rats having fun than send tax money to Argentina.

[jimmyc1955]

That was part of a transportation budget passed every other year by congress. Yes there is waste on both sides but this stimulus bill is particularly wasteful. I read the bill - much of the money won't be spend for more than a year, which as far as I can tell won't help stimulate much today.

This bill is laden with political pork - choked full of all kinds of garbage. A rail line from San Francisco to Las Vegas to hurry the gamblers along to the craps tables lest they spend their money wisely.

Anytime congress gets to put something like this together it will be like watching hogs at a feeding trough - a lot of snorting, pushing, shoving and eventually a big pile of stinking crap of no use to anybody.

[lilcarter8]

how do i get the stimulas money to start one of the approved projects?

[Citygirl954]

exactly, I'm a new business owner who would love to hire people but with a failing economy I am unable to. If I could get some stimulas money I would indeed hire and my business would do much better for it. How do I apply? Did you find anything out lilcarter8?