Grant money woes

Restrictions on government money lead to wasteful, inefficient spending

How many thousands of dollars does it take to teach Georgians how to drive? Try nearly $1 million.

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety just awarded the University $836,470 to train “technicians” in car-seat buckling, rearview-mirror adjusting and friction-easing between driving teens and their parents.

How about this:

If you can’t buckle your kids in their car seat, either a) rethink your eligibility as a parent, or b) get a new car seat.

If you have trouble adjusting your rearview mirror, then a) you need to put down the keys, and b) there is obviously something seriously wrong with our driver’s licensing system.

Finally, if you and your teen can’t handle the road together, either a) deal with it, or b) try a therapist.

In a better economy, we, the editorial board, might celebrate our Traffic Injury Prevention Institute for landing such a hefty grant. But in this economy, with one furlough day down and still millions in debt, we feel this use of nearly $1 million is wasteful.

Unfortunately, the GOHS grant comes with a prescript mandating how it must be spent. So the writing’s in the red tape. It’s the blessing and curse of government money.

We don’t blame the institute for doing its job in applying for a state grant. But when the economy’s down, might we stop and think before catering to bureaucratic rules that may not apply in trying times?

We need to tear down the red tape and put an end to wasteful spending by using grant money where it is needed most.

Here’s an idea:

Let’s shovel that $836,470 into the $16.7 million hole that is our budget deficit. And after a couple million more in that hole, we’ll consider training car seat technicians.

- Hayley Peterson for the editorial board

Tax breaks for Spot

A new bill will make owning pets cheaper

While we all know how the economy has affected people and businesses, few of us have paused to think about the impact on our beloved pets.

According to the Arizona Humane Society, the rates of pet abandonment doubled in 2008 and are still on the rise.

U.S. Rep Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) proposed a bill that would allow pet owners to deduct up to $3,500 from their taxable incomes.

This bill is the first of its kind and offers hope not just to families, but to overcrowded animal shelters. Pet adoption rates are down resulting in overcrowding and increases in putting animals to sleep.

The editorial board supports McCotter’s legislation. We all have our respective furry friends and are pleased that steps are being taken toward ensuring their places in our homes.

- Megan Otto for the editorial board.