Day 4

31 - Self-reflection video game using Henry David Thoreau’s 1845 writings – (CA) $40,000 - National Endowment for the Humanities funding pays for video game simulating Thoreau's experience at Walden Pond.

32 - Flushing down taxpayer dollars – (MI) $10,000 - Dept. of Transportation dollars are used in Michigan to buy 400 talking urinal cakes to fight drunk driving.

33 - No laughing matter, cartoon school receives real taxpayer money – (VT) $255,000 - A cartooning school in Vermont received HUD funds to build a new center, though it has very few students and is unaccredited.

34 - U.S. Iraqi police training program burns through hundreds of millions, crashes in flames – (Department of State) $400.2 million - State Dept's Iraq police training program has failed miserably, according the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. No objectives were created, and classes did not help Iraqis at all. State will hand over to the Iraqis several building projects that ended up being unnecessary.

35 - Science research dollars go to musical about biodiversity and climate change – (NY) $445,444 - NSF funds spent on a musical about biodiversity and climate change. Reviews of the play said it was boring and needed improvement.

36 - The streetcar named No Desire – (MO) $35.6 million - Federal transportation money will help build a trolley in St. Louis that has been called the "Streetcar Named No Desire" by one local. It duplicates existing light rail and public transportation, some say.

37 - Congress splits new line of ships between two completely different designs, increasing costs and undermining Navy’s capabilities – (Department of Defense) $148 million - Congress allowed the development of the littoral combat ship to be split between two designs and manufacturers, increasing costs.

38 - Anti-trash poster contest for college students – (NY) $67,926 - EPA funds go to an anti-trash poster contest for college students. Winners received paid trip to New York City.

39 - Bus stops or small houses? City spends nearly $78,000 each on bus shelters – (OR) $388,000 - The city of Grants Pass, Oregon, will spend $388,000 in federal funds to build just five bus shelters in its small bus system.

40 - YouTube video contest on fruits and veggies – (Department of Health and Human Services) $106,000 - HHS spent almost $100,000 to put on a YouTube video contest to promote eating fruits and vegetables.