I’ve talked about the efficiency of our government before, but I’m starting to see it play out in real time. Right before my very eyes.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), also referred to as the stimulus bill, is showing up all across the Nation. And if you pay attention, you’ll realize how lousy a deal it really is.

On a trip to the in-laws this weekend, we ended up taking a detour through the backroads of a sleepy little town due to the removal and replacement of the towns one and only intersection. Sponsored of course by the ARRA.

Six weeks ago we made the same trip and took the same detour. At that time they working on the project for two weeks.

It’s clear to me that this is a government sponsored job simply because it’s taking so long. Any project funded through local means would have been done weeks ago.

This is but one clear example of how inefficient our government is with money. Little projects like this have popped up all over and they’re costing us millions a piece when they should be measured in hundreds of thousands.

Finance ARRA, government, spending, stimulus

With the latest rendition of the “stimulus” bill heading to the Senate, after passing without partisan support in the House, the pressure is still on the Obama administration to prove spending nearly $900 billion of our money to “stimulate” the economy will actually work.  (I use quotation marks around the word stimulus intentionally, since I’m not sure anyone in Washington actually knows what stimulates anything.)

Stimulus Watch

Obama has also offered transparency and a new age of accountability in his administration, and with the nomination of two clowns that can’t pay their taxes to his cabinet, I have reason to believe the whole transparency thing may become a subjective talking point rather than a new standard.

Luckily, there are a few creative people out there with the technical expertise to help President Obama fulfill his promise of transparency, starting with the “stimulus” bill coming to a Senators desk near you.

Jerry Brito started StimulusWatch.org as a means to track federal grant money stemming from the passing of the “stimulus” bill, should it happen.

Jerry is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University focuses on government transparency and accountability.  In specific, he studies how the internet can be used to help keep government officials accountable.

Essentially, Jerry and his team took the U.S. Conference of Mayors report that contains a list of “shovel-ready” projects to help President Obama spend $900 billion effectively.

So how how do I use the website?

The website lets everyday Joe’s like you and me review the list of projects that the Conference of Mayors supplied to President Obama.  You can search for projects in your state, by the number of jobs created for that project, by the total cost per project, etc.

You can then rank and comment on each project and vote as to whether or not you think an individual project is “critical” or not.

As of this posting, the least critical project would be providing doorbells in Laurel, Mississippi. It would only create 2 jobs, and would cost just shy of $100,000.

The most expensive project would involve providing new energy efficient industrial zones in Puerto Rico to the tune of $17.5 billion.

Where do I sign up?

The site is free to peruse, and if you wish to participate in the ranking and discussion, you’ll need to sign up with an email address and a password (it’s free).

So there you have it.  Technology helping our new leader keep his word.

Economics, Politics government waste, Obama, spending, stimulus bill, Stimulus Watch

I finally went out and started my Christmas shopping yesterday, and before I even made my way to the checkout line in Kohls I had found I came down with the funk.  You know, that feeling that on some level even larger than one man can comprehend, there’s something wrong with Christmas?

I have a feeling that the state of our country’s economic affairs has somehow infiltrated my emotional side, as hard as I try not to let it.

At some point in time while in that store I took a step outside the box.  I just sat there and watched what people picked up for others for Christmas, what they talked about, the expressions on their face.

I’ve found that I’ve become very pragmatic about what I give others for Christmas.  If you don’t have a list of what you want for Christmas, you probably won’t get much from me.  I’m not about trying to pick out something for someone else, hoping they will use it.  Chances are, they’ll pack it away in the basement only to collect dust.

I’ve thought about giving consumables (not edibles) this year like toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, etc. You know, stuff people can actually use and then throw away, spit out, or flush.  It takes up space only for a limited amount of time, and then goes away.

I’m also an anti-clutter type of guy (just ask my old college roommate, MJ).  If it doesn’t have a spot for storage, or if it never gets used, it must go. Trash, Goodwill, garage sale…  I don’t care, but it ain’t staying here.  There are very few tangible items I’m emotionally attached to, and I have no problems making donations to the local landfill.  In fact, I actually look forward to Thursdays… (trash day).

Anyway, while standing in Kohls, I noticed that the majority of stuff people were carrying around (besides clothing) was junk.  You know, the gimmicky cocoa frother who’s only purpose in life is to put a head on your cup of hot chocolate. I’ve got a wire whisk (actually two) that will do the same job and take up less space.  It also does eggs, jello, pudding, cake mix… a true multi-purpose tool that costs less that $3.

What about the smoothie maker which is really nothing but a blender with a tap in the bottom. Can you not make smoothies in a regular blender?

The thing I watched most people carry around was a giant insulated mitten with the head of an ice scrapper attached at the end.  $17.99 for that bad-boy.  I guess a pair of gloves that you can even use when your windshield isn’t icy and a $1.99 truckstop-version scraper just won’t due these days.

Just let me sulk, I’ll be alright.

It seems the spirit of giving has morphed into “giving for the sake of giving’.  And the opportunities started popping up two weeks before Halloween (soon Christmas will be a year round holiday).  Three months worth of Christmas music on the radio, and I’m burned out three days before the actual event.

In an age where we’re strapped for money, or so the media seems to indicate (I don’t know who to trust any more), it seems like Americans are still spending money on crap.

Perhaps I’ll just stick to sending out Christmas cards.

Does anyone else have a case of the Christmas funk?

P.S. If you get a Christmas card from me this year, I expect you to have thrown it away by February 1st next year.  I’ll send you another one next year, I promise.

Economics, Frugal Living, General, Saving buying crap, Christmas, giving, shopping, spending