Mr. Math wakes from his siesta and blurts out -- long division, it's not that hard people!

Indeed it is not. For example, $42.4 million dived by 70 is just over $605,714 per bus. Now, if you divide that number the average cost of a regular diesel bus, $302,857, you end up with the number 2.

So, why is that number 2 instead of something a little closer to 1? Mr. Math responds with a sophomoric comment about the VTA and "number 2" but then appends a more useful comment about hitting Google to see what others are doing.

It turns out that this hybrid bus cost problem is spreading fast than Al Gore's carbon footprint. Web Link For example, the taxpayers in Greensboro are getting $714,000 buses. Web Link

"VTA holds meetings to discuss service cuts" Web Link

Mr. Math said, "don't bother me with this one. Even Euclid could draw a straight line between these two stories."

"Even" Euclid could see that the money given to the VTA to buy those buses was earmarked by Washington for that specific purpose, and could not be used for another purpose such as regular service expenses.

... which frees-up millions that the VTA had budgeted on plain old diesel buses.

That dispensed, Mr. Math will now go study new health care funding plan, Web Link

Not dispensed. Did you think the VTA had already set aside $42.4 million for a bunch of diesel buses this year? "Oh good, now that the feds bought those buses for us, we can spend it on other stuff!"

What I hate about this kind of "analysis" is that it makes a mockery of real people doing hard work and making hard decisions. It all seems so simple to you in your armchair.....

not so fast -- Fair enough. I have has to listen to whiny armchair quarterbacks for the last eight years. Now that Obama has shown that it is OK to house terrorist in Gitmo and tap phones and that Pelosi has stated that it is unpatriotic to question the government, I have some satisfaction in the Karmic payback as I now get to be the whiny armchair quarterback. However, I do understand that it is easier to complain that to do the work, so I respectively defer to the fine people at the VTA. (Though I still question the situation that has arisen where we, the taxpayers, are paying a ridiculous price for buses when at the same time scrambling for funds to keep the buses running.)

USA,

Thanks for your measured response. I don't know if this whole stimulus strategy will work, and reasonable people can and do disagree about it. I think (at least, I'm HOPING) it'll stop the bleeding anyway.

So now we know that the VTA and some Hayward bus company got some help. As for us regular homeowners, is now the time to get double-paned windows, low-flow toilets, solar panels, etc? Will the govmnt double-down and pay part of my expense, while at the same time boosting the economy by creating work for people? That's the story I've heard, but I'm not sure if it's happening, and would love any input people have on it.

Hooray! It's about time!