One man's pork is another man's bacon; at least it's better than that $500,000 grant to study to sex life of a cabbage plant

Readers of this blog know I am and for a long time have been an ardent fan and supporter of 3rd Congressional District Rep. Jim Marshall. And you know I am very concerned about round 5 of BRAC coming next year.

Rep. Jim Marshall is a necessary -- really indispensable -- part of our state's arsenal in being prepared for the base closure program in 2005.

I also hate to see government waste. Is most government spending wasteful? Heck no. But from having worked with governments for years, I know much in the area of grants can be. It usually goes from one extreme to the other -- great projects or wasted funds, often for salaries for people to administer new programs.

I am proud that Rep. Marshall has helped Macon obtain a $500,000 ($494,739) grant the U.S. Department of Justice to be announced next week. (9-04-04 Macon Telegraph.)

This half a million bucks will be spent in two areas: (1) athletic activities - late-night basketball and boxing; and (2) educating both students and parents or guardians of the seriousness of truancy.

This might be the best money Macon will ever spend, and had the grant not been awarded to Macon, it would have gone to some other city. That is the way grant programs work. Congress passes a huge bill that we think is for one or more grandiose purposes -- and of which much of it is -- and chucks gets spent on grants that are applied for because of a clause or two inserted during the compromise phase of reconciling House and Senate versions of a bill.