To paraphrase Ross Perot, that giant flushing sound you hear… is millions more of your tax dollars being flushed down the Hopper of Hopelessness. The latest SWOOOSH? – TR Auto Truck Plaza off Interstate 40, Tennessee’s first electrified truck terminal. As Fox News reports;
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) handed out the $424,000 Environmental Protection Agency stimulus grant for electrical hookups so that truckers wouldn’t have to burn diesel fuel while resting.
Both the state and EPA were apparently unaware that owner Rick Lewis had a history of legal and financial problems and had filed for bankruptcy…
…in 2003, a year after a conviction on 31 counts of theft. And Lewis currently faces indictments for allegedly writing worthless checks, according to court records.
Hmmm…who wants to bet the odds that ole Ricky helped pad Democrat campaign coffers?
“It is Solyndra in miniature,” said Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., referring to a Silicon Valley solar panel manufacturer that filed for bankruptcy shortly after receiving a $535 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy. “What I am questioning is the vetting and oversight and the fiduciary responsibility that the federal government — the people who run these programs — have to we, the taxpayer.”
[The Feds are supposed to exercise fiduciary responsibility? 
Who knew?!]
Electric hook-ups for trucks aren’t necessarily a bad idea. They save on fuel costs and they’re better for the environment than idling a diesel engine for hours.
But – here’s a thought – how about letting the free market choose? And stop the SWOOOSH!
