April 07, 2004
Oink
I'm strongly in favor of educational projects and research, almost to a fault. But even I have to question why Iowa is an appropriate location for a rainforest...particularly on the national nickel.
It's not like there's no value to these endeavors. It's just that my tax dollars have more important things to do than to spend -
- $50,000,000 for an indoor rainforest project in Coralville, Iowa added by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa). The crown jewel of this year's Pig Book, the rainforest was the brainchild of Ted Townsend (heir to Townsend meat-packing fortune), who came up with the idea when contemplating his legacy on a treadmill. Former Gov. Bob Ray believes this tropical boondoggle will solve the state's "demographic problems" by drawing more people to move to Iowa.
- $3,000,000 for the First Tee Program, an initiative of the World Golf Foundation. "The focus is to give young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop, through golf and character education, life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity, and sportsmanship."
- $1,000,000 for the Institute of International Sport to prevent crime by promoting "ethical behavior and good sportsmanship on an international basis."
What happened to "one thousand points of light"? Aren't these the sort of projects that the Bush boys deemed the responsibility of local communities and charities, rather than the federal government? Why are we spending federal moneys on an international sports organization, when we can't even pay for my grandmother's medical care? Why are we teaching kids to play golf, when we're struggling for funds to teach them to read? Why are we paying for an artificial rainforest that was dreamed up by some rich guy who wants to leave a legacy? If it's his legacy, shouldn't he be paying for it? And why on the face of God's green Earth do we even need an artificial rainforest, when the real ones are in such greater need of our support?
I'm afraid to read the full report. My shingles nerve will implode from the stress.
