by Rep. Chris Lee (NY)

The Buffalo News has it exactly right in its editorial on the stimulus today when it states that the program “contains many components that, whatever may be said in their defense, have little to do with putting Americans back to work.”

Take for instance the road signs that promote the stimulus. You’ve probably seen one by now in your neighborhood.

Well, it turns out they cost up to $5,000 apiece. All told, U.S. taxpayers will have to shell out nearly $1 million for the signs in New York alone. This is happening in just about every state, with the exception of those that have had the common sense to reject Washington’s desire to see these signs put up.

The worst part is, you can re-use most road signs for years, but these will be outdated when the stimulus program expires in 2011.

This is just the most recent in a series of examples demonstrating how dollars from the stimulus are being wasted or misspent. In these tough economic times, with record unemployment and now the first $1 trillion deficit in our nation’s history, we cannot afford to foot the bill for more government programs that overspend and underperform.

That’s why earlier this year I established a special website where Western New Yorkers can track government spending. While there, sign up for my e-newsletter to learn more about the critical need for real fiscal responsibility in Washington.