Chef Jim Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Feel free to add your own example of the public sector financially out of touch. I'll start with Caltrans spending $20,000,000 to blow up a underwater pier. Now I'm not a demolition specialist but I think that's just a wee bit high. They intend to spend a total of $190,000,000 to blow the other dozen up. I'd like to know how much of that $20,000,000 was spent on making sure no sacred sea life were injured. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Bay-Bridge-demolition-set-for-early-Saturday-6632160.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakeYouToTasker Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 The state of Rhode Island changed the laws surround it's economic development corporation in order to give an 80m loan to Curt Schilling and his company 38 Studios to relocate to the state. The company soon went out of business leaving Rhode Island tax payers on the hook for upward of 112m in principal. interest, and fees. http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/28/technology/38-studios/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 The state of Rhode Island changed the laws surround it's economic development corporation in order to give an 80m loan to Curt Schilling and his company 38 Studios to relocate to the state. The company soon went out of business leaving Rhode Island tax payers on the hook for upward of 112m in principal. interest, and fees. http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/28/technology/38-studios/index.htm Good. This is the **** I'm looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakeYouToTasker Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Good. This is the **** I'm looking for. It gets better. The presiding Speaker of the House in the Rhode Island Legislature, the most powerful position in our state government, Gordon Fox, was successfully prosecuted for corruption charges by the FBI (unknown if related to the 38 Studios debacle). He was the one who pushed the legislation through. In the wake of the who mess, the new legislature has fought against any oversight review, any House led investigation, any criminal investigation, and any independent investigation of the events surrounding the loan and the change of the laws leading up to it. Finally at 5 years, it's gotten some traction, but with the entire Rhode Island State government structure fighting against it at every step, and everything being done incrementally. Were at the point now where a House investigation has been approved, but has no subpoena power, and is charged with investigating itself. Fortunately the issue isn't dying, and it looks like sunlight will break in at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 (edited) It gets better. The presiding Speaker of the House in the Rhode Island Legislature, the most powerful position in our state government, Gordon Fox, was successfully prosecuted for corruption charges by the FBI (unknown if related to the 38 Studios debacle). He was the one who pushed the legislation through. In the wake of the who mess, the new legislature has fought against any oversight review, any House led investigation, any criminal investigation, and any independent investigation of the events surrounding the loan and the change of the laws leading up to it. Finally at 5 years, it's gotten some traction, but with the entire Rhode Island State government structure fighting against it at every step, and everything being done incrementally. Were at the point now where a House investigation has been approved, but has no subpoena power, and is charged with investigating itself. Fortunately the issue isn't dying, and it looks like sunlight will break in at some point. Well come on, Shilling did pitch that game with a bloody sock!! Why would you doubt his ability to create and run a huge video game company to compete with guys who run companies like Facebook? Edited November 17, 2015 by KD in CT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Man Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Unfortunately, there are waaaaay too many examples. $70 Mil for Michelle Obama’s Program to Empower Girls in PakistanOCTOBER 26, 2015 $13 Mil to Help Central American Youths That Don’t Make it to U.S. OCTOBER 01, 2015 Six examples of government waste from this year’s budget-hawk reports https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/federal-eye/wp/2015/04/13/six-examples-of-government-waste-from-this-years-budget-hawk-reports/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 $80 million on a five-year project to replace the government's investigative systems. $137 million and eight years later, they were 20% done when they pulled the plug. Three months later they were hacked. Never mind the government retirement and pension system - I don't know how much they've spent. I DO know that every attempt (currently in #4, and going poorly) at computerizing it over the past four decades has failed, and failed badly. The total bill for that is about a half-billion, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinga Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Here is all the pork you could possibly read through.... http://cagw.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I haven't seen this much pork since I ran across that muppets rule 34 page. it ain't easy being green. but they do make an ointment for it now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Large Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 (edited) http://www.npr.org/2015/06/09/413178870/the-unfinished-va-hospital-thats-more-than-1-billion-over-budget We offered to amend our second inpatient tower to help accommodate and facility share with the VA, no go. We built our $400m projected 350 bed inpatient tower for the price of, 400M. They are 1B over, a Billion over already... The VA is still not done years after beginning, they built multiple building instead of one, and it doesn't really look close to done imho. Again, over by a billion already and not done. We could have build 3-4 350 patient towers for that... Makes Schillings company and pier destruction look like child's play. Edited November 17, 2015 by B-Large Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Feel free to add your own example of the public sector financially out of touch. I'll start with Caltrans spending $20,000,000 to blow up a underwater pier. Now I'm not a demolition specialist but I think that's just a wee bit high. They intend to spend a total of $190,000,000 to blow the other dozen up. I'd like to know how much of that $20,000,000 was spent on making sure no sacred sea life were injured. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Bay-Bridge-demolition-set-for-early-Saturday-6632160.php How much should it costs to get rid of underwater obstructions like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 How much should it costs to get rid of underwater obstructions like this? About $6M, judging by the original estimate. The study of cormorants alone probably doubled that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 About $6M, judging by the original estimate. The study of cormorants alone probably doubled that. Sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Sure You could look it up, you know. Just like I did. But of course, it's easier for you to have others do the work, then reject their work without doing any yourself. You !@#$ing child. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 You could look it up, you know. Just like I did. But of course, it's easier for you to have others do the work, then reject their work without doing any yourself. You !@#$ing child. Oh, I thought you were in on the project and did the estimate yourself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 How much should it costs to get rid of underwater obstructions like this? Obstruction? How is it an obstruction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Obstruction? How is it an obstruction? Ships could bump into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 Ships could bump into it. You'd be right if this was in a shipping lane but it's not so you're wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 You'd be right if this was in a shipping lane but it's not so you're wrong. Fine I am wrong. Do you feel better? I mean wow, that's the type of stupid, inane questions you always ask. Like a little kid, "Mommy, why is that man grabbing that girls behind?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 Fine I am wrong. Do you feel better? I mean wow, that's the type of stupid, inane questions you always ask. Like a little kid, "Mommy, why is that man grabbing that girls behind?" I know son. Sometimes it's hard to admit when your wrong. But there is not reason to lash out like those poor oppressed ISIS guys. Now back to the thread topic. So if the piers are not underwater obstructions why are we paying nearly $200,000,000 to remove them? Is there someone who is getting rich over this? Are there more important things the Caltrans can be doing with that money like infrastructure needs? Hey that was your idea wasn't it? See son there was a reason why I asked the question regarding your obstruction comment. Don't you feel silly for lashing out now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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