Taxpayer Money Spent On Crawford Ranch?

While tracking parallels in the second terms of Richard Nixon and George W. Bush, ran across this interesting little tid bit:  

Soon after his reelection Nixon's popularity plummeted as the growing revelations of the Watergate affair indicated pervasive corruption in his administration, and there was widespread criticism of the amount of government money spent on his private residences.

http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/people/A0860014.html

Several searches for data concerning how much the taxpayers have spent on improving and adding onto the Crawford "ranch" did not find anything.

Has anyone seen or know how to find information about how much the Federal Government has spent on improvements to the Bush property in Crawford, Texas?

It has to be substantial.  At the beginning of his first term that place was not much more than a small three bedroom house.  The total absence of video or photographs coming from "the ranch" that show any details raise the suspician there is something there Bush does not want to public to see.  

Any FOI experts want to go fishing for the facts?

•  manufactured "ranch"

  Most of his "ranch" was manufactured for his run for governor. I'm going to guess that a substantial amount of public money has been spent on security measures, but that's something which I consider legitimate.

  by silence on Thu Jun 16, 2005 at 10:50:03 PM PDT

  •  Yes -- no horses

    He has no horses - he's afraid of them.
    There are a couple cows somewhere.

    He doesn't cut brush as he's always reported doing.
    There is video of him clearly NOT using a chain saw properly and getting it stuck in a knot.

    I think they let him drink three or four beers out there, and try to keep him from stumbling around.
    That's why he can't be roused when emergencies happen. Tsunami - White house plane prank, etc...

    by ZappoDave on Fri Jun 17, 2005 at 12:31:16 AM PDT

    •  I thought he spent his time

      milking the stallions?  That is what Laura said.

      Kind of reminds me of the red-rocket episode of South Park

      by DaleNC on Fri Jun 17, 2005 at 02:38:33 AM PDT

  •  My understanding

    is that the "ranch" was built while he was governor in anticipation of his capture of WH.

    by Church Street on Fri Jun 17, 2005 at 12:59:41 AM PDT

•  So Where Are All The Guests Sleeping?

  So where are all of the guests sleeping?

  Right at the start of his first term there was a short piece on CNN where she gave a tour of the house and showed how small it was.  

  Since 911 there have been shots of a huge Cabinet Room, but not much else has gotten out of there.

  I understand security, but what else has been done?

  Right now we need every scrap of information we can find about that guy.  

  by freepress4all on Thu Jun 16, 2005 at 10:55:05 PM PDT

  •  There was a NY Times piece

    on how staffers and others sleep in trailers on the property.  I think it was in one of those White House Letters the Times printed every so often...

    by sanchez96 on Thu Jun 16, 2005 at 11:07:22 PM PDT

•  Dunno if you'll find anything.

  Since Nixon most improvements are purely temporary. I doubt you'll find a new pool, tennis court or guesthouse. In some cases it would be cheaper to build something permanent, but congress (even with the repugnuts) would be VERY reluctant to fund it.

  Even Camp David is fairly modest compared to other world leaders. You would not believe what a compromise it took to get Congress to fund the VP's residence, and they refused to authorize a residence for the Secretary of State so they had to cobble together the creation of the diplomatic reception rooms at the State Department which are a beautiful suite of colonial (or georgian) rooms on the 7th floor of that modern monstrosity from the 1940s/50s.

  I suppose it could happen. But honestly, I'd invest the energy sniffing around more promising piles of refuse. Goddess knows there's so damn much of it!

  by homogenius on Thu Jun 16, 2005 at 11:02:53 PM PDT

•  The federal government

  doesn't have to help out Bush. He's rich. Unlike Nixon, he was born rich.

  by vlogger on Thu Jun 16, 2005 at 11:06:31 PM PDT

•  Well, there were those

  cheesy "Western White House" signs and some blue curtains.

  by brady47 on Thu Jun 16, 2005 at 11:14:32 PM PDT

•  There's a Stallion

  (male horse) no cattle, those are only on real ranches. They haul in brush for the shrub to cut. I wonder if that was Laura's idea to keep the nimrod busy.Surprised they trust him with sharp tools. Some used trucks they bought little Georgie so he could play cowboy and drive a pick em up truck. A long driveway to the house to keep the locals away. The locals HATE when Georgie comes to town. They say it causes a major mess and major hassles to protect the boy king. They all pray that as soon as he is out of the white house he sells the ranch and all can get back to normal!!

  by retLT on Thu Jun 16, 2005 at 11:19:16 PM PDT

•  Who cares?

  His salary comprises your federal tax dollars. Are you gonna scream if he uses "public money" to buy himself an iPod?

  by xavier86 on Thu Jun 16, 2005 at 11:29:05 PM PDT

•  the "Jeff Gannon Guesthouse"

  Who paid for THAT, huh?

  And Condi's dungeon?  

  by Nordic on Fri Jun 17, 2005 at 05:25:09 AM PDT

•  Somewhere

  there's an article about how the house was built just in time for the 2000 election.  And that the land was bought some time in 1998-99???   It is definitely a show piece and a place for the just us folks routine.

  It would be interesting to look at tax records for the property, if someone in Texas could look up the tax ID#.    

  Another Bush fraud.

  Thanks for raising the question here!  :)

  by maybeeso in michigan on Fri Jun 17, 2005 at 06:04:57 AM PDT

•  All hat - not cattle

  Gannon milks the horses - while Laura sips mint julips.

  by ZappoDave on Fri Jun 17, 2005 at 07:15:22 AM PDT