It Is Their Money Too

As the ocean of stimulus money flows over the nation, curiosities and anomalies keep popping up. Recently the city of Euless, TX became a source of acrimony in Washington over the city's plan to use a part of the $454,000 in federal stimulus funding it received to replace light bulbs at a series of local softball fields. The project was one of a hundred singled out by Senators as wasteful and mismanaged.

The criticism took officials in Euless by surprise. They had simply taken advantage of a program the federal government made available. The lights needed changing and the government was giving away money. It made perfect sense. There was nothing duplicitous or underhanded about it. The United States may not have needed new lights at a softball field, but Euless did. Still, many grumble that officials in Euless did not look at the big picture. They only saw what the city of Euless needed. Rather than contemplate the national economy, Euless decided to spend the money and fix something that needed fixing.

It is not as though the money was wasted. According to the Energy Department, 2.8 jobs were saved by the spending. That has to count for something.