This is so stupid that I was going to ignore it at first, but Hoekstra insists on jumping up and down and drawing attention to himself, the media is eating it up, so maybe it's time to point out how Pete is wasting YOUR taxpayer dollars by keeping this issue in the forefront, bothering the Governor and MDOT officials with this "death to the turtles" crusade.
Last week, Pete took to the airwaves to complain about a 2-mile long fence that is being built on US 31. This fence will stop turtles from being squished on the highway. Three species of turtles are involved, and let's not forget the humans that swerve all over the road to avoid the turtles, too. Apparently this is a quite a problem along this stretch of highway.
"This fence is a low-cost solution when you consider the potential safety, environmental and economic impacts that could arise if the situation were allowed to continue," said Mike O'Malley, MDOT Transportation Planning manager. "MDOT is required by federal and state law to protect threatened and endangered species."
The state is kicking in a whopping 28 grand. The rest of $318,000 is federal funds and donations. In other words, not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things, especially when you consider that the war efforts are estimated to cost us $2.4 trillion dollars and the Republicans haven't even begun to pay for that yet.
"The state has not requested greater flexibility in how to spend federal highway dollars, and Lansing bureaucrats need to begin to think more creatively in how they address our state's problems." said Hoekstra.
Wrong. That comment was last week. Pete decided he needed yet more attention, so he sent Gov. Granholm a letter this week, reiterating his complaints once again, and asking for the state to... get this... spend taxpayer money.
Thus, I am writing to request that you convene a working group to study how the State can better allocate funds from its budget.
How much will that cost us, Pete? Hoekstra said he would "volunteer" his time. How noble, seeing as how we already pay his salary. Was Pete "volunteering" his time in front of the cameras? Or writing these letters? I have seen three separate news stories on this now with Pete's mug featured - including yet another one leading off the 5 o'clock news today.
How much have you cost us already with this, Pete? Now watch him waste more dollars bothering the Governor, who has better things to do...
Granholm shot back today with a strongly worded letter.
In response to your letter yesterday regarding the state budget and an environmental mitigation project on US 31, it is unfortunate that your offer to improve federal funding flexibility is accompanied by so many factual errors and rhetorical distortions. I speak for many in the state Capitol in rejecting you offer to convene a state budget working group, and instead urge you to focus on the vast amount of unfinished federal business, including your rejection of common sense, bipartisan children's health care legislation.
Yeah. What she said.
Pete went a bit nutty about the turtles in 2005 when this first was proposed. Granholm pointed out that MDOT answered his questions then (costing us how much money?), and that federal law requires states spend a portion of federal highway funds on "non-construction purposes and expressly allows environmental mitigation to reduce wildlife mortality".
Pete was in a position to change this law back when Republicans were in the majority. Granholm asked if he attempted to do so. She probably knows the answer to that already.
Hoekstra says that the state hasn't asked for more flexibility in funding. Not true. In 2003, Granholm testified in Washington specifically asking for flexibility in using funds, and that was granted, and everyone said thank you.
As far as the "lack of creativity" on the part of the state on using funds to create jobs, Granholm had this to say-
Again, you are dead wrong. In fact, in March 2006, I notified you that my Administration would advance more than $300 million in new federal transportation funds to build ready-to-go, local transportation projects, through our innovative Local Jobs Today program. As a result, more than $495 million is being invested in local projects that are creating more than 8,000 jobs, many in communities that you represent.
Not to mention the jobs created by building the fence. There was a funny visual juxtaposition on one TV news story; Pete complaining that we could use this for "jobs", just as they showed a group of guys working on the fence.
One final comment at the end pointed to the ultimate truth.
"Your elected leaders in Lansing have not had the luxury you have had of repeatedly rubber-stamping unbalanced federal budgets. In fact, the federal budgets of the past several years have grown at an average annual rate of more than seven percent since 2002, while Michigan's general fund was lower in 2007 than it was in 2002. With all due respect, I do not believe your state budget advice would advance our state's budget or economic climates."
How does Pete respond to this? With a general non-answer, and he asks for yet more taxpayer dollars to be spent on this diversion.
Hoekstra responded Thursday and said the state needs to get creative. "Instead of saying, well, that's what the feds told us to do, then I guess we ought to go do it. It's kind of saying, if we had more flexibility, if we could do something else with that money, here's where it would go to get Michigan's economy going again."
Hoekstra also asked MDOT for information regarding studies on turtle deaths along that stretch of road, and how much that process cost taxpayers.
No, Pete, why don't you tell us how much YOUR "process" is costing taxpayers. Seems that you are sinking quite a bit of your time, staff time, and now our state officials time into frivolous complaints about something that is perfectly legitimate and even necessary.
Rumor has it that Pete is thinking of running for governor in 2010. Turtles everywhere should be on notice. Taxpayers, too. Seems Pete like to waste everyone's time and money with petty grandstanding to divert your gaze from the real issues that need attention.