$300 Million for Golf Carts

Just another one of those little porky items in the Porkulus Bill that Chuckie Schumer thinks you don't care about:

WASHINGTON - "Fore!"

The federal government is preparing to spend millions to purchase a fleet of small electric vehicles that critics compare to golf carts.

The $838 billion economic stimulus bill that passed the Senate yesterday contains $300 million for the government to purchase a fleet of "green" cars.

But the money won't just go to buy fuel-efficient hybrids such as the Ford Escape or Chevy Volt.

The cash also can be used to purchase "neighborhood electric vehicles."

The NEVs, which resemble streamlined golf carts, scoot at up to 25 mph, operate on battery power and can be plugged into 110-volt outlets for charging.

They are sometimes used at hospitals, college campuses and retirement communities, and can cost around $8,000 each. They don't produce carbon emissions.

I love how they always justify these electric scooters on the basis they "don't produce carbon emissions". Oh yes they do - the electricity that runs these things has to be generated somewhere, and in much of the country that means oil or coal. Tell me again how they don't produce carbon emissions.

There's also a tax subsidy in the bill to juice up vehicle sales - a potential a job-killer for golf caddies.

The provision gives a 10 percent tax credit off the price of specified "low-speed" vehicles costing up to $40,000, for a total cost of $3 million.

The bill does not appear to cap the total number of credits that a person or business could take.

"Americans who aren't lucky enough to get a piece of the stimulus pie will at least be able to rest comfortably at night knowing that the guy who just fired them is gonna get a tax break on his new golf cart," fumed one Senate GOP aide.

The greenies have taken over and no amount of stupidity is beyond their reach.