Kathianne
03-13-2009, 07:18 PM
Many are worried about those strings. Others about the purpose...
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=M2NlOGFiYjZmMjU1ODExMjExZGNjOGFmZTA2MWU4Yzc=
Hurry Up and Spend! [David Freddoso]
The strings attached to various parts of President Obama's stimulus package have baffled state government officials, and it's not just a Republican-versus-Democratic issue. The White House was to provide additional guidance today about permissible uses of the money, but I'm told that much of the information will not appear for a week or more. This is a problem in many states that are working on their budgets right now.
There are some inherent problems in areas where the rules have already been written. One example: a senior aide to one governor complained to me recently that his state, given its current program structure, cannot possibly handle a seventy-fold expansion of weatherization funding in just 15 months, which appears to be a condition of accepting some of the funds.
As for the remaining unknowns, some states are simply making assumptions about what they can do with the money, which could prove to be wrong. The same is happening at the local level. In upstate New York, there are even two conflicting sets of numbers on how much money various school districts will receive. In Culpepper, Va. the school board is just guessing that it can cover its deficit with the stimulus money. In Brush, Colo. they have received numerous conflicting reports about what strings will be attached, and are waiting for more information.
The grousing of local officials over stimulus money may seem like mere ingratitude. But considering that it's not free money — the federal government is borrowing and spending a trillion dollars for this — it's instructive to see what they are saying and what incentives are being created by the funds and the strings attached.
In Geneseo, Ill., they're happy to get money for infrastructure, but they cannot use any of it on sewers. So in the rush to spend, they'll just pave over their aging sewers and pray that they're good for another 7 to 12 years.
“We thought we were going to be able to identify areas in town that needed work and then submit projects and they’d tell us ‘yea’ or ‘nay...Instead, we were notified by mail that we’d been alloted $196,006 and had to submit a project by March 25...."Had we been able to choose the streets we wanted, the money would have been better spent...".....
What an expensive mess!
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=M2NlOGFiYjZmMjU1ODExMjExZGNjOGFmZTA2MWU4Yzc=
Hurry Up and Spend! [David Freddoso]
The strings attached to various parts of President Obama's stimulus package have baffled state government officials, and it's not just a Republican-versus-Democratic issue. The White House was to provide additional guidance today about permissible uses of the money, but I'm told that much of the information will not appear for a week or more. This is a problem in many states that are working on their budgets right now.
There are some inherent problems in areas where the rules have already been written. One example: a senior aide to one governor complained to me recently that his state, given its current program structure, cannot possibly handle a seventy-fold expansion of weatherization funding in just 15 months, which appears to be a condition of accepting some of the funds.
As for the remaining unknowns, some states are simply making assumptions about what they can do with the money, which could prove to be wrong. The same is happening at the local level. In upstate New York, there are even two conflicting sets of numbers on how much money various school districts will receive. In Culpepper, Va. the school board is just guessing that it can cover its deficit with the stimulus money. In Brush, Colo. they have received numerous conflicting reports about what strings will be attached, and are waiting for more information.
The grousing of local officials over stimulus money may seem like mere ingratitude. But considering that it's not free money — the federal government is borrowing and spending a trillion dollars for this — it's instructive to see what they are saying and what incentives are being created by the funds and the strings attached.
In Geneseo, Ill., they're happy to get money for infrastructure, but they cannot use any of it on sewers. So in the rush to spend, they'll just pave over their aging sewers and pray that they're good for another 7 to 12 years.
“We thought we were going to be able to identify areas in town that needed work and then submit projects and they’d tell us ‘yea’ or ‘nay...Instead, we were notified by mail that we’d been alloted $196,006 and had to submit a project by March 25...."Had we been able to choose the streets we wanted, the money would have been better spent...".....
What an expensive mess!