Joe Biden Sheriff of the Stimulus Funds said, "So if this -- six months from now, if the verdict on this effort is that we've wasted the money, we built things that were unnecessary, or we've done things that are legal but make no sense, then, folks, don't look for any help from the federal government for a long while. They're going to make sure -- the folks in the House and in the Senate are going to make sure you wear the jacket, not them.
And that's a good thing -- that's a good thing, because the resources being made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are a critical piece -- a critical piece of how we're going to get through this economic crisis, and just as importantly, how we're going to build the economy of the future, which the Secretary referenced.
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The construction of the $6 million dollarTallahassee Turtle Tunnel(s) Turtlebahn is underway, thanks to the $3.4 million dollar subsidy from Stimulus money.
When added to previously spent funds totaling an estimate $2.6 million dollars, the questionable project will cost approximately $6 million dollars.
Located at US Highway 27 North near Tallahassee, Florida, the project rose from obscurity and attracted national attention when U.S. Senator Tom Coburn listed the turtle tunnel in his top 100 Worst Stimulus Spending Projects.
Well meaning proponents argue that the tunnel is need to help save turtles which are killed as they try to cross the four lane highway in an attempt to travel from the main body of the 1800 acre Lake Jackson to the adjacent 50 acre water body.
The well organized, politically astute supported convinced local and state politicians to support spending about $2.6 million in funds before momentum stalled. Stimulus dollars for the dubious spending projects have allowed construction to go forward.
While saving turtles lives from automobile traffic is noble, the allocation of resources for turtle tunnels is almost laughable when compared to the national transportation and human needs.
An inexpensive fabric filter fence installed by a local team of volunteers led by a biologist working on a study of turtles in Tallahassee, had reduced turtle mortality to an almost negligible amount.
Not satisfied, supporters lobbied for and have now received millions of dollars to construct new turtle tunnels and concrete walls that are suitable for stopping Abrams tank movements.
No good explanation has been given as to why the existing 8’ x 8’ culvert is not sufficient to handle the turtle traffic.
Rational thinking by most who examine the turtle problem would lead to the logical conclusion that an inexpensive chain link fence would suffice in stopping the turtle carnage, caused by turtle seeking higher grounds to lay their eggs or just traveling from one water body to another as turtles are prone to do, rather than the construction of expensive concrete tunnel and barrier infrastructure.
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Comments
Ah, Florida - the state that gave us Bush and Saved the turtles! I am proud to be a merikan today.