Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Panda Cub at the National Zoo
When Congress adopted the $787 billion stimulus bill in February, it specifically prohibited state and local officials from spending money on casinos, golf courses, swimming pools, aquariums, and zoos. And yet the National Zoo in Washington, DC, will be spending $11.4 million in stimulus funds to install fire alarms at the zoo’s visitor center, repair bridges, and renovate the veterinary hospital and the lion and tiger complex. How is this possible? Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) says it is a classic example of Washington saying, “Do as we say, not as we do,” and he wonders if building a new place to house lions is more important than building a new bridge.
Officials at the Smithsonian Institution, which runs the National Zoo, argue that many of the buildings at the zoo are anywhere from 40 to 100 years old and badly in need of repair. Directors at local zoos around the country can empathize, and they don’t blame Smithsonian officials for trying to upgrade homes for animals. Mostly, zoo directors are upset that Congress saw their operations as expendable when it came to prioritizing stimulus money. After all, many zoo projects fit the bill for what lawmakers were looking for with infrastructure projects: “shovel-ready” to begin work; new jobs; educate children; and raise environmental awareness.
The National Zoo isn’t the only example of officials bypassing the stimulus restrictions. Although Democrats agreed to cut $50 million for repairs to the National Mall, the National Park Service recently announced plans that included $55 million for the Mall. And local officials in Pawtucket, RI, are determined to build a skateboard park to keep youths out of trouble, even though Republican lawmakers frowned upon the idea.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
In the Stimulus Bill, One Zoo Stands Above All Others (by Michael Grabell, ProPublica)
Smithsonian Institution (AllGov)
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