Remember, this economic stimulus bill is supposed to be used as a catalyst to re-start our economy. Period.

billion for Amtrak, which hasn’t earned a profit in four decades.

0 million for research into global warming.

.4 billion for projects to demonstrate how carbon greenhouse gas can be safely removed from the atmosphere.

Remember, this economic stimulus bill is supposed to be used as a catalyst to re-start our economy. Period.

0 million for coupons to help consumers convert their TV sets from analog to digital, part of the digital TV conversion.

0 million to buy a new fleet of cars for federal employees and government departments.

million to fund programs to help people quit smoking.

million to re-sod the National Mall, which suffered heavy use during the Inauguration.

Remember, this economic stimulus bill is supposed to be used as a catalyst to re-start our economy. Period.

.25 billion for national parks. This item has sparked calls for an investigation, because the chief lobbyist of the National Parks Association is the son of Rep. David R. Obey, D-Wisc. The ,25 billion is about equal to the National Park Service’s entire annual budget. The Washington Times reports it is a threefold increase over what was originally proposed for parks in the stimulus bill. Obey is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

5 million for treatment and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.

million for the National Endowment for the Arts. .19 billion to stave off foreclosures via the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The bill allows nonprofits to compete with cities and states for .44 billion of the money, which means a substantial amount of it will be captured by ACORN, the controversial activist group currently under federal investigation for vote fraud. Another 0 million would be exclusively reserved for nonprofits such as ACORN – meaning cities and states are barred from receiving that money. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., charges the money could appear to be a “payoff” for the partisan political activities community groups in the last election cycle.

million to renovate the headquarters building of the Agriculture Department.

Remember, this economic stimulus bill is supposed to be used as a catalyst to re-start our economy. Period.

billion for a “smart electricity grid to minimize waste.

billion of Medicaid funds, to aid states.

.4 billion for science facilities, high speed Internet, and miscellaneous energy and environmental programs.

Remember, this economic stimulus bill is supposed to be used as a catalyst to re-start our economy. Period.

billion to repair and weatherize public housing, help the homeless, repair foreclosed homes.

billion for quicker depreciation and write-offs for equipment.

.3 billion for tax credits to help families defray the cost of college tuition.

billion over five years for an expanded food stamp program.

Remember, this economic stimulus bill is supposed to be used as a catalyst to re-start our economy. Period.

Now how about those earmarks…?

billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Dept. of Energy defunded last year because the project was inefficient

0 million for the digital television (DTV) converter coupon program

million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (ship)

8 million for constructing the Dept. of Homeland Security HQ

8 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters

0 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees

0 million for the CDC to screen and prevent STD’s

.4 billion for a rural waste disposal programs

5 million for the Washington, D.C. sewer system

0 million for Smithsonian museum facilities

billion for the 2010 Census, projected cost overrun of billion

million for “smoking cessation activities”

0 million for public computer centers at community colleges

million for salaries of employees at the FBI

million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction

0 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River

million to inspect canals in urban areas

billion to turn federal buildings into “green” buildings

0 million for state and local fire stations

0 million for wildland fire management on Forest Service lands

0 million for Smithsonian museum facilities

.2 billion for “youth activities,” including youth summer job programs

million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service

2 million for CDC buildings and property

0 million for building and repairing NIH facilities in Bethesda, MD

0 million for “paid volunteers” at the Corporation for National and Community Service

.5 million for “energy efficiency initiatives” at the VA “National Cemete