In Left Field

The National Mall is a very beautiful place. I've spent many a summer evening there, drinking a frosty one (in a plastic cup of course to avoid the United States Park Police) as a Congressional staffer while playing a friendly game of softball.

Back in 2006, I trained on the National Mall for the Cherry Blossom ten miler and have run it literally dozens of times (3.67 miles from the Capitol-to-Lincoln Memorial and back).

I had the pleasure of looking out from then Speaker Hastert's balcony more times than I can count with the Washington monument there in all its grandeur.

As big of a fan that I am of the national mall, I just can't understand how $200 million in stimulus money from Congress to be spent on the National Mall is going to help stimulate the economy.

Everyone has seen the pictures of the mall, it's mostly grass and gravel. Yet they're only (only!!!) going to spend $21 million on new sod for the mall. I presume this means in the stimulus bill now being considered by Congress they're proposing spending the other $179 million of gravel? I can't figure it out.

To put it into perspective, according to this press release from The Pentagon in 2004, only $170 million went into building the World War II Memorial that is on the National Mall.

What are the Democrats planning to do to The National Mall that is grander than the World War II memorial?

This video from newly-minted White House flack Robert Gibbs is priceless




I like how he says, "the first day of our Presidency we met on the mall." Maybe they're planning to build a $200 million memorial to Obamastock. Whatever it is, I don't believe they're going to be able to pull the wool over the eyes of the American people and expect them to think this will create jobs and stimulate the economy.

Like an summer intern playing softball, I think Gibbs, the White House and the Democrat leadership on this hill are out in left field here.

Some transparency is definently in order.