[Infowarrior] - OT: Stimulus oversight left up to taxpayers

[Richard Forno]

CURL: Stimulus oversight left up to taxpayers

By Joseph Curl POLITICAL THEATER | Wednesday, May 6, 2009

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/06/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."

While Mr. Miller and the panel's top Republican were there, only Rep.  
Kathy Dahlkemper, Pennsylvania Democrat, also came along to the  
hearing. Absent were Democratic Reps. Steven R. Rothman of New Jersey,  
Lincoln Davis of Tennessee, Charlie Wilson of Ohio, Alan Grayson of  
Florida and Bart Gordon of Tennessee. Republican Reps. Brian P.  
Bilbray of California and Ralph M. Hall of Texas also skipped the  
session.

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."