I wanted to link to this blog following the developments related to the Iowa Rainforest Project, a massive undertaking planning on producing a tourist trap/research project that would create an enclosed rainforest in Coralville, Iowa.
I've been skeptical of the project from the start, primarily because I'm fairly skeptical of the government in general, especially when they announce big spending projects. My main beef with it is: if Iowa really needed a rainforest, wouldn't some enterprising business person come along and build one? Wouldn't he or she charge and make a profit off of it? The answer to both questions is "no." So then, I ask, why do we need this again?
People say that it will provide jobs and increased revenue due to the flocks of tourists that will want to see it. These are benefits (unproven though they are), but I feel guilty spending federal dollars (of which a tiny percentage I myself contributed to) on this "pork project." I certainly wouldn't want someone to use my money and build this in Alabama or Alaska. However, just like all pork projects, this is what happens.
John Stossel wrote a great opinion piece today on just this topic. Click here and give it a read.
No comments:
Post a Comment