395 Horsepower Of Official USDA Government Work!

I got a kick out of this!



Not too far outside of the Washington beltway the gaping faux chrome brake cooling air intakes of a Chevy Trailblazer SS caught my eye. Being a fan of powerful automobiles (typically not American made...) I took a second look and noticed that it had government plates.



If you're not a car aficionado you probably wouldn't even think twice because it is just a Chevy Trailblazer and there's typically nothing too special about these vehicles. Let me tell you a little about the SS model:



The 2007 SS ran just a hair over $37,000 MSRP

It was fitted with a 395 horsepower 6.0 liter V8 motor derived from the Corvette

It has 20" chrome wheels

Performance front seats

0 - 60 time in about 5 seconds

Additional interior luxury appointments



You get the idea.



When I saw the plate stating:



USDA For Official Use Only



It got me thinking.



What kind of 'official use' does the USDA need 395 luxury appointed horsepower for? Could it be they were after the 20" chrome wheels for some classified official business? Perhaps they couldn't have anything that struggled to get into the sub-6-second range in a 0-60 run and the Corvette body styling just wasn't working for them. It's hard telling when you're dealing with official business...



Regardless of the need, I'm sure we can all rest confidently knowing that approximately $37,000 of our taxpayer dollars can officially run a sub 6 second 0 - 60 time for the USDA...

Where Are The Stimulus Dollars Going As Of June 2009?

As hard working citizens, we can't keep an eye on every little detail out there with regard to where are tax dollars are being spent. That's why we try to elect accountable representation and subsequently hold our breath and cross our fingers hoping that they'll actually do their job!

Thankfully, a couple of them do seem to be doing something.

Maryland's Republican Senator Tom Coburn had his office put together an overview where and how some of the stimulus dollars are being spent. The full 45 page report is available here.
You may have already seen the press release for this report however, these ten (10) items of note stuck out and are worthy of a quick once over:

1. $1.5 million in “free” stimulus money for a new wastewater treatment plant results in higher utility costs for residents of Perkins, Oklahoma.

2. $1 billion for FutureGen in Mattoon, Illinois is the “biggest earmark of all time” for a power plant that may never work.

3. $15 million for “shovel-ready” repairs to little-used bridges in rural Wisconsin are given priority over widely used bridges that are structurally deficient.

4. $800,000 for little-used John Murtha Airport in Johnstown, Pennsylvania airport to repave a back-up runway; the ‘Airport for Nobody’ Has Already Received Tens of Millions in Taxpayer dollars.

5. $3.4 million for a wildlife “eco-passage” in Florida to take animals safely under a busy roadway.

6. Nevada non-profit gets $2 million weatherization contract after recently being fired for same type of work.

7. $1.15 million for installation of a new guard rail for the non-existent Optima Lake in Oklahoma.

8. Nearly $10 million to renovate an abandoned train station that hasn’t been used in 30 years.

9. 10,000 dead people get stimulus checks, but the Social Security Administration blames a tough deadline.

10. Town of Union, New York, encouraged to spend a $578,000 grant it did not request for a homelessness problem it claims it does not have.


Hat tip to Michelle Malkin for spreading the word to the masses.

Obama Wields His Powers to Remove Inspector General Who Investigated One Of His Supporters

Typical.

From AP via Yahoo

From the story:

"Obama's move follows an investigation by IG Gerald Walpin finding misuse of federal grants by a nonprofit education group led by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who is an Obama supporter and former NBA basketball star."


Ok, so this Inspector General is apparently doing his job and finds that federal funds (i.e.: TAXPAYER MONEY) are being wasted and all of a sudden it's time to get rid of him. Makes all the sense in the world...

It does when he starts to get too close to what's really going on and the most powerful man in the world needs to step in and protect his good friends and supporters.

Remember folks, he 'Won' and he can do this. Give it a minute, he'll remind you of that fact again momentarily...