Arbor Update

Federal Funds for Ann Arbor

30. November 2004 • Brandon
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Pork for Thanksgiving?:

Several entities in Washtenaw and Livingston counties were big winners in the federal appropriations bill that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives.

A review of local projects, including transportation and capital improvement initiatives, written into the $388 billion spending package for the next fiscal year shows local representatives brought home the bacon, despite a mounting federal deficit.

U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, whose district includes eastern Washtenaw, western Wayne and all of Monroe counties, secured more than $12 million in funding, more than a quarter of which will directly benefit Washtenaw County.

Notable windfalls were awarded to the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority ($1 million), a SEMCOG light-rail study ($1.5 million), and the UM Health System ($600,000).

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1. I’m torn—should I be irritated at the pork, or happy that AATA and the rail study got funding?
   
   Given that the money probably would have gone to Alaska to build an 8 lane highway that dead-ends in the tundra if it hadn’t come here, I suppose I can be unabashedly happy it came here. At least these are more efficient uses of federal $s.
   
   (Even more so because more federal dollars spent on transit means fewer federal dollars spent in the future on roads…)
      —Murph    Nov. 30 '04 - 02:27PM    #
   
2. Pork is similar to terrorism. Pork is pork and terrorism is terrorism only when it is received/committed by someone other than ourselves and our allies. For example when Israel bombs Gaza it is not terrorism. When Ann Arbor gets federal funding for special projects it is not pork. Ohio receives government pork. The Palestinians are terrorists. Y’all need to learn how to frame your debates like the Republicans.
      —Kat    Nov. 30 '04 - 04:19PM    #