JamesMooreReport

Tomorrow's Milestone in Transparency!

2009-02-18T14:41:00.001-08:00

Get set . . . Go: Tomorrow, February 19, is the first day that Recovery.org will report some real-time data (the formula block grant awards). This is an historic event that probably won't be covered by the major media.

Stimulus Transparency Not Up To Par

2009-02-18T14:09:00.000-08:00

Old habits are hard to change.

If President Obama is true to his word, all appropriation bills will provide:

A wiki version reporting the progression of all changes as the bill proceeds through the legislative process in real time.
A spreadsheet version that includes all appropriations classified by cost category and department/agency.

So far, all we have from whitehouse.gov is a modernized version of the same old Bush platitudes.

Thank you Dennis Kuchinich!

2009-02-09T21:06:00.000-08:00

You tell those dupes,

   at Citigroup,
how to be more prudent.

Your help they need,
   since they lost airspeed--
they want to be your student.

What should they do,
   now that the deal is through
with the Met's 400 million?

If only they possessed,
   your omnipotent zest
to spend the other three billion.

You see you spent your time,
   managing their dime,
one percent of their ad allowance.

Now they need your help,
   to hear you yelp,
on how to dispose the balance.

How will they survive,
   without your jive,
once the bailout's done and later?

Since you know best,
   how to rule the rest,
maybe you should stay their dictator.

Perriello Censor's Town Hall Phone Meeting?

2009-02-03T17:23:00.000-08:00

8:00 pm

Dear Congressman Perriello,

I appreciate your organization calling me tonight to invite me to participate in your "Stimulus Bill" telephone town hall meeting. As you said, "We're all in this together . . ." and your ". . . goal is to serve all of us." So I jumped at the chance to submit a question and was promptly greeted by a friendly, professional young person who took my question. By the way, is he OK now? Apparently he choked on something when he explained, in a suddenly quivering and sheepish voice, "uh, . . . we've had a lot of calls tonight . . ., um, . . . and I don't know if they''ll get to you." "That's OK," I said, "I'm just happy to be here!"

The rest of the hour was interesting. You'd have more talk time if you're press secretary didn't cut in so often asking people to keep calling in with more questions. You can also mash-up the variety some as all but two of the questions we're either: "How much money will come to [me, my school, my roads, my employer]" or, "How will this save my [job, school, roads, employer]."

Since my question didn't make the show, here it is for your consideration (WARNING: Apparently may not be suitable for the general public):

The package includes $67 billion in direct support for school programs. You said that Charlottesville/Albemarle would receive about $10 million in school support. However, based on population, this will cost us $29 million.

Will you provide evidence that the benefits to our community exceed the costs?

Sincerely,

James Moore

Charlottesville

CC: Public

Citation: (HR 1. [111])

Can a single senator stop the "stimulus" act?

2009-02-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

Dear Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner:

By law, every penny in the "emergency stimulus" bill must fund a sudden and urgent need requiring immediate attention. The need must be unpredictable, unanticipated, temporary and may NOT be ". . . merely useful or beneficial" (citations below).

As a senator, you have the explicit authority to call a point-of-order if you think that a single item does not meet this definition.

If you are not led to take such action, please explain how these expenditures meet the required definition:

1. $50 million to the Endowment of the Arts;

2. $107 billion dollars ($14,000 for each adult and child in Virginia) for wellness programs, science and drug research, building maintenance, community development, computers, Indian Affairs, low-income assistance, labor law enforcement, the census, and including over $67 billion in education programs.

Sincerely,

James Moore

Charlottesville, Virginia

CC: Public

Supporting Citations:

The 2009 congressional "Stimulus" Act (HR 1 [111]) states that "Each amount in this act is designated as an emergency requirement and necessary to meet emergency needs pursuant to section 204(a) of S. Con. Res. 21 (110th Congress) and section 301(b)(2) of S. Con. Res. 70 (110th Congress) . . ."

Section 204(a) of Senate Resolution 21 says that emergency spending legislation must include a committee report stating "an explanation of the manner in which the provision meets the [emergency] criteria in subsection (f) . . ."

Subsection(f) states that ". . . any provision is an emergency requirement if the situation addressed by such provision is--

(Ai) necessary, essential, or vital (not merely useful or beneficial);
(Bii) sudden, quickly coming into being, and not building up over time;
(Ciii) an urgent, pressing, and compelling need requiring immediate action;
(Div) subject to paragraph (2subparagraph (B), unforeseen, unpredictable, and unanticipated; and
(Ev) not permanent, temporary in nature. . . "

Section 301(b)(2) of Senate Con. Res. 70 of which, in part, is titled "Program Integrity", refers to house legislation that ". . . makes appropriations for discretionary amounts and such amounts are designated as necessary to meet emergency needs . . ."

The Stimulus Act provides the following funding:

$209 million for "deferred maintenance" of agricultural buildings,

$245 million for salaries and expenses for maintaining computer systems,

$350 million for flood prevention operations,

Funding for salaries and expenses through September of 2012.

$100 million for improving computer systems.

$4.5M for management and oversight

$1B for general use by the Census Bureau

$350M for 3 1/2 years funding for salaries broadband development

$.65M for tv converter boxes

$2.5B for general science research

$2.2B for Corps of Engineers operation and maintenance

$2B for more science

$500M for environmental cleanup

$600M for replacing vehicles with alternative fuel vehicles

$1.7B for deferred maintenance National Parks needs

$500M for operation of Indian programs

$550M for Indian health care facilities

$800M for the Superfund Remedial program

$650M for forest maintenance

$150M for deferred maintenance of Smithsonian buildings

$50M for endowment of the arts

$1.2B for youth summer jobs

$80M for enforcement of labor laws

$500M for Institutes of Health building maintenance

$1.1B for drug research

$6.2B for low-income assistance

$2B for continued work on improving health care computer systems

$3B for the Wellness Fund

$67B for education programs

$120M for a computer backup system

$300M for Indian roads

$800M for rail road maintenance

$5B for new public housing

$500M for Indian housing

$5.2B for community development

$1.5B for affordable housing