President Obama's Website Recovery.Gov: Serenity Now!
The Recovery.gov website has been established to provide the American people with a governmental transparency that no other administration has provided before. It is a stately and reassuring website, with a photograph of President Obama and a video clip of him explaining the website and the purpose of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that has just passed. It seems we, the American people, will finally get an insider's look at how those in our nation's capital are spending the tax dollars they so efficiently extract from us for each and every working enterprise we engage in. I want to believe they are on the right path for our country. "Recovery.gov. Recovery.gov".
There is a top level breakdown of the $787 billion dollar Act on the website. Curiously, you can't hover over the line items and see a further breakdown. That especially intrigues me when I read the last line item: "Other-$8 billion". I guess transparency to that detail is not important for me to fret about. Eight billion dollars must be miniscule on the Obama White House radar. If it is miniscule on their radar, why should it matter to me? I see a red flag in my mind but I want to believe. "Recovery.gov. Recovery.gov".
There is a timeline of proposed deadlines of accountability. There is a map of the United States in blue. If you hover over each state, they turn beige and an information box with the number of jobs in each state the Act hopes to create within the next 2 years flashes in front of you. I must try to believe. "Recovery.gov. Recovery.gov".
I dutifully follow a series of links to other websites that finally guided me to a PDF version of the 407 page Act. I put my reading glasses on, get out my highlighter and begin to read. Three or four reads later, I still don't know what "Other-$8 billion" means. So I turn to the political websites; to the experts, both by Republicans and Democrats to find guidance in understanding thoroughly where all the money is going. I get caught in the buzzing and the mud ball fights. (The names these grown men and women call each other!) I get more and more frustrated trying to grasp full comprehension of the Act, the text of which is not even on Recovery.gov. I can feel my stress level rising. My optimism begins to fade and I have to revert to old tactics to try to calm down. "Serenity Now. Serenity Now. Serenity Now"!
Published by Danielle Olivia Tefft
I am a freelance writer and an antiques dealer specializing in antique and vintage jewelry in my online store. I write articles here at the Yahoo! Contributor Network and Constant Content. I have also writt... View profile
Movie Review: Serenity Blu-ray EditionSerenity takes off where the Firefly series left off to tie up a few loose ends and entertain, the film does a good job of taking us back to the great series in this full length...- President Obama Unveils Recovery.GovIn his first weekly address since taking office, President Obama announced the creation of recovery.gov - a site that will allow Americans to see how and where their tax money is being spent.
- Recovery.Gov Will Track Economic Stimulus SpendingIf you are a sometimes skeptical taxpayer, recovery.gov should catch your attention.
- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Will Be TransparentWhere is the stimulus 2009, or American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, money going? President Obama WANTS you to know.
www.Recovery.gov: Novel Stimulus Spending and Results Tracking Toolwww.recovery.gov is an information tool with a peculiar feel.
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10 Comments
Post a CommentThe politicians want to watch us, when we need to be watching them.
What Transparency? the American People didn't even get to see the "Stimulus" Bill Until they implemented the vote and passed it. After the fact we got to see that we'd been fleeced again. It's just the same bull just from a different administration and on a larger level. Thank"s for a provocative look at what's going on.
Yep. Sigh. Good job and welcome to AC - and congrats on your new CP award!
I missed reading this article. Not big on politics...great job.
We've been robbed! I love the "Serenity Now" part. Like I've said before, history is a continuum. This is the same old ball game. I wonder if the website says anything about that $3 trillion that got moved to offshore banks several weeks ago. My guess is not!
Great article, Danielle. (^;^) Is it any wonder the American people get frustrated at their politicians? I am sorry, folks, $8 billion is a LOT of money to simply not have a clue where it vanished. And, as for all those wonderful new job estimates, our local paper ran an article this week saying the new bill would provide funding for 40 new jobs at our local county health clinic, when in fact it only will provide 2 new jobs and funding to keep it running for one more year. So much for the 40 jobs it was said to have created here! The article went on to describe how federal estimates were unrealistic because they were determined by a formulation of trickle down effect for jobs and included estimates for independent contracted workers on larger projects the bill is supposed to help fund. Any less confused than me???
It has been demonstrated that the wealthy control the stock markets and can manipuilate it. So the stock market is reflecting the wealthies dissatisfaction with the direction the president is leading the country and trying to derail his plan unless he does it there way(Republicans). Which is enrich us more not the middle class.
This is awesome!
I am getting anxiety because of all this recession/depression stuff. I am just going to take a wait and see attitude!
I like the way you were able to state what so many of us are thinking, but with your own personal style and humor. 8 billion? That's chump change! LOLZ. I want to believe, too, but there is so much rhetoric from the right, and so many articles that are "cherry picking" the worst examples of spending they can find. As for the earmarks? Where the heck are those published. Serenity Now! Serenity Now! LOVE it.