With the passage of the historic $787 billion stimulus package by Congress and the White House earlier this year, President Barack Obama promised all funds would be easily accessible to the U.S. taxpayer. With this in mind, the White House created an $18 million Web site titled, Recovery.org, which supposedly tracks every stimulus dollar spent. However, according to the Web site, millions of stimulus dollars have been spent in artificial congressional districts and U.S. territories. In addition, the nonpartisan Office of Government Accountability released a report claiming that more than 50,000 jobs claimed as a result of stimulus spending have received no stimulus money whatsoever.
While Obama has aimed to deliver increased government transparency, the lack of accuracy in White House findings must be resolved immediately. Obama put much emphasis on creating jobs quickly during his run for office. He delivered optimism to millions of Americans, and now Obama is falling back on his promises to deliver authentic information. It is difficult enough for anyone to decipher what exactly is considered a saved or created job by the government, but foolish for Americans to believe that job loss will be cured overnight. Unemployment hit a 26-year high this month at 10.2 percent, a full 2.2 percent higher than what Obama promised would be the ceiling if the stimulus package was signed into law. Whether the faulty information is the result of typos or lack of congressional district knowledge, the White House must be more careful with the information they post online. The money they are spending is the American taxpayer’s money, and no one likes to see their money tampered with. With a majority victory in the 2008 president election, the American people put their trust in Obama, and he must reciprocate that trust with his constituents. In addition, about one out of every 10 jobs “saved or created” by stimulus funding receiving no monetary compensation. According to recovery.org, 10,000 projects reported spending almost $965 million have not created any jobs. Obama did not have to promise further transparency to the American people, but he spent $18 million on a Web site that is meant to do just that.
How is that an $18 million Web site does not work properly? While jobs are lost around the country, the last thing taxpayers want to hear is that the White House has been inaccurate with their jobs saved/created summary. The American people want to know that their money is being spent wisely and honestly, and the White House must deliver with results.
White House must be held accountable
Editorial
Published: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Updated: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 21:11
3 comments
You have no idea what you're talking about.That is all.