What has the Federal Government gotten right?

[brandondrury]

When I hate socialism just a little more each and every day, I operate on the premise that the federal government really hasn't ever gotten anything right. I'm learning more about how opening the door to "internal improvements" has lead to a system that hangs on by a fringe.

I'm used to living in Southeast Missouri. We have a $19,000,000 weight room paid for by the government just up the street. It's 5 stories tall and clearly used the most expensive construction posible. That town has a population of 35,000 people. Just a block away, is a brand new Holiday Inn hotel which probably generates 10x the revenue of that weight room. It cost $6,000,000 to build. It cost the tax payers zero. Ironically, there is a weight room in my home town (about 5 miles from the town with the giant weight room) that has a weight room as well. It it's a much smaller place, but it is profitable. I'm guessing they pay $400 per month for rent. This is how I see socialism vs capitalism.

With that said, I'd like to counter my gut feeling and ask "What has the Federal Government gotten right?". When has federal government intervention not been a complete waste or money and resources?

Brandon

[lumpy]

Brandon,
That "5-story weight room" you are referring to actually cost over $57,000,000 (original estimate was $34,000,000) as it sits right now. The reason I say "right now" is because it was originally scheduled to open up in July, 2006. Due to federal governments total lack of fiscal responsibility and accountability, this monument to socialism was built with a sub-par roof that at last count was going to cost an additional $12,000,000 (official government speak-mouth estimate; as with all government budgeting, it's going to cost substantially more) and the ribbon cutting has been pushed back to July, 2008. A full TWO YEARS past the original schedule.

The building sits empty, yet it is lit up like Times Square. Imagine the electricity this monstosity eats every day it sits empty!

The reason this piece of shit is kept lit up is so that the government's subjects can gape slack jawed in awe of their power as we drive by in our 12 year old Mercurys.

Kinda like the Soviets used to erect 100 ft statues of Stalin for their citizens to admire while they waited in bread lines, hoping in vain that they forget the fact that they were starving to death.

In addition to the wasted money, the designers figured out a way to make a building that is 96% percent bigger than the one it replaces, yet is 36% less efficient. There is actually going to be far fewer government agencies as tenents.

But, I'm not taking into account the really swell weight room, daycare facilities and breast feeding closets. Not to mention the nearly %200 upsize the federal police agents are getting.

This thing should be the poster child for government waste. There is nothing that even comes close to it in this area.

While I despise tax funded sports stadiums, at least they bring in a little revenue. Who the fuck is going to benefit from a goddamn courthouse?

Oh yeah, I forgot!

Where is Timithy McVeigh when you need him?

Lump

[brandondrury]

Dude,
I've had a REALLY hard time coming to grips with the socialist tendencies of Lincoln (I'm reading "The Real Lincoln" no) and that of the Cold War. I'm mad as hell because most of the cocksuckers who started this are dead and now I get the feeling that I'm going to be stuck with the bill.

With that said:

The reason this piece of shit is kept lit up is so that the government's subjects can gape slack jawed in awe of their power as we drive by in our 12 year old Mercurys.

This makes me feel like I'm not alone. Thank you! I'm not sure how you could have said it any better!

Kinda like the Soviets used to erect 100 ft statues of Stalin for their citizens to admire while they waited in bread lines, hoping in vain that they forget the fact that they were starving to death.

Right on, brother!

Lump, just to make sure we are on the same page, you are, indeed, talking about the courthouse. I agree with everything you said and I should have been focusing on the courthouse instead, but I was actually talking about the St. Francis "fitness" center across from Burger King on Mt. Auburn.

In the end, there is little difference between them. It's ironic that there are two monuments to Joseph Stalin in a town that had an overcrowded school the very first year after dumping over $40,000,000 into it.

I'm trying to figure out where Cape citizens are coming up with money for $20,000,000 weight rooms, $60,000,000 courthouses, and a zillion million for churches. The damn city is only 35,000 people.

According to my math (and omitting the churches) that comes out to $2285.71 per person. For a courthouse and a weightroom??????????????????????

Brandon

[lumpy]

How did a private hospital get public funding for their fitness club, spa, whatever the fuck it is? How did I miss this?

Fucking fuck fuck flarve fucking fuck fucker fuck fuck fuck

Lump

[brandondrury]

How did a private hospital get public funding for their fitness club, spa, whatever the fuck it is? How did I miss this?

They didn't get direct funding that I know of, but it's an indirect offshoot of socialist bullshit. I probably should have specified this before hand.

A non-profit hospital charges so much money (which it can get away with because of the capitalist derailment of insurance, the capitalist derailment of "non-profit", and the fact that all the other hospitals in town are doing the same thing) that the only way they can get their profits down to zero is to build a monstrosity for an auxilary little feature like weight lifting that would NEVER pull a profit in this area with overhead like that.

Jim Drury sat me down and explained it to me. The new Holiday Inn is built out of wood because at the time wood was a fraction of the price and, in his opinion, was more than adequate for the construction of a commercial facility. The new weight room is built out of metal BECAUSE metal costs WAY more.

Regardless if the government directly paid for the $19,000,000 weight room is irrelevant. The people pay for it in the end. That $19,000,000 has to come from somewhere. I wouldn't have a problem with a business doing what they need to do to make money. That's fine. However, when they are getting special privileges from the government, there is a problem. Artificially inflating health care costs and then blowing the money on a soloflex is clearly an abuse of "non-profit", especially in the area of health care. I wouldn't give a shit if they put a $20,000,000 weight room addition on the Harley-Davidson dealer.

Brandon

[brandondrury]

Speaking of Jim Drury, let's not forget the cultural mecca known as the "River City Campus". That's another $50,000,000. So how is that working out for us?

I did a mortgage calculator thingy just to get a rough idea of what the monthly bill is for this:

Monthly payment: 30 Years
Interest rate: 5.750%
Loan amount: $ 50,000,000.00
$ 291,786.43 a month

Let's see. There are 35,000 people in Cape. That means it costs each person $8 per month unless the thing turns a profit. (YEAH!).

Brandon

[lumpy]

All right, I'm getting what you're saying about the ginourmous weight room. Basically it's the same as fat, alcoholic chain smokers running up health care; the've made enemies out of all of us.

I went to a show over at the River Campus the other night (don't laugh asshole). And I was actually kinda disappointed (not with the show). The Bidell (beatle) theater seats like 900 and change and the asthetics are akin to the original County Stadium in Milwaukee. The decor would've been quite attractive had it been 1978 vs 2008. It just blows my mind that they started with a blank piece of paper considering the wasted space.

Oh yeah, and you can't drink in the theater even though they sell sodas, **** light beer and cheezoid wine-in-a-box-by-the-cup in the atrium. I figure this will change soon because the floors in the theater are bare concrete with drain holes everywhere.

Jim Drury is a gentleman and a great capitalist!

Lump

[brandondrury]

I went to a show over at the River Campus the other night (don't laugh asshole).

Ha! You homo!

In all seriousness, 1978 decor? So it looks like Aldi's? ha ha (Actually, they just did a remodel of Aldi's last summer and changed it to 1983. I thought that was just as awesome as their quarter for a cart system).

Just for fun, I just checked to see that the new Busch Statium costed about 7 times more than the River City Campus. I imagine that the stadium brings in more $1 with zeros that I feel like typing each year. In other words, I can't argue with that investment. I don't see the River City Campus bringing in 1/7 the business. Who's going to pay $7 for a beer to watch a play or whatever?

Jim Drury is a gentleman and a great capitalist!

I need to call up the great uncles before they croak. I usually have a life changing lesson each time I talk to them. (Once every 3 or 4 years).

Brandon

[kyle barton]

what has the federal government gotten right?

hmmmm.

• the appeals process
• 3 branches of government that VERY rarely get along
• the 1st amendment, and i'm a big fan of a lot of the other amendments too.
• and the constitution is pretty great too.

stuff i hate about the government...

• the appeals process
• 3 branches of government that VERY rarely get along
• the electoral college. i think it was one of those classic "good ideas at the time". but i could definitely be wrong on this one.

i don't care much about weight rooms

[brandondrury]

Well, you kind of commented on the cause when I'm looking for positive effects....sort of.

I mean, what actions and policies has the federal government pulled off that benefited people in the way they were intended. The list of failures would be way too long.

Brandon