

Microsoft gets $11 million from stimulus for campus bridge - ckinnan
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/31/bridge.microsoft/index.html


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dfranke
I think ARRA is a giant boondoggle, but this expenditure seems perfectly
inkeeping with its intended purpose. Microsoft is the dominant economic force
in the area, and this is an investment to allow it to conduct commerce more
efficiently. If you support the stimulus package at all (though I don't), I
don't see how you can oppose this provision.

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akmiller
While I could potentially agree in premise that a bridge may qualify for
stimulus money I can't imagine what they've proposed is the most fiscally
responsible way to build it. If they truly believe that the bridge qualifies
for stimulus money then they should provide the most financially modest plan
that would accomplish their goals. I highly doubt that a 36 million dollar
bridge is it.

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electromagnetic
I have no clue if this is going to be truly good for the local economy, but
honestly it looks like spending money for the sake of spending it. Unless
building infrastructure has a lasting effect there's no point in building it.

Some of the stimulus money seems to be going towards useless projects, simply
to create jobs. Surely there's a lot of places where stimulus money can be
spent that will have a long lasting effect on the local economy.

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slpsys
There is no way this is going to be truly good for the local economy, that
bridge may make it _easier_, but it won't make it _possible_ (meaning, transit
was already ver, very possible). Redmond is tiny, if you can't get motivated
enough to drive to the next bridge to get Taco Time and bolster the local
economy, a closer one isn't going to motivate you.

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TweedHeads
"Our traffic studies show that Microsoft traffic would be about 42 percent of
the bridge, yet Microsoft is paying for about 50 percent of the bridge, so we
think we are getting fair value."

Politicians...

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dschobel
even worse, local politicians.

