Bad And Good

From a story in the Star Telegram: The Tarrant County Commissioners Court approved temporary funding Tuesday to continue operating the county’s drug task force as state officials debate how to spend dwindling federal narcotics grant money. [Editorial Comment: That's a bad use of taxpayer money] The court agreed to spend $465,000 to fund the county’s narcotics team through June 30 — a 90-day stop-gap measure — while it awaits word from the state on its grant applications. [Editorial Comment: That's waaaay too much money] [Editorial Comment: Now the good news about your tax dollars] Federal grants, distributed through the Texas governor’s office to fund narcotics enforcement in Texas, have declined nearly 70 percent to $14 million this fiscal year, compared with $33 million in 2004-05, said Rachael Novier, a spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry.