Too much money causes problems

What a problem to have.  Too much money to spend and not enough time to spend it.  That’s the problem facing the Thurston County Commission.

The county received more than $56 million in Covid relief money.  So far the county has spent $36 million of the federal money but still has $20 million left to spend.  And it has until the end of 2024 to spend it.  It has currently allocated $10 million but hasn’t spent it yet.

County Commissioner Tye Menser said the county was just going to run out of time.  He was recently quoted by The Olympian as saying, “It’s not like they can just go out and buy a hotel” talking about the Prosecuting Attorney’s office having trouble spending its allocated money.

That was a joke on Menser’s part because the commissioners just authorized the purchase of two hotels to house homeless people – – both of them by the way in the greater Lacey area.

This whole process is a joke.  The  federal American Rescue Plan, from which this money comes, has distributed trillions (that’s right trillions with a T) of taxpayer money around the country.  That is one of the major reasons we have the inflation that is currently sweeping our costs of living to new heights.

Much of the money allocated has gone to worthy and worthwhile projects.  But, a substantial amount is still trying to be spent, or has been spent foolishly.

And, we the taxpayers of the country are to blame.

Had Enough Yet?