recovery.gov

[iNow]

Anyone interested in seeing funding amounts from HUD broken down by type and state can review at the below:

 

http://www.hud.gov/recovery/statetotals.xls

[bascule]

Obama announced this morning (Governor's Conference), 12 Billion would be sent out to States this week to help with Medicare/Medicaid/SCHIP programs. According to your site, this money will be placed in a separate account and draws on these accounts accessible to anyone wanting access. YES, this is good...

 

What your not considering is the 632 Billion (mandated funding), that the Federal Grants automatically goes to States (2009 Budget, Wikipedia, not including Grants funding taking from discretionary spending) that goes directly into general funds in all States. This near 53 Billion each month can easily be used on any item, making sure their little portion of the 12B is used according to mandates.

 

Since it's my understanding the entire 780B is designed to spread out funding for years to come, any actual accounting can be easily be made, but the end result of what was actually achieved not possible.

 

The normal problems usually found in projects (building roads etc), come from the contracting, sub contracting and locations of the project, although it's the best of the entire 'Stimulus Bill', for the intended purpose. Once this money is dedicated to a project, accountability will not be possible IMO...

 

Okay, I'm confused by your whole post.

 

From how I'm reading the article, ANY spending decisions by any government agencies receiving money from the stimulus bill (state level or otherwise, no?) must be syndicated in RSS format, and furthermore meet their additional metadata requirements.

 

This includes all reporting requirements of the bill, including major communications, formula block grant allocations, and weekly reports.

 

What are you claiming is missing from this reporting process?

 

This is a truly novel and impressive use of existing Internet standards and if they follow through with what they're proposing it will give a wealth of intelligence to ANYONE interested in dissecting how the money is actually spent.

 

You don't have to trust the government's boiled down summary... you should be able to aggregate the RSS feeds from any government agency receiving money as part of the stimulus bill and slice and dice the numbers any way you desire.

 

Never in the history of any government has this happened for any such spending bill. My hope would be that Obama tries to expand this program to all government agencies so that any citizen can see exactly how their tax dollars (present or future) are being spent.

 

Truly, this blows my mind. I work with RSS every day (albeit for video syndication) and I wouldn't have thought of this. It's a truly novel use of the technology. As you can tell I'm really excited by the prospect.

[jackson33]

Basically, your trying to say 'Recovery.org' will give a full accounting of where/how the stimulus money is spent. What I am saying is whatever the reports say, are convoluted and or no real accountability is possible.

 

States receive Grants, almost daily from the Federal Government;

 

From mandated budget items; Programs, by law the Federal must assist based on populations of districts and/or States.

 

Discretionary budget spending; This is currently being discussed, the House has passed and the normal process for Congress to return Taxes to the various States. Its based on the US Budget, in this case for the remainder of the year and based on expectation of revenues.

 

The odd ball in this cycle is the 'Stimulus Bill' which is in effect nothing more than a unfunded 'Appropriation' Bill and designed for whatever purpose you like to think.

 

There are other funding received by States, such as in the Farm Bill, High Way Programs that are periodical, not annual and has perceived needed, said to be funded by set aside receipts (gas taxes etc).

 

Just as the Federal, every State basically throws all receipts, from the Federal, from their own Tax systems (quite extensive) into one pot, general funds. This will happen with the Stimulus Funds, just as well, really no choice.

The combinations of receipts, in many cases are duplicated crating in this case massive increases in certain projects, including welfare, unemployment and yes construction projects. What is required to be spent from the 'SB', can very easily be obliged to, while excess funding can go anywhere, undetected by any conceivable oversight.

 

I am not condemning 'Recovery.org' or it's intentions, just that its not practical, if said to be giving an accurate accounting of one relatively small portion of the total which will still not be accounted for...

[bascule]

Just as the Federal, every State basically throws all receipts, from the Federal, from their own Tax systems (quite extensive) into one pot, general funds. This will happen with the Stimulus Funds, just as well, really no choice.

 

They can do that while still meeting the (weekly) reporting requirements?

[jackson33]

They can do that while still meeting the (weekly) reporting requirements?

 

Not only that, but they could write any result required today for this and the next three years, the time expected for many of the programs. Your talking about 780B, granted to 50 States over four years. I realize States do NOT all receive the same assistance, but that averages out to 3.9B per State per year, chicken feed by all standards. This would be like an average family having to account for a car payment.

 

I mentioned the 15 Billion (12 my error) being sent yesterday to all States. That on average is 300M (.3B) to each State, while the mandated annual budget alone is 632 Billion (12.7 Billion), does not include discretionary funding or special Department Funding or the Taxes each State collects for the same purpose and will be no less in each of the next three years.

[iNow]

Not only that, but they could write any result required today for this and the next three years, the time expected for many of the programs.

 

I think you are basing this on more common reporting needs that we have used in the past, not on the requirements put in place specific to the stimulus funds. Or, to put it more plainly, you're quite wrong.

 

It also appears that you are forgetting/omitting the role of the new Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board, chaired by former Secret Service agent Earl Devaney, a no nonsense and proven to be tough Inspector General.

[jackson33]

former Secret Service agent Earl Devaney, a no nonsense and proven to be tough Inspector General.

 

Now that scares me....and should you.

 

You surprise me, for one who supports rights. States have rights as well, much having to do with separation of the Federal authority. We are already getting close (if not passed) just what authority the Federal has over States in the name of 'Emergancy'...

 

In reality, what can be a result of accountability to the Fed and actual, has already been explianed...

[iNow]

Now that scares me....and should you.

 

You surprise me, for one who supports rights. States have rights as well, much having to do with separation of the Federal authority. We are already getting close (if not passed) just what authority the Federal has over States in the name of 'Emergancy'...

 

In reality, what can be a result of accountability to the Fed and actual, has already been explianed...

 

Oh, give me a break, Jackson. Nobody is taking away rights from the states. The states can still use the money they make the same way they do now. All they're saying is that there are restrictions on how they can use the FEDERAL FUNDS they are being handed. The idea is that they must be used in a specific way to ensure alignment with the other states, overall national goals, and maximal multiplier effect. The Fed is not taking over all of their finances, just putting restrictions on the funds being given... much like we need to do when we hand money to wall street.

 

You seem to exaggerate when it suits you, focus narrowly on limited data and extrapolate/generalize based on those small anecdotes, and you tend to look foolish when you do, despite your obvious education. As for that last sentence, I have no idea what the hell you're on about with that, so I'm not even going to bother there.