One of the programs we use here at work conveniently has a white, red and gray color scheme so from a distance....etc
that doesn't make wasting $1mm on signs any smarter political ideologies aside, it's a pretty big waste...I'm sure the $1mm could be used for better purposes. Hell $1mm could keep 25 teachers employed for a year (though I know it wasn't earmarked for that kind of thing) Our federal gov't might be worse than corporations when it comes to wasting money...and the Bush Admin and gov't at the time was no better
I think there's a bit more to it than that. Paying people for work adds some velocity to the economy, but if the work isn't useful and doesn't add value, than it is probably still a waste of money. Otherwise, Shovel Face's suggestion to hire people to dig holes would be helpful, which obviously it would not be. But, the signs do create value and are therefore not a waste of money. It informs the voter and taxpayer about what the government has spent their (grandchildren's) money on. Dessiminating the information is valuable to the government and to the people and hopefully will help voters make informed decisions later. I think the writer of this article and several posters are severely underestimating the value of communicating with and educating the public. And, for a million-dollar construction project, a $3k expense for good sturdy signage is a pittance. They could have a guy write it with a fat marker on a piece of cardboard for cheaper, but I don't think it'd do good things for the reputation of the State of Ohio. Getting in a huff about an overhead expense like this makes me think you've (a general 'you,' not pgab) never really worked in a business of any consequence. Sure, you can add up the costs of all the signs in the state to make a big number to make it sound impressive, but you should also add up all the benefits of the information communicated to so many people and the multiplicative effect it will have on sound decision-making later. We just had that thread about how most people thought the stimulus money was wasted. I think that is at least partly due to a lack of information. I think we'd be well-served with more money spent on signs and other forms of communication to let people know how the money was spent.
It is a waste of money. Just because it technically pumped some $$ into the economy does not mean that it could have been better spent. I highly doubt that Obama cares or is even aware of those signs. He can't be accountable for every stimulus project. Not like the GOP did much to reduce govt during the last 8 years anyways.
