The city of Madison‘s plan for spending our mass transit stimulus money isn’t necessarily the worst thing that could have been chosen. For example, we might have purchased 95 million Tootsie rolls. Or new Mercedes-Benz automobiles for our city administrators. Or a $9.5 million sculpture engraved with the words “Thank you for our stimulus money.” Instead, we’re getting more… hybrid buses. Eighteen of them. This is a horrifying waste of funds that could instead be spent actually stimulating our economy. To understand how offensive — and how contrary to progressivism — this gesture is, a little intellectual context is necessary.

Two summers ago, Alexander Cockburn wrote a series of articles in The Nation magazine rebutting Al Gore’s global warming advocacy. He wrote global warming is a myth, and attempts to address the issue are thinly-veiled consolidations of corporate power. While it is idiotic for Cockburn to question the science of global warming, this was the first time I’d heard a self-avowed democratic socialist attack the environmental movement from the left. And Cockburn was, if nothing else, absolutely correct that environmentalism has been usurped by big business centrists whose “green” values are entirely conditional on their ability to turn a profit. Under the guise of humanitarianism, these folks have convinced people any attempt to balance economic and environmental interests is inherently misguided and ignorant.

Yes, it is beyond crucial global warming be solved. Just like everyone else, I would like to have a planet in 100 years. But I share Cockburn’s fears that in the march to save the planet, we risk leaving our progressivism at the door. Today’s environmental movement is not the movement I grew up with. It is not the environmentalism of “50 Things You Can Do to Save the Earth.”

Nope. This new green mentality is bent on making a lot of money very quickly. It’s the kind of “environmentalism” that preys on the sensibilities of Midwestern mayors, convincing them to dump millions of dollars into hybrid bus manufacturers whose fortunes are only very loosely-aligned with our city economies. All this begs the obvious question: How serious do our elected city officials — Mayor Dave Cieslewicz especially — feel this recession is? In new local radio ads, Cieslewicz promotes Madison as a stable oasis where people can comfortably weather the recession. But would he be putting out these ads if our economy wasn’t hurting? Small business owners across Madison, especially in District 2, are indeed going under. I wonder how they feel about $9.5 million in hybrid buses, which won’t add bus lines or jobs to our city (the new hybrids will simply replace older buses).

In a recent Badger Herald article (“City to increase hybrid fleet,” Feb. 24, 2009), Mick Rusch of Madison Metro Transit was quoted with a cheery appraisal of the stimulus spending: “We’re still collecting data to see what kind of return we get from the hybrid bus; [see] if the benefits outweigh the cost. Regardless, they are good for our community because they reduce exhaust emissions by 90 percent.” Someone should alert him (and while they’re at it, alert most Americans) what federal stimulus spending is. To paraphrase Rusch, it is perfectly fine if stimulus money is spent on projects with questionable economic benefits, so long as something else good results from them. Yikes. By that standard, we could buy reusable grocery bags for everybody in Madison, so long as we cut down on waste in the process.

If FDR were alive today, he would be astonished at the glibness of city administrators during this economic crisis. Here’s an idea instead: Add more bus lines in Madison. Many more lines with good, old-fashioned, diesel-powered buses. The kind that pollute the planet.

I’m perfectly serious. There is no better way to immediately stimulate our local economy than by sharply increasing the efficiency of mass transit. This would greatly increase the accessibility of our small-business and downtown shopping areas. Along with a dramatic increase in bus lines through economic hot spots, some of the $9.5 million could perhaps be spent subsidizing the bus fares of a healthy portion of low- and middle-class riders. This wouldn’t be as lucrative for Madison Metro, which apparently can make the mayor do anything it wants — but it would stimulate our economy.

But Cieslewicz et al would prefer Madison Metro and the Gillig Corporation in Indiana (which manufactures the hybrid buses) to reap all the economic benefits from our mass transit stimulus dollars. There was a time when stealing stimulus money from recession-weary Madison residents and funding a pet project instead would not have been considered “progressive” by anyone. Cockburn remembers that time, and so do I. Some days I feel like the only real progressive left in this city.

Eric Schmidt ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science with an ILS certificate.