ATLANTA – Good news for Georgians living in the 00, 14th, 19th, 21st, 25th, 27th and 86th Congressional districts – millions in federal stimulus dollars is headed your way.
There’s one catch: None of the districts exist. But, according to Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., it hasn’t stopped the flow of money, at least according to Recovery.gov, the Web site that is supposed to let taxpayers keep an eye on stimulus spending. Instead, it’s provoked criticism.
“In May, I warned that in addition to broken transparency promises, the Obama Administration is offering ‘progress’ reports that are nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Half a year later, this Administration has proven that it can spend, spend, spend,” Broun said in a news release. “But when it comes to managing the spending and improving transparency, they simply haven’t been up to the task.”
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla., even filed a complaint about the site – to the site itself.
“Americans deserve a full accounting of how the contract for this website was awarded, why it cost so much, and what in God’s name is going on with our trillion dollars?” Brown-Waite said in a news release. “At a time when so many Americans are out of work and our nation’s debt has exploded, that the Administration would spend so much money on what now turns out to be propaganda is quite frankly appalling.”
A GAO report found a number of “erroneous or questionable data entries that merit further review,” including “3,978 reports that showed no dollar amount received or expended but included more than 50,000 jobs created or retained” and “9,247 reports that showed no jobs but included expended amounts approaching $1 billion.”
“In the case of the non-stimulus bill, the President is failing to fulfill his promises to keep unemployment down and track every, single dime,” Broun said. “I hope the Administration will fix this website soon and clear up the cloud of confusion surrounding its big spending. I also sincerely hope that we do not learn that some of these figures were pulled out of thin air.”
As of Saturday, the stimulus spending saved “24,681.1” jobs in Georgia, according to recovery.gov. The state was awarded nearly $4.2 billion and has received about $1.4 billion, according to the site. The government says the incorrect Congressional district data has been corrected.
Comments
You call this news?
This reads like a press release from the office of Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga.
I am a former news reporter, now a journalism professor, exploring startup news sites like Examiner.com. The project by Len Downie and Michael Schudson, "Reconstructing Journalism," in the current CJR, surveys the prospects of good "accountability journalism" on the scene. I'm sorry to say I haven't been paying attention to sites like Examiner.com until now. Been too busy teaching the fundamentals of accountability journalism. I will keep exploring. But if this is a typical example, I'm disappointed. Who is Todd DeFeo, and why should I trust this as independent news? Or maybe promoting one's "brand" is not the same as credible news. Where do we go for news, in the traditional sense, if not to newspapers?
"Accountability Journalism" Are you serious? Does the AP consider that code for liberal bias?
I meant to say that I'm an associate professor, not full professor as I implied.
Doug, I am sorry you did not do any research prior to writing. Todd DeFeo is an accomplished, award winning journalist (as a quick search shows): defeo(dot)harpblaster(dot)com/clippings/. I am also a member of KTA, have a PhD in Journalism and Communication, and am interested where people go for information. However, I believe you're asking the wrong question. How are information consumers determining the credibility of the information they hear/read/see? Consumers are inundated with information all day long...it's not a matter of where they go, it comes to them in all forms, from every angle... how do they distinguish good from poor information? If it's simply accepting all information without any additional investigation and corroboration as you have done, I truly worry.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!