WSJ: Hercules Projects Are ‘Pork’

— by Jeffrey Wisniewski — 12 December 2008 — Comments Off

Hercules was mentioned in a Wall Street Journal editorial on pork-barrel spending as part of infrastructure stimulus spending… “Hercules, Calif., wants $2.5 million in hard-earned taxpayer money for a ‘Waterfront Duck Pond Park,’ and another $200,000 for a dog park.” Ouch.

The WSJ has never been considered a duck and dog lover, let alone the Journal’s stance on ponds, yet the author misses a huge point. Both of those costs — the $2.5 million and $200k — go straight into the economy: into materials and equipment, into labor and engineering. That is the definition of stimulus.