According to the National Public Radio website yesterday, there is a serious quesiton about accountability in the stumulus package now making its way through Congress. According to the article:
"As it stands now, says David Walker, a former U.S. comptroller general, the bill appears to have no mechanism for directing spending. It's left up to those state and local officials, who may or may not have the ideas or the means to spend it appropriately. And that will lead to "a series of disappointments that it's too late to do anything about," Walker says.
The bill does make it possible for lawmakers and the public to track the money -- but only after it's spent. And that, he says, will lead to bad surprises."
The article further states (bold lettering is not in original article):
"Leaving out the earmarks does mean Congress will have less control over how the money is spent. But, Obey says, "So what? This is an emergency. We've got to simply find a way to get this done as fast as possible and as well as possible, and that's what we're doing."
That doesn't mean Congress will be responsible if the money is spent badly, he says."
This is unbelievable. Congress wants approximately $ 800,000,000 of our money, but doesn't want to be held responsible for how it is spent!
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