http://www.businessinsider.com/stimulus-package-contains-11-million-bridge-to-microsoft-give-away-2009-3 --------------------------------------- Remember how the stimulus package was passed so quickly legislators complained no one had time to actually read the thing?
We're already starting to see the fruit: Road-building provisions in the stimulus will see $11 million go to what Bloomberg News is calling the 'Bridge to Microsoft' -- a highway overpass to connect two parts of Microsoft'swooded Washington State corporate campus.
At first glance, it seems pretty outrageous. But in Microsoft's defense, we note the company had already planned to suspend building new facilities, meaning without the extra $11 million a new highway overpass would probably not be built for years, contributing to what we're told is heavy congestion in Redmond.
Infrastructure building is stimulus. People get jobs who wouldn't have them otherwise and spend salaries they wouldn't have to spend otherwise and jolt some life into the death spiral and we're left with something lasting to show for it that wouldn't be there otherwise, on top of it of all. One can quibble at targets, that's inevitable given the scale of this thing, but to devote yourself to the quibbling is to risk losing sight of the point.
> Name and shame...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.businessinsider.com/stimulus-package-contains-11-million-bridge-to-microsoft-give-away-2009-3
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Remember how the stimulus package was passed so quickly
legislators complained no one had time to actually read
the thing?
We're already starting to see the fruit: Road-building provisions
in the stimulus will see $11 million go to what Bloomberg News
is calling the 'Bridge to Microsoft' -- a highway overpass
to connect two parts of Microsoft'swooded Washington State
corporate campus.
At first glance, it seems pretty outrageous. But in Microsoft's
defense, we note the company had already planned to suspend building
new facilities, meaning without the extra $11 million a new highway
overpass would probably not be built for years, contributing to
what we're told is heavy congestion in Redmond.
Infrastructure building is stimulus. People get jobs who wouldn't have them otherwise and spend salaries they wouldn't have to spend otherwise and jolt some life into the death spiral and we're left with something lasting to show for it that wouldn't be there otherwise, on top of it of all. One can quibble at targets, that's inevitable given the scale of this thing, but to devote yourself to the quibbling is to risk losing sight of the point.
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