Posted by David Bernstein:
The Federal Government is Prohibiting Me from Becoming a Billionaire:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_07_05-2009_07_11.shtml#1247143344
[1]Boston Globe:
Sweeping healthcare legislation working its way through Congress is
more than an effort to provide insurance to millions of Americans
without coverage. Tucked within is a provision that could provide
billions of dollars for walking paths, streetlights, jungle gyms,
and even farmers' markets....
[A]dvocates, including Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts,
defend the proposed spending as a necessary way to promote
healthier lives and, in the long run, cut medical costs. "These are
not public works grants; they are community transformation grants,"
said Anthony Coley, a spokesman for Kennedy, chairman of the Senate
health committee whose healthcare bill includes the projects.
"If improving the lighting in a playground or clearing a walking
path or a bike path or restoring a park are determined as needed by
a community to create more opportunities for physical activity, we
should not prohibit this from happening," Coley said in a
statement.
So you see, if the Federal government doesn't provide funding for
something, it is, in effect, prohibiting it from happening.
References
1.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/07/09/in_health_bill_billions_for_parks_paths/
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