An Indulgent Arlington County, Today’s Example
Author and journalist H. L. Mencken once said:
“All government, in its essence, is organized exploitation, and in virtually all of its existing forms it is the implacable enemy of every industrious and well-disposed man.”
So how many industrious and hard-working Arlington taxpayers are being plundered “to loan and transport” a World War II era, all metal house to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City this summer? But think of it, only 2,680 of the homes were built in the late 1940s, and “Arlington only has five remaining of its original eleven.” Besides, the one being loaned to MoMA “is a Westchester Deluxe 02 model,” acquired in 2006 when the County Board “unanimously accepted (its) donation.”
On Saturday, February 23, the Arlington County Board is being asked to approved spending almost $60,000 to transport the house to New York City, and then return it to Arlington. Here’s the “fiscal impact” statement from consent item 23 of the Board’s Saturday, February 23 agenda:
“MoMA has earmarked $16,000 for Arlington County to transport the Krowne Lustron House to and from its present location to MoMA in NYC and for the assembly and disassembly of the Krowne Lustron House at MoMA. This amount is not, according to estimates prepared by the Historic Preservation Program staff, enough to accomplish these goals.
“A draft budget has been developed and the cost of this total project is $75,600. Deducting the $16,000 that MoMA is contractually responsible for, the total project cost to Arlington County becomes $59,600 (see Attachment 4). This $59,600 would be dedicated from the existing FY08 Historic Preservation Program budget. Of the $59,600 amount, $7,000 would be from the FY07 Carryover; $59,600 from the currently uncommitted Historic Preservation Program Consultant fund.
“The draft budget is limited to expenses directly related to the shipping, assembly, and disassembly of the Krowne Lustron House at the MoMA for its July 15 – October 20, 2008 exhibit. It does not include any expenses related to the opening festivities of the exhibit or any other social activity surrounding this exhibit. It also must be understood that this draft budget is for a project that has no precedence here or elsewhere in the country. It incorporates the best planning estimates by staff, in consultation with our Indiana and Ohio, as well as with staff at MoMA.”
Yet the solons on the Board keep getting reelected!