Bright Lights in Texas Leave Wisconsin Taxpayers in the Dark

Posted August 10, 2010

[Oshkosh, WI] In 2009, Russ Feingold voted for a stimulus bill he said would create jobs and pontificated that the funds should be spent wisely. But since that time Wisconsin has lost 82,000 jobs, Feingold is defending his vote, and a new report details 100 egregious examples of unwise stimulus spending.

The City of Euless, Texas earmarked almost half a million dollars in federal stimulus funds for the replacement of ball field lighting at its Softball World facility. The facility hosts games and charges teams entry fees, but instead of asking teams to pay for the new lighting through fees, Russ Feingold asked Wisconsin taxpayers to pay for lights they’ll never see.

After both saying stimulus dollars should be spent wisely and subsequently defending his vote, it looks like Russ Feingold approves of projects that are a total waste of taxpayer resources while failing to provide real solutions to Wisconsin’s economic crisis.

“Instead of shedding light on wasteful stimulus spending, Russ Feingold is defending a vote to fund stadium lighting upgrades in Texas,” said Juston Johnson, Campaign Manager for Ron Johnson for Senate. “Spending half a million dollars on stadium lights in Texas doesn’t mean they’ll be bright enough for Wisconsin taxpayers to see their benefit.”

The Johnson Campaign will be highlighting wasteful stimulus spending projects Russ Feingold believes are getting the job done for Wisconsin families until Election Day.

Stimulus Facts:

Feingold Said “Stimulus” Must Be Spent Wisely. “Now that the economic recovery package has been signed into law, our focus must be on the challenges ahead, including getting our fiscal house in order and making sure that there is strong oversight of these taxpayer dollars. These funds must be spent wisely if they are to truly work for Wisconsin’s families.”  (Editorial, “Russ Feingold: Stimulus Package Makes Sense,” La Crosse Tribune, 2/25/2009.)

Three days prior to the signing of the stimulus, Senator Feingold issued a press release saying the stimulus would create 2.4 million jobs in the first year, and about nine million jobs in the first three years. (Senator Russ Feingold, ”Statement of U.S. Russ Feingold On The Economic Recovery Package,” Feingold Press Office, February 10, 2009.)

Feingold Provided the 60th Vote for the Stimulus Package. (H.R. 1, 2009 Roll Call #64: Adopted 60-38, 2/13/09, Feingold Voted Yea)

The National Economy has lost over 2.2 Million jobs since the stimulus was signed. (Source, Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed July 27, 2010.)

Since the Stimulus was signed, the State of Wisconsin has lost 82,000 jobs. (Source, Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed July 27, 2010)

Feingold Defends Stimulus Vote. “I don’t apologize for those votes. Those were the right votes.” (“Feingold defends voting record, Hudson Star Observer, 7/28/2010)

New Report Details Misdirected Stimulus Spending. “Stimulus money is going toward iPods for high school students in Utah, cell phones for smokers trying to quit in Washington, D.C., and advertising devoted to the promotion of … the stimulus. The findings are part of a 74-page report put out by a pair of Republican senators who contend the $862 billion program is fraught with needless spending.” (“New GOP Report Details Misdirected Stimulus Spending, Associated Press, 8/3/2010)

calendar