The following is an excerpt from OpinionJournal.com’s “Best of the Web” written by the editor, James Taranto.

NOTE: The following excerpt is from the BOTW archives of March 6, 2009:

Gimme Shelter
The Binghamton (N.Y.) Press & Sun-Bulletin reports on how the federal government is spending your tax dollars:

The Town of Union is getting $578,661 in federal Recovery Act funding for a homeless problem that may not exist within its borders.

The money is coming from the federal Housing and Urban Development program to pay for homeless prevention and emergency shelter programs.

Union did not request the money and does not currently have homeless programs in place in the town to administer such funds, said town Supervisor John Bernardo.

“We were surprised,” Bernardo said. “We’ve never been a recipient before.”

Bernardo said he isn’t aware of any homeless issue in the largely suburban town.

We suppose that on the bright side, at least some of the other $796,999,421,339 in the so-called stimulus is being spent less unwisely than this. Besides, if Union doesn’t have a homeless problem now, we’re sure it can use half a million bucks creating one.

For more “Best of the Web” click here and look for the “Best of the Web Today” link in the middle column below “Today’s Columnists.