As you stated, most people are indeed in favor of frugal, reasonable, responsible efforts to prevent innocent wildlife from being harmed or driven to extinction, “but at what expense?”

An expenditure buried in Florida’s list of shovel ready projects for a $3.4 million Stimulus dollar funded Tallahassee turtle tunnel rose from obscurity when Sen. Tom Coburn issued his top 100 worst Stimulus spending projects.

Curiosity and interest for more details on the $3.4 million dollar post-dated check written during the Obama spending orgy was intensified by the preposterous comments made by the hyper-passionate proponents of the 3.4 million dollar turtle passageway.

Government representatives, feeling the heat from the light of public scrutiny after nationwide news reports revealed the turtle tunnel details, have become as articulate as Johnny Cochran in their less-than-accurate defense of the project.

Taxpayers were subtly told about the Stimulus project plans, “If the tunnel fits, you must remit.”

Obvious weakening of public support for the new tunnelbahn, designed specifically to insure safe passage for turtles and frogs from an 1800 lake to 50 acre pond, has public officials shifting their arguments from turtles to public safety as a prime reason for spending the funds.

Without any documented evidence of a single turtle caused automobile accident report at the site, government representatives have became more creative than Star Trek conventioneers, offering far fetched, anecdotal evidence of the potential dangers to drivers from unfettered turtle forays onto the Tallahassee highway.

One government spokesman employed the use of shocking visual imagery to sway public support by suggesting that collisions with turtles could create flying projectiles that could come crashing through driver’s windshields.

Adding to turtle crossing folklore, a local county commissioner suggested a nightmare scenario of a driver colliding with a 40 pound turtle, creating in the reader’s mind, the same impact as hitting a Wyoming boulder.

Emboldened by official pronouncements describing the likelihood of driver impalement by flying snapping turtles and collisions with giant 40 to 50pound turtles the size of manhole covers; green eco-spending zealots added additional animals that might likely choose to avail themselves of safe passage through the long dark tunnel, which will run under a four lane highway in the highly developed Florida capital.

Black bear and white tailed deer are said to be planning their AAA “trip ticket” through the passageway even though the entry point is located next to a liquor store in a highly developed area where the deer must be secretly housed in lakeside condos. The popularity of Bambi and Yogi, representing the larger animal travel demographic, is apparently thought to evoke more sympathy from the animal loving public. Will the Sasquatch be the next critter included in potential tunnel crossing herd?

No one doubts that the cars damaging collisions with wildlife are a problem around the country…… but apparently, not at this location.

Very few people are against reasonable efforts to prevent innocent wildlife , but at what expense?

Admirable work by compassionate volunteers resulted in the erection of an inexpensive fabric filter fence for $10,000 or so that effectively stopped the majority of turtle deaths for the last nine years. But the project is now headed for a $3.4 million dollar Stimulus money subsidy added to the $2.6 million dollars already spent in state and local money, for a total government run ”makeover” price of $6 million dollars. “What’s Not To Wear” producers are said to be looking at the “makeover” transition for their season ending episode.

Rational thinking by most who examine the turtle problem would lead to the logical conclusion that an inexpensive chain link fence would suffice in stopping the turtle carnage, caused by turtle seeking higher grounds to lay their eggs or just traveling from one water body to another as turtles are prone to do, rather than the construction of expensive concrete tunnel infrastructure. There is already an eight foot tall steel culvert under the road into which a new chain link fence would funnel the critters.

The turtlebahn is really just an example of the bigger problem that goes on in every community in every state in our country. The template looks like this:

Passionate individuals identify problem or perceived problem.

Supporters and volunteers are recruited to address problem.

Support groups and press are enlisted to elevate cause to “cause celebre” status.

Non objective media outlets become underwriters of the cause by supplying free advertising.

Profile of cause is raised from “cause célèbre” to “noble cause”, the minimum threshold level needed to attract politicians seeking to enhance their resumes with “noble cause” experience.

Government funds are sought to finance the cause.

Volunteers, press, and politicians become lobbyists for the funding.

Funding is granted.

Small, effective, and inexpensive volunteer project balloons to giant, inefficient government run program.

Another success for the government “body snatchers”, who, aided by the ” Do Gooders” gang (member from the ranks of ex volunteers), have successfully kidnapped an inexpensive and sucessful volunteer-run enterprise, and replaced it with an expensive, massive government run look-a-like. In turn, previous voluntary financial support for the enterprise becomes replaced with funds mandated for the 50% of the taxpayers who pay 97% of all taxes. The kidnap victim, who had been nurtured by private voluntary acts of kindness, must now look to the hand of government for its sustenance and must live in the world of the government gulag, financed with a Chinese mortgage with a 40% loan to value ratio.

Blind support for unreasonable government projects only confirms what critics of government waste intuitively know in the pit of their conservative stomachs; do-gooders like to do a whole “lotta” good when they are using somebody else’s money, especially Stimulus money. There is no end to the creative ways they can conjure up to spend it.

Instead of creating jobs, interest rates were bumped up, the dollar slid… and it didn’t help anybody get any work. Much of this is due to the fact that Obama’s agenda has mortified almost every machine of job-and-growth creation in the country.

The One couldn’t deliver the type of “temporary, targeted, and timely” bill that he promised repeatedly. And regardless of his image in the MSM, Obama simply lacks the the political stature to control Pelosi and Reid… who hit the trough hard, while bickering like children.

And the lack of GOP co-conspirators exposed Obama politically… this legislation now looks to be a HUGE gamble. And when all this pork-n-welfare fails to generate any real economic gains, the Democrats will face a bloodbath in 2010.

http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com

It’s good to have information from the “other side of the fence.” Thanks, Ron.