Lost Track
Nov 18, 2009 12:57 PM EST
There are some extra congressional districts in California receiving stimulus dollars…the trouble is, they don’t exist.
Recovery.gov, the web portal designed by the administration to provide transparency and information on where and how the President’s stimulus dollars were being spent lists 9 congressional districts in California that don’t exist, yet they apparently have received $5,740,757 in stimulus dollars, creating 24.2 jobs, which equates to about $237,221 per job. This odd reporting isn’t limited to California either; ABC News has reported that instances of the same problems are popping up all over the country.
When asked about the problem, Ed Pound, director of communications for recovery.gov said "We're not certifying the accuracy of the information.” Asked why recipients would pluck random numbers - 26, 45, 14 - to fill in for their congressional district, Pound replied, "who knows, man, who really knows. There are 130,000 reports out there.''
I don’t know about you, but I don’t see how the White House can allocate over $1 million in stimulus dollars to California’s 00 District, nor how you can claim to create jobs in a district that doesn’t exist…but if the White House can’t keep track of $787 billion, how are they going to track the $1.6 trillion for health care?!
John Campbell
Congressman John Campbell was first elected to Congress in December of 2005. He brings with him to Washington a quarter century of experience in the business world and a record of accomplishment in both chambers of the California Legislature.
Congressman John Campbell represents California’s 48th Congressional District which encompasses Newport Beach, Irvine, Tustin, Lake Forest, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Dana Point and parts of San Juan Capistrano and Santa Ana.
Be the first to read John Campbell’s column.
Sign up today and receive Townhall.com delivered each morning to your inbox.
Sign up today