Friday, April 23, 2010

Another Green Initiative That Will Make You See Red

Congress is planning another assault on your pocketbook, and this time it's to build Green Schools. I had no idea that the House had already passed a bill, The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, and now it's in the Senate for consideration.  This is in addition to the $56 Billion already allowed for school construction, renovations and repairs in the stimulus bill.

The best part is, that studies have shown that green schools run over budget and do not save the energy they promise.  But, why should that matter?  As long as they are green, we'll all feel a lot better about it.

Fox News has provided a Tax Calculator (link provided in article below) where you can find out what your share of this big waste of $39.2 Billion over 5 years will be (that number is bound to be under-estimated as many government price projections usually are).  You can also take their poll to tell them what you think about it.

This may seem like a "drop in the bucket" in the big scheme of things, but when you think about it, it's just another example of the Federal government over-reaching and taking control of what should be the responsiblity of State government.  Not only that, it's an example of the willingness of Congress to blow taxpayer money on a wasteful program that studies show will go way over budget and produce no real energy saving results. 

America cannot afford to continue this spending spree.  Our debt is out of control.  Be very careful when voting.  Check the backgrounds of your candidates and choose only those who you believe will be fiscally responsible.  I know it is difficult to tell what a person will do once they are in office, but now more than ever, we must work vigilently on damage control before it's too late (and I'm not sure it isn't already).

Your Money for ‘Green’ Schools?
by: William La Jeunesse
A large chunk of your state income taxes goes to education, and schools benefit from a portion of your local property taxes, too.
Now the federal government is considering a big increase in its spending on school construction -- with your money.
Already, as federal taxpayers, we pay $70 billion a year for K-12 education, much of it going to teacher salaries and school lunches.
Then last year, Congress approved another $56 billion for school construction, renovation and repairs in the economic stimulus bill.
CLICK HERE FOR FOXNEWS.COM TAX CALCULATOR:
http://www.foxnews.com/topics/green-schools-initiative.htm
But now Congress is considering another bill -- the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act -- sponsored by Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Ky., and 25 other Democrats. They say it would create a "healthier, safer and more energy-efficient teaching environment by requiring schools to use green materials."
Some studies, however, say "green" schools are notoriously over budget and consistenly fail to save the energy they promise.
The House has passed the bill, and it now is under consideration in the Senate. The Congressional Budget Office's estimate puts the 5-year cost of the bill at $32.9 billion.
What do you think? You can estimate how much the bill would cost you over those five years by using FoxNews.com's latest tax calculator.
For example, people who earn under $15,000 a year would pay an average of $1.41 to fund the bill. Those making $30,000 to $50,000 would average $53 over five years. And the average for people making $100,000 to $200,000 is $406.

Via: FoxNews.com

12 comments:

  1. CL, Thanks for a great post, info on a wasteful bill I haven't seen anywhere else. Are the figures at the end of the highlighted part per year averages, or the total amount for five years? Either way, it's a total waste as far as I'm concerned. The schools don't need to be green or PC or teach kids how to sing to big O, they just need to work the way they were intended--i.e. get serious with reading, writing, math, and science.

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  2. Why do all the green initiatives not help the environment, or save money? Oh, I remember! It's about control.

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  3. Quonset Huts or Butler Buildings would do just fine.

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  4. Dan:
    I think the estimates are for the 5 years (according to the article). Even if it's only a few dollars, it's the principle of the thing. The federal government has no problem spending our money on wasteful things, whether it's $1 or $1 trillion dollars.
    The environmentalists must get the kids on their side and what better way to do it than infiltrating the schools?

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  5. Hi Petty Officer:
    If the government keeps spending all of our money and putting us in debt, we'll all be living in Quonset huts and Butler buildings.
    Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you'll come back soon.
    Thanks, too, for your service to our country.

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  6. To say that this program will have cost overruns and will never meet the projected savings puts it comfortably in with every other government program ever created.

    "Liberalism always achieves the exact opposite of it's stated intent." - Jim Quinn.

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  7. Hi Snarky:
    I heard about that new gun safety program. Good idea. I'm going for my own gun safety program at a shooting range this week.

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  8. Matt:
    You are absolutely right. Obamacare is a perfect example. Great quote by Jim Quinn.

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  9. Dems are wasteful. But it is OK to them because it is somebody else's money.

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