In more positive news....

Perhaps the federal government needs to take a look at how we do things here in Virginia to learn how to increase transparency for a lower cost... (okay, that's not the only lesson they could learn from Virginia- the #1 best managed state, but that's another post entirely...)

The Heartland Institute reports...

Virginia taxpayers scored a big win in the 2009 General Assembly session ... [with] a bill putting more of the state’s budget and expenditures online in a user-friendly format easily accessible to the general public.

Now that's great news in and of itself. Making it even better? The pricetag.

Early in the legislative session the bill faced serious opposition from all parties when the Department of Planning and Budget hung a $3 million price tag on it. However, Cuccinelli worked closely with Virginia’s auditor of public accounts, Walter Kucharski, to eliminate any financial impact or additional burden on taxpayers.

Government spending transparency? No added costs to taxpayers? Priceless.

And this is health care "reform"???

They "say" that they are trying to "reform" health care and insure more Americans. So why are their billions of dollars being spent on pork projects?

Sweeping healthcare legislation working its way through Congress is more than an effort to provide insurance to millions of Americans without coverage. Tucked within is a provision that could provide billions of dollars for walking paths, streetlights, jungle gyms, and even farmers’ markets.

And while we are fully in support of encouraging individuals to take more responsibility for their own health through healthy lifestyle choices, we think that there are other ways to do this- rather than the federal government spending BILLIONS on new playgrounds and streetlights, as Senator Mike Enzi has been trying to tell Congress.

Enzi has said that instead of paying for pathways, it would be more effective to encourage lower insurance premiums for individuals who can prove they have taken steps to improve their health. He said that construction grants belong in other bills.

Exactly.

But then again, what did we expect when government gets involved? They aren't exactly known for their efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

FREE Money... scary