Arizona spends $1.25 million on squirrels

[srellim234]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/Broadcast/ariz ... d=10934895

Multiple points:

It takes $1.25 million to string a couple of ropes over a road?

They're claiming it will save five squirrels a year. This expenditure doesn't address the ongoing cost of training the squirrels over multiple generations to cross at the rope instead of jaywalking. We can't even train humans to do that. It might save one or two at best.

Arizona takes and spends $1.30 of federal taxpayers' money for every $1.00 it sends.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0923084.html

California spends about $0.79 for every dollar it sends. Part of California's financial trouble comes from the fact that California is paying for Arizona's liberal spending squirrel lovers.

[stebo0728]

How bout this one ...

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... 5OQ5xv9HR8

Not so much the governments "fault" here but still grossly uncalled for ...

[AZhitman]

Steve, I hate to be a jackass, because in general, I like you.

But you really do need to do your homework. http://abcnews.go.com/US/Broadcast/ariz ... d=10955276 That article ran June 18th. You're a little slow on the uptake, brother.

BTW, there's a great thread in Gen Chat where I *smoked* Red Coupe on the whole CA > AZ argument. CA isn't paying for jack squat, they're bankrupt. Shall I once again point out the joke that is our western neighbor?

OK, next up: That map you linked to? Not only does it not really tell us much, it's from FY2004. You realize that we're in FY2011, right? That's 7 years ago.

ALSO, you misinterpreted the data. It shows how much the Feds spent on each citizen for every dollar collected.

In re-reading that original post, your sources are either confused, OR you copied and pasted a poorly-written chain email that Aunt Gertie sent you from the assisted-living facility. Please, do a better job of reading before you go slinging stuff. You're smarter than that.

[IBCoupe]

I don't get the state-by-state rivalries.

[srellim234]

Actually it was a link from a site that gives oddball news and they hadn't posted that the funding had been retracted. Usually they have that kind of update within a day or so. They missed it and I only found links to the original expenditure article when I search-engined "Arizona spends $1.25 million on squirrels".

I did pick up this quote out of the article you linked to:

"The cancellation came after news reports, including one from ABC News, highlighted the planned expenditure. "

Would the money really have been spent if this hadn't been exposed? We'll never know, but my guess would be yes.

As for California being bankrupt, yes it is but it hasn't filed for bankruptcy yet. All of its citizens are not bankrupt. We still pay our federal taxes. Our money still goes to Washington the same way yours does. If you have a newer chart on federal tax burden vs expenditure by state please post it; the one I put out there was the newest one I could find. It does reflect similar numbers to those from previous years. Conservative states seem to be taking and spending more federal money than they send at the expense of more liberal states who send more than they take.

If it has changed, I apologize but I can't find anything that indicates it has changed.

[AZhitman]

So, you're seriously blaming (at least partially) AZ for CA's dismal financial condition?

That's laughable.

CA holds the title for moronic ways to spend money.

From another thread:

Let's also remember that it was the Obama Administration who proposed this nonsense. Members of Congress who voted for the stimulus package voted for these squirrel bridges, which doesn't say too much for those in majority leadership that put the money for squirrels in the stimulus bill.

Oh, and keep me posted on how the bill to spend $200,000 in stimulus money for "gang member tattoo removal" in So Cal plays out...

Would it be "piling on" if I pointed out the $259,000 foreign bus wheel polishers purchased by the State of California?

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-20494987.html

Or, this little gem:

http://stimuluswatch.org/2.0/awards/vie ... rican-vote

Oh, and let's not forget, CA spending $3.2 million to bury a dead pedoph:le.

If federal (income) taxes were by state, then your "argument" would hold water (still not sure what your point is). They're not. They're by individual. Lots of states "cover the deficit" for other states, that's no secret. I'm sure some lefty wackjob has spun it to be a big deal, but it's really kind of irrelevant.

[srellim234]

The point was merely that politicians and govt spending is ridiculous everywhere, and those who specialize in criticizing California never seem to turn a critical eye at themselves. California has serious problems, but so do other states and I come in contact daily with people from other states who have the attitude that their state is great and California is the only ridiculous one in the nation. None of them them seem to turn a critical eye at themselves and instead lash out against California as the root of all evil.

A good example is the bashing of California over the "celebration" after the Lakers' NBA title. Years ago I heard the same thing when I was in Indianapolis on business for a year and a half. All the bashing that happened there prompted me to actually call in to a sports talk show and point out that people are people and the same thing would happen in Indiana when they won a title. The guy hung up on me and blasted California and Laker fans again, carrying on how it would and could never happen there. Caller after caller phoned in with the same sentiment.

Soon after, IU won the NCAA basketball title and fans did the same thing there. Not a word out of those people or it was rationalized as only a handful of criminals and a blip on the radar compared to the number of people in the general population. Which is exactly what happened in California but they don't see it that way. Only an opportunity to generalize that that is how everybody in California (mis)behaves.

Your pointing out that California spent money on wheel polishers as a rebuttal to poor spending in another state is ridiculous. It's not justified in either one.

Pointing out that the original idea and funding was coming from the Obama Administration is likewise a non-argument. It was the Arizona state legislature that voted to take and spend the money. They could have turned it down and publicized the ridiculousness of it but they didn't. They voted to accept more money from the feds than their state supplied and intended to do so until their own folly of actually using that money for that purpose was exposed. I'm pointing out that your own state is not immune to political greed and poor spending of the taxpayers' dollar.

Federal taxes are paid by individuals. Adding up the taxes paid by the individuals in a state yields the total sent by a state's geographic area. Hence, "Taxes by State." Arizona takes more federal money back than its taxpayers send. Most states do. California doesn't.

[AZhitman]

Your pointing out that California spent money on wheel polishers as a rebuttal to poor spending in another state is ridiculous. It's not justified in either one.

What "poor spending in another state"?

I didn't have anything to rebut. We didn't buy quarter-million dollar wheel polishers.

p.s. I work in state government, participate in the budget process, and am incredibly critical of our state's spending.

[stebo0728]

I always loved that Independence Day line about "who pays for all this?" And the guy says something to the effect that "you dont think those hammers and toilet seats really cost 100k each do you?"

[srellim234]

What poor spending? The Arizona state legislature voted $1.25 million to stretch ropes across a highway to save five squirrels a year. The reason the check wasn't actually written to the rope stringing company is that the folly and embarrassment of it hit the news networks. If they were going to be so responsible and conservative, how did it get approved in the first place?

And you know what, AZ? I'm still waiting for fiscal conservatives here to denounce the original allocation. Or are you fine with the fact that your state originally planned to use that much taxpayer money for that purpose?

[AZhitman]

Too late - it's already been spent.

I'm not fine with it at all. Which is why I'll be voting against each and every person who didn't speak out against it... I don't have any such influence in CA, or I would.

See, the stimulus money is OFFERED by the Feds. If states don't spend it, it's reverted. Even a foolish expenditure creates jobs and increases the QOL for a state's citizens, so I'm not surprised they didn't turn it down on first blush. As it stands, we'll lose those reverting funds. Maybe they'll go to a tattoo-removal program for South Central L.A.

Here's some of what the fiscal conservatives in AZ are doing:

http://www.shrm.org/LegalIssues/Statean ... tates.aspx

Realistically, Steve, both our states are, in a nutshell, f***ed. Compare and enjoy:

http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/Cal ... ansparency
http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/Ari ... ate_budget

Interestingly, California's legislators have declined to put details of the state's spending online. How's that for transparency?

[srellim234]

California's failure to put spending details online is explainable. They don't know what the h*ll they're spending it on.

They can't put it online because our gov't over here is still operating with computers and software from the 1990s or earlier. You wouldn't believe some of the formats my wife has to submit things in. I imagine they're still on 56k dial-up modems and the details would take too long to upload.

[AZhitman]

Wow.

Silicon Valley used to be in CA, didn't it?

[IBCoupe]

Were they out of infrastructure to improve? Is that why they wanted squirrel bridges? Were there monkeys? Some terrible budget monkeys maybe got loose?

[WDRacing]

The way our country does financial appropriations is broken and has been for years. When I was just an Airman in 93 I drove one of my units new trucks around the flight line for the entire shift every day for a week. Because if we didn't show the vehicle was being used (mileage totals during reporting periods) it would have gone to a squadron that needed it more.

I can't think of an easier to understand argument for something being broken then that. Now take this line of thought and bring it to a state and federal level. It doesn't have a single thing to do with either party or any affiliation. The Gov as a whole is broken. Some states may be worse off then others, but finger pointing and excuses are all you're going to get.

[srellim234]

AZ- I want to officially apologize for attempting to embarrass Arizona now that we have even more lunacy happening as we speak in California. You will not believe what is being debated in the California state legislature this week.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_15509970

http://www.sgvtribune.com/ci_15539650

Taking care of the trial lawyers and basing it on dubious scientific evidence as it relates to a rock is far more important than a budget, unemployment, illegal immigration, water and energy shortages. That's right. The California state legislature is spending its time debating de-certification of the official state rock!

[AZhitman]

AZ- I want to officially apologize for attempting to embarrass Arizona now that we have even more lunacy happening as we speak in California. You will not believe what is being debated in the California state legislature this week.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_15509970

http://www.sgvtribune.com/ci_15539650

Taking care of the trial lawyers and basing it on dubious scientific evidence as it relates to a rock is far more important than a budget, unemployment, illegal immigration, water and energy shortages. That's right. The California state legislature is spending its time debating de-certification of the official state rock!

No need for an apology - You were doing what we do here in the Politics forum, and doing it well.

But HOLY DAMN. Yeah, that's a freakin' doozie. I've made my thoughts on your fair state quite clear, this one's simply one more reason I simply can't stand CA. And I feel bad for the good people who are stuck there.