If you've ever visited Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, WA, you've probably been stuck in and out of traffic as you travel to and from campus. As a journalist, I usually try to stay away from politics and news but this story is sure going to have the headlines in Washington D.C. throwing a fit.
It's a pretty known fact now that the entire world is in a recession, and people are losing their jobs left and right. If you've been following the news relating to the economy, I'm sure you're very familiar with the $787 billion dollar Economic Stimulus package into law a few weeks ago.
According to Bloomberg the Redmond region has allocated $11 million of the $214 million granted to the region, to help pay for a highway overpass connecting one part of Microsoft's wooded campus with another. Why should tax payers have to pay for a "bridge" to connect one of the world's largest and most successful corporations to the rest of the world? Microsoft has said that they will contribute $36.5 million to help cover the cost of the construction project.
For a company that recently laid off thousands of workers, is this the right move politically? While Microsoft really hasn't been too involved with politics, this is the first instance in my career that I've seen Microsoft take the plunge with federal money. Although the company isn't physically receiving the federal dollars, they are essentially using tax payer's money to build a "bridge" to their campuses.
Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, said "I'm sure Steve Ballmer or Bill Gates could finance this [with] out of pocket change. Subsidizing an overpass to one of the richest companies in the country isn't going to be the best use of our precious dollars. It's a bridge to Microsoft." A spokesperson from Microsoft issued a statement saying that the project is a mobility improvement for the entire area. He went on to say that the bridge a few blocks away is a nightmare for pedestrians and bicycle riders.
A local resident of Redmond let me know that the most congested spot on the Eastside is the 520 bridge and the bridge on 520 over 202 to Avondale. However, nothing is being done to ease the congestion in those hotspots. Sure this is going to ease the traffic for everyone in the Redmond and Seattle, WA region, but is this a project that should be allocated tax payer money for? As a taxpayer, is this where you want your money being spent?
Note to audience: This isn't a dig at Microsoft, as many of you have gained from the report. While we should have already linked you to projects in Washington that have been cut from the list to get federal stimulus money, you can find it here. The initial point in this report is the fact that A) Microsoft is providing $36.5 million to help build the bridge. B) With the main focus of the bridge is to ease congestion for mostly Microsoft employees, is this where taxpaying dollars should be spent? C) According to Steve Ellis this is essentially a bridge between two Microsoft campuses.
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