Just about everyone has seen the news report of Office of Management and Budget Director and all-around bad-ass Mick Mulvaney calling out a reporter in regards to the Obama Administration dropping a hard-earned taxpayer-shafted-again $700,000 on a musical production centered on the burning question of climate change (see video at the very end of article).
While no one… and I mean no one… from the Left called out Mulvaney on his accusation, I decided to look into this for myself.
Guess what — the federal government’s National Science Foundation (NSF) really did write out a $700,000 check for said musical. Well, not really. It was a check for $697,177.00.
Says who? The National Science Foundation, that’s who.
As seen on the NSF’s official website, a Brooklyn, NY, theater company known as The Civilians, Inc. (of 138 S. Oxford St. 3C, Brooklyn, NY 11217. 718-230-3330), was given the hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce a theatrical extravaganza entitled “The Great Immensity“.
But Wait, There’s More…
OK, so the hipster SJWs had over two-thirds of a million dollars thrown at them. Did the story/hilarity end there? Of course not. The cluelessness was strong with these ones.
As Science Magazine noted in their Oct 2, 2014 issue, Texas Republican Rep. Lamar Smith was quoted;
“There are many grants that no taxpayer would consider in the national interest, or worthy of how their hard-earned dollars should be spent. … The public deserves an explanation for why the NSF has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on musicals about climate change, bicycle designs, and a video game that allows users to relive prom night.”
Also cited by Science Magazine in the same issue, other examples of NSF spending included;
- “Oppression and Mental Health in Nepal.” The 3-year, $160,000 award supported a study of how social status affects the mental health of Nepalese adolescents.
- $19,684 for a doctoral dissertation on “culture, change & chronic stress in lowland Bolivia.”
- $5.65 million, is for a project that aims to use innovative education methods to educate Arctic communities about climate change and related issues.
Six months prior to Science Magazine reporting of the truckloads of cash thrown at questionable spending, PolitiFact.com researched if Rep. Smith’s accusation was true.
Not only did they find the Texan’s claim to be true, but also published the NSF bragging of the spending;
A foundation spokeswoman, Dana Topousis, said by email the grant was awarded in 2010, adding: “The Civilians, Inc., a Brooklyn, N.Y., theatre company, developed an innovative, out-of-the-box approach to exposing U.S. citizens to science. The project represents the unique cultural leverage of theater in its attempt to inspire the public’s imagination and curiosity about basic science and its relation to their everyday lives.”
But like most scary stories, this one has a happy ending. The Washington Times reported on Sept. 17, 2014 that things didn’t exactly go all that well during the production’s run; (emphasis mine)
A taxpayer-funded musical on climate change is closing its curtains early amid a storm of criticism from reviewers and lawmakers.
“The Great Immensity,” produced by Brooklyn-based theater company The Civilians Inc. with a $700,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), has ended its run after reaching just 5 percent of its anticipated audience, Fox News reported.
The play also opened a year late and failed to produce a buzz once it did.
