In 1986, the United States public was outraged to learn that the our defense department was paying $37 for one screw, $7,622 for one coffee maker and $640 for one toilet seat.
In 2025, we learn that the federal government is paying $1,750 per tree for 16 new trees for a privately owned church in a neighborhood of Milwaukee, totaling $28,000. An April 8 story noted that project is stalled by a federal spending review.
The $28,000 was part of a greater federal government grant totaling $1.9 million as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Opinion: I wasn’t expecting emotional reaction to Pope Francis’ death. Yet it was there.
Just as a reminder, the total debt of the federal government is over $36 trillion. To each taxpaying citizen, I will remind you that it is your money. Your federal legislators spent over $36 trillion more than the federal government had in tax revenue.
The Journal Sentinel writes an article condemning the federal government for withdrawing the funding. Let’s remember, someone is making money by selling these trees. Oh, never mind. Let’s just spend more. Our kids, grandchildren and great grandchildren can pay it off.
John Gebhardt, Whitefish Bay
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Our grandkids will pay for tax money being endlessly wasted | Letters