While we are on the subject of the Transportation bill, the list of special “earmarks” is now available online. Independent Sources read the 28 pages dedicated to our home state of California and we were amazed at what considered enough of a priority to be specially earmarked in the bill. For example, we’ve all heard the expression (and song) “nobody walks in LA.” That will come as a surprise to the folks who put in a special $2 million appropriation to “construct pedestrian enhancements on Broadway in Los Angeles”. (Earmark #517). There is another $1.6 million to enhance pedestrian environment and increase safety along Olympic Blvd. at Western Avenues.(Unless part of this money is going to address the crime in that area there won’t be all that much improvement in safety). 

There are even more unusual “earmarks” such as $1,672,000 for the California Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach to build intermodal park and ride facility, $1,337,600 to incorporate safety improvements at a (single) bus stop in Monterey Park. (At a time when the median home price in Monterey Park is about $450,000, couldn’t we just purchase three homes in the area to serve as bus stop?).

Our favorite however is the $209,000 to acquire one “trolley” bus vehicle for the City of Carson. (Earmark # 407). Can these hideous trolley buses really cost he same as a Ferrari Maranello?

Additional Transportation Bill reading: Part One of this series as well as Independent Sources on The Really Fast Train to Nowhere and the $20m being spent on the Unwanted Bay Area Ferry.

Technorati:transportation bill pork spending trolley

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 21st, 2005 at 12:38 pm by Insider and is filed under Your Tax Dollars In Action. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.