The USDA is blowing through taxpayer dollars, spending millions of your dollars on “local initiatives.”
Elizabeth Harrington over at Free Beacon is reporting that “the federal agency announced $18.1 million in loans and grants last month, describing the projects as an ‘efficient way’ to benefit taxpayers. The spending includes over $150,000 for two snowmobile clubs in Vermont.”
The list of projects has little to do with agriculture: “$171,000 to build a parking lot in Marianna, Fla., and a $1,760,000 zero-interest loan to expand a retirement community in Orange City, Iowa. Another project will cost taxpayers $85,000 to ‘beautify a downtown area into an attractive park’ in Boonville, Ind.”
And here’s some more of Uncle Sugar’s generosity:
A quarter of a million dollars is being spent to build a “medically oriented gym” in Iowa. Funds will also go towards local fire departments, including $200,000 for a fire engine in Trenton, N.C., and $300,000 to help build a fire station in South Dakota.
Two local Chamber of Commerce offices in Tennessee will receive $10,000 and $3,500 on “various marketing materials,” and a nonprofit organization in Vermont is getting $78,098 for a “promotional campaign to attract Canadian shoppers.”
“I am proud of the work USDA has done to help small businesses grow in rural America because they are the engine that creates jobs,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “These funds will allow small and emerging businesses and the organizations that support them to get the financing they need to strengthen their operations, create jobs, and expand economic opportunities.”
“Thanks to the 2014 Farm Bill, we can continue this work in a more streamlined and efficient way to benefit small businesses and the American taxpayer,” he said.
So this money is being spent for “job creation.” (Quick, what’s it called when the government owns the means of production?)
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