http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/06/stimulus-oversight-left-up-to-taxpayers/
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CURL: Stimulus oversight left up to taxpayers
So just who's tracking that $787 billion in taxpayer money that President Obama and the Democrat-led Congress are doling out? You are. Or you're supposed to be, anyway.
"We are, in essence, deputizing the entire American citizenry to help with the oversight of this program," said Rep. Brad Miller, chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology's subcommittee on investigations and oversight.
So, too, said Earl Devaney, the ex-cop who's now chairman of the Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board, charged with tracking the torrent of cash now pouring out of federal coffers.
"I'm going to have millions of citizens to help me," he said, comparing run-of-the-mill Americans to inspectors general, the high-ranking officials charged with ferreting out waste and abuse in federal agencies.
"I'm going to have a million little IGs running around," the chairman said Tuesday after his testimony before the subcommittee.
And perhaps that's just as well, given the turnout of the panel tasked with keeping track of thousands of millions of dollars. Just three of the 10 members bothered to show up for the subcommittee's second meeting, dramatically titled "Follow the Money Part II."
"These hearings are titled 'follow the money' after the character in the movie - and the book - 'All the President's Men,' " Mr. Miller said. "The Deep Throat character, he told [reporters Carl] Bernstein and [Bob] Woodward to trace the money back to find out where the corruption began.
"We hope this will not end up as anything as sordid as that was," he joked.
Still, the North Carolina Democrat said he realized that tracking so much money will be difficult, acknowledging that "we're trying to spend $500 billion quickly."
Mr. Devaney, though, said his board - made up of 10 IGs - has a dual mission: "First, the board is responsible for establishing and maintaining a Web site." Oh, and second, it's supposed to "help minimize fraud, waste or mismanagement."
Corrected paragraph: While Mr. Miller and the panel's top Republican were there, only Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, Pennsylvania Democrats, came to the hearing. Absent were Democratic Reps. Steven R. Rothman of New Jersey, Lincoln Davis of Tennessee, Charles A. Wilson of Ohio, Alan Grayson of Florida and Bart Gordon of Tennessee. Republican Rep. Ralph M. Hall of Texas also skipped the session, while Rep. Brian P. Bilbray of California dropped by for the final hour of the nearly three-hour hearing.
Still, to a sparse crowd, Mr. Miller got right to the point. "President Obama promised a level of transparency, through the Internet, Recovery.gov. ... How do you intend to provide that level of transparency, to see how - who actually got the contract to pour asphalt?"
"As I mentioned in my testimony," Mr. Devaney said, "that Web site is evolving. ... I would probably be the first to admit today the Web site doesn't give you that kind of information."
Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia, the subcommittee's ranking Republican, noted that he voted against the $787 billion stimulus plan.
"Simply put, the American people need to know what they got for their money," he said. "Under the Obama budget, the national debt will double in five years and triple in 10."
Mr. Broun was most interested in Mr. Obama's claim that the recovery plan would create "or save" 4 million jobs, but noted that the number of jobs "saved" is likely unknowable and that since the president took office, 1.3 million jobs have been lost.
"How do you plan to verify the actual number of jobs created?" he asked.
"Sir, we haven't really received any information about that on the Web site," Mr. Devaney said.
The repeated lack of information, though, sets up a fantastic sequel: "Follow the Money III."
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Ok, so ignore that part about 4 Million jobs saved or created. we all know Obama makes stuff up on the fly anyways, and then passes the buck for being caught lying. It's par for the course.
Let's get back to the part about them want you to be responsible for the way they are spending YOUR money!
Let's see... Spend Trillions in Tax Payer money - CHECK!
Make them responsible for oversight so the politicians can do what they want with no responsibility or backlash - CHECK!
Broadcast that fact gleefully - CHECK!
I have a better idea. It's called let us be responsible for it spending by not taking it from us in the FIRST PLACE and letting us determine where we think it should be sent.
It takes balls to say that the American people aren't responsible enough to spend their own money properly, and then say that they should be responsible for overseeing how it's spent. The next politician that insinuates that should lose theirs and then be forced to eat them. Apparently it beats crow any day of the week (or being voted out of office).
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isn't it good that the people are being encouraged to oversee their government and make sure that their money (collected for their collective benefit in the construction of schools, roads, hospitals, parks and the maintenance of services: postal, medical, police forces, fire-fighting, the military, etc.) should be spent well?
ReplyDeleteWhy do you want MORE government overseeing how these fund are spent?