What Could You Do With $18 Million?

ABC reported on July 6, 2009, in a report that can be read at

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/07/18m-being-spent-to-redesign-recoverygov-web-site.html

that the government is planning on spending nearly ten million in tax dollars through January and up to $18 Million in tax dollars over the next few years to improve the recovery.gov website, the site that is to offer transparency to America by showing us where and how our Stimulus tax dollars have been spent.

$18 Million is a huge amount of money, and money that could be spent in very worthwhile ways. So, what could you do with $18 Million?

Well….

$18 Million could pay a $40,000 salary for one year to 450 unemployed workers with families to support.

Donate the $18 Million to Feeding America (formally known as Second Harvest Food Bank) and it could supply 180 million pounds of food and groceries to hungry children and families in the U.S.

$18 Million could purchase approximately 6 million gallons of gasoline for workers looking for employment or trying to get to work.

$18 Million could pay $2000 to 9000 homes with payments in arrears or at risk of foreclosure.

It could purchase 600,000 pairs of shoes costing $30 or less for the homeless or displaced workers looking for employment in new fields or the children of the unemployed. Or, it could buy 180,000 complete outfits for displaced workers in need of appropriate clothing for a job interview.

Or, it could buy nearly 15 million bottles of water for the military or for disaster assistance agencies.

Or, it could purchase health insurance for approximately 36,000 people for one month.

Or, it could purchase 180,000 medical prescriptions or prescription eye glasses costing $100 or less for the children or the elderly.

Or, it could provide over 9 million meals for the homeless.

$18 Million could provide 1800 $10,000 college scholarships.

If the new fuel-efficient vehicles cost an average of $50,000, then $18 Million could put 360 of those cars on the road to replace gas-guzzlers.

If it would cost $72,000 or less to install solar panels on a home (the cost varies according to size and usage), then $18 Million could do this for 250 homes. Or, it could purchase and install 9 wind turbines.

If a new electric push-mower cost $800 or less (costs vary according to type and power and some go as low as $200), then the $18 Million could replace over 22,500 carbon-emitting gasoline push-mowers with electric models.

If a grade school or high school teacher earned $45,000 per year, the $18 Million could pay the salary of 400 teachers for one year. Or, it could pay the same salary to 400 nurses.

Or, it could be used to train 45,000 people to be a Certified Nursing Assistant.

It could purchase over 12,000 new computers for public schools. Or, it could purchase over 360,000 new textbooks for public schools. Or, it could purchase approximately 6 million school lunches or breakfasts for underprivileged children.

If you had the ability to spend these tax dollars however you wanted, what could you do with $18 Million?