Is the Word stimulus Taboo Because it Works or Because There's No Way to Scam?

In a Time magazine entry "It's Official: The Stimulus Isn't a Waste of Money," reporter Michael Grunwald wrote a breakdown of how the $787 billion stimulus package is being policed under the Obama administration. Details include how Vice President Joe Biden opposed 260 projects like the $120,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers who wanted to print brochures. Who prints brochures these days anyway? Vice President Biden said put the information on a website thus saving money and trees. If we're going to live in a green economy, it might be time to stop all the wasted paper especially when people are more likely to check information on their Blackberries and laptops anyway.

The article also discussed the $5 billion program to weatherize low-income homes, $762,000 for interactive dance software, $18,500 to paint a mural on a Montana band shell, $14.5 million transformation of a World War 2 ammunition factory into an eco-friendly government building in St. Louis and more. According to Grunwald, "Before the stimulus passed, experts predicted the government would lose 5% to 7% of it to fraud; today, out of over 190,000 contracts, grants and loans, less than 0.2% are under investigation."

I wonder how many people who think the stimulus is a waste of money actually take the time to look up their ZIP codes to find out just how money is being used. I never expected unemployment to magically improve, not even two years into office. I watched unemployment extensions being challenged and then passed. I also made a mental note about the politicians who didn't want it to be passed, including Mark Kirk, who is running for U.S. Senate representing Illinois. That'll definitely matter come Election Day since I'm not participating in early voting, which closes today.

Then I did what many complainers probably don't do. I went to Recovery.gov to see how money is being spent in my area. What I like about Recovery.gov is that, unlike under the Bush administration when $9 billion in Iraqi reconstruction "disappeared," this site is set up to let U.S. citizens know what goes where at all times. Under "Recipient Reported Data," I chose my state (Illinois) under "State/Territory Summaries," chose "Illinois Funding by ZIP Code" and then chose my ZIP code to find out what the $2,010,412 in my own neighborhood was being used for. The site gives details about contracts, grants and loans. In my own community, money has been used mainly for housing and energy resources, and I'm familiar with the companies.

But I do wonder how many people actually take the time to do this before they start wagging their fingers. Do you? I'd rather observe what a politician is using money for than not know at all, and to be able to know in a timely manner and find out that only 0.2 percent may have slipped through the cracks sounds like a better deal than billions leaving unknown. This is also the reason why I support Alderman Joe Moore for taking the time to be the first alderman in the U.S. to let the people decide how to use the $1.3 billion in participatory budgeting. The money spent was clearly laid out and explained to the people in my ward, much like the Recovery Act.

For the people who don't agree with the way money is spent and still claim that most people don't agree with it, such as the higher percentage against the health care bill, keep in mind the number of people who were conservative Republicans, the number of people who voted in comparison to the entire U.S. population, and the number of people who were against Pres. Barack Obama from the time he took office. Last month while people argued about the DADT policy being filibustered was also the same time that people could no longer be refused health care for having preexisting conditions. And as a self-employed reporter who was grilled beyond belief about an ear infection in 2009 for a week straight before I was approved for health insurance, I definitely feel like that money was well spent.

In the interest of full disclosure, I also went from a transition of being unemployed to employed part-time to full-time and back to part-time. I don't fit the mold of the stereotyped unemployed people who didn't look for a job nor do I think most unemployed people match that faulty idea. I've received incredibly good news about an upcoming opportunity as of next week, but it still took me a year of being kicked on and off unemployment three times before I got there. However, unemployment was very necessary for living expenses during this time, especially considering my salary took a nosedive before working its way back up. And freelancers know that what you make this week does not mean that's what you'll make next week.

Even if the estimate is true that without the stimulus package, three million more people would be out of work, I still don't understand why we whisper stimulus. It's not a bad word. Instead of complaining about it, try being grateful we even have the opportunity to finally see what our government is doing besides blowing the money on the rich getting richer.

Resources:
Recovery.gov
"It's Official: The Stimulus Isn't a Waste of Money"
"Rogers Park, Edgewater and West Ridge residents vote on $1.3 million budgeting projects in Ward 49"
"Ward 49 Ready for 2nd Participatory Budgeting Meeting for $1.3 Million Menu Money"