Western Pennsylvania Wants All The Cash

According to this article in the Philadelphia Inquirer Pennsylvania may reap as much as $10 billion over the next two years from the Porkulous Spendulous bill. Sounds great, even fantastic, right? Hold on to your bootstraps.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Western PA (not to be confused with Western PA Childcare) wants $8.4 billion of that money.

Allegheny County work orders would take up about $8.3 billion, according to the report. Projects in Westmoreland County would comprise the rest. Do you feel like a student in class waiting to be noticed by the teacher? Yo, Western PA. , how about us over here????

According to that article the following breakdown illustrates Pennsylvania's dose of "Viagra":

How Pennsylvania benefits


The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, known as the stimulus package, is awaiting President Obama's signature. Here's a sampling of what Pennsylvania can expect:

• The creation or saving of 143,000 jobs over the next two years, with new positions created in industries such as clean energy and health care.

• A tax cut of as much as to $1,000 for more than 4.9 million Pennsylvania workers and their families.

• Making 138,000 families eligible for a new tax credit to make college affordable.

• An additional $100 per month in unemployment insurance benefits to more than 1 million workers who have lost their jobs during the recession.

• Funding totaling more than $821.8 million to modernize at least 409 Pennsylvania schools.

• Another $4.1 billion in federal funds over two-plus years to ease the burden of Medicaid.

• More than $1.9 billion to help stabilize the budgets of state and local governments.

• About $92 million in local funding for job training and employment services for dislocated workers, youths and adults.

• More than $1.9 billion for infrastructure investment.

Sources: White House estimates, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, National Employment Law Project

Items like this one make me crazy- "Funding totaling more than $821.8 million to modernize at least 409 Pennsylvania schools." If a school district wants to build a new school this money cannot be used for that purpose. A carpenter swinging a hammer, a mason laying a brick, and electrician fishing wire for renovations or new construction- can someone explain the difference? If you want to put humans to work then don't disfavor one job over the other. If you build a new school isn't the opportunity to really make it a green building so much better? Blockhead, bonehead, or dimwits.