Corey Turns Up His Nose at Money

I try to find nice things to say about Corey, I honestly do. He just makes it such a difficult job. This latest affair with the mic is no exception. It seems that the county is slated to receive $122 million dollars from ARRA. (America Recovery and Reinvestment Act). Considering our real estate woes that have produced extreme revenue difficulties, I would think most Prince Williamites would be jumping for joy. Not Corey.

According the News and Messenger, Corey is stepping on his lower lip because we get this money.

Prince William County has been allotted an estimated $122 million of federal stimulus funds, and more could be on the way, but chairman of the board Corey Stewart said taxpayers ought to think twice before extending any thanks to the government.

“It strikes me, taxpayers have a right to be angry here. It’s the young people [who are] ultimately going to have to pay this back,” he said, at a recent Board of Supervisors update on the disbursement of dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a $787 billion federal package that was signed into law Feb. 17.

Though $122 million sounds on the surface a sizeable amount, the truth is the county will pay back far more, he said.

“Prince William’s share of this debt is approximately $1.3 billion,” Stewart said. “So we shouldn’t be thankful for the federal government. That’s our money. If we’re going to be borrowing money on our youth … we should at least build something for it [like roads]. Clearly, we’re getting the short end of the stick.”

Education receives the greatest share of the ARRA funds, with just over $80 million, according to information from Dana Fenton, legislative director for the county. Economic development and transportation are next on the list of top ARRA fund recipients, at $28 million, followed by energy and environmental causes, with $8.9 million, according to fenton. Public safety receives just 1 percent of the Prince William pot, or $1.1 million, while human services programs, like homeless prevention and senior nutrition, get 3 percent, or $4 million, Fenton’s breakdown shows.

No one likes the national economic condition. But we narrowly avoided a serious depression. We still aren’t out of the woods yet. The county had to drastically cut back personnel and services. Non-school board county employees did not get a raise.

What’s wrong with Corey? I don’t understand his math. Prince William County got pummeled by the real estate market, foreclosures, tax revenue, and housing appraisals. We are going to need all the help we can get for a while, until we recover. Why can’t Corey see this? Maybe he does see it. maybe he just wants to be rude. Does he think it is macho or Republican to talk like this? Corey has Joe Biden syndrome. Stick a mic in front of him and he is bound to say something ridiculous.