The Repugnant attempt to ridicule the building of a wildlife passage in Lake Jackson, FL with stimulus money as an example of wasteful spending shows more about their attitude towards wildlife preservation and highway safety than valid criticism about 'pork barrel' spending. Roadkill is no joking matter. Wildlife suffers greatly attempting to cross man's avenues of death. 2,070 turtles have been squished on U.S. Highway 27, the second highest fatality rate in the state. State officials point out that U.S. 27 would never have been build where it is if today's environmental standards were followed 50 years ago. The highway was built across the lake bottom making it an impassable barrier for wildlife. About 62 species need to cross the road to get to the other side of the forest around Lake Jackson. The twin passages will be big enough for animals as large as deer, panthers and alligators. So the building of the passages qualifies as a safety improvement too. Any driver who has hit a deer at speed can testify the impact is shattering. The decision to fund the project was shared with local officials, and the $3.4 million cost will come from a highway enhancement fund set aside for just this type of project. The budget priorities of the United States are simply perverted when Congress passes a funding bill of $80 billion for two wars without a whimper of protest, yet politicos complain about spending a fraction of that for a highway improvement to save lives--human as well as beast. [photo: an existing culvert that will be replaced and another tunnel built with permanent retaining walls for wildlife to cross the busy highway safely near Lake Jackson north of Tallahassee, FL., courtesy Tallahassee Democrat]