Our Latest State Investment: An $11 Million Toilet?
If you were the mayor of New London, Connecticut, what would you do with $11 million?
Would you purchase over a dozen new trucks to replenish the vehicular fleet of the municipal fire department? Or perhaps hire over two hundred new public employees to enrich the local social service system?
Heck, you might simply opt to divide up the money evenly among the city’s 26,000 residents, handing each one a check for over $400!
You probably wouldn’t be tempted to use the money to build a gigantic open-air public toilet in the heart of the tourist waterfront area, though … would you? And yet, effectively speaking, that is precisely what recently loomed over the center of the city, the result of a new $11 million investment.
The project was initially conceived as a work of civic art, a picturesque “whale tail” fountain that would attract tourists to the area and anchor the entertainment district. But local residents chose to utilize it as a public wash room, stoking fears of human diseases and prompting the temporary closure of the site.
A local politician claimed that the debate was “much ado about nothing” and reiterated his enthusiasm for the fountain; it has now been re-opened to the public and is once again shooting mist over the pavement. Feel free to head down to New London and enjoy the majestic view … though you might wish to think twice before dipping your toes into the water!
Contributed by Michael Kraten, PhD, CPA, Accounting Professor at Providence College and President of Enterprise Mgt. Corp. http://aqpq.org
[...] price tags would appear to be bargains. After all, if our government leaders were willing to spend $11 million on a public fountain in downtown New London, why not invest far smaller amounts in historic [...]
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