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Volcanos and the Levitating Train to Disneyland
Viewers who tuned in to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's response to President Obama's pseudo-State of the Union on Tuesday night might be wondering about what volcanoes and a levitating train to Disneyland have to do with the economic stimulus package.
The Republican governor, who some say could challenge President Obama in 2012, said the plan is "larded with wasteful spending."
"It includes $300 million to buy new cars for the government, $8 billion for high-speed rail projects such as a magnetic levitation train from Las Vegas to Disneyland and $140 million for something called volcano monitoring. Instead of monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the eruption of spending in Washington, D.C."
Oh snap!
IG of Abramoff Fame to Oversee Stimulus Spending
Earl Devaney, the inspector general behind such classic exposes of government graft as the Jack Abramoff scandal and last autumn's revelations of sex, drugs and corruption at a Department of Interior program, will turn his scrutiny to the stimulus package.
President Obama named Devaney to chair the Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board on Monday, saying in a statement: "Joe [Biden] and I can't think of a more tenacious and efficient guardian of the hard-earned tax dollars the American people have entrusted us to wisely invest."
Stimulus Money Starts Stimulating
A crumbling 1933 bridge over the Osage River in central Missouri. A 79-mile electrical line along the Columbia River in Oregon. The repaving of Route 101 from Exeter to Epping near the New Hampshire coast.
These are some of the first projects that will be funded with the $787 billion economic stimulus plan, signed into law last week by President Barack Obama.
Starting Wednesday, money will start going out to the states in the form of Medicaid payments, the White House said Monday. (Here's a breakdown.) And in anticipation of more than $100 billion in transportation and infrastructure funding, states are beginning to bid projects and put shovels in the ground.
More on GOP Governor Grousing over Stimulus Cash
Salon has an interesting piece today analyzing why some Republican governors are saying they won't take the stimulus money but probably will.
Missouri Claims First Stimulus Project
Missouri has staked its claim of having the first project in the country paid for with stimulus money. What is it? A "rickety" bridge over Osage River in Tuscumbia, Mo.
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Recovery Tracker
Find stimulus projects happening near you. (Updated: March 2010)
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Stimulus Speed Chart
Which government agencies are the slowest at getting stimulus money out the door? Updated weekly.
Stimulus Spending Progress
How quickly are federal agencies spending? Updated weekly.
ProPublica’s Unofficial Guide to Recovery.gov
Confused by the government's official stimulus data Web site? Our guide will tell you how to navigate it.
How to Background Check Stimulus Companies
A guide of tips and resources on researching the background of companies getting stimulus funds.
- Recovery.gov
The government’s stimulus transparency page - Investments by State
Recovery.gov's list of how much each state is getting, in total and for each program - Investments by Agency
Recovery.gov's list of how much each agency has available and paid out - Projects by State
An interactive map of projects by state and by county, including their estimated value - Policy Debates by State
Primers on stimulus debates in each state - Conference of Mayors
A run-down of stimulus programs, news, and developments in U.S. cities - Stateline
News and information from the Pew Center on the States - CNN Stimulus Project
A weeklong special with stories, video and graphics from January 2010 - Business Exchange (U.S. Economic Stimulus)
Stimulus news and resources from BusinessWeek - Education Week (Politics K-12)
Breakdowns and analysis of education funding - Read the Stimulus
Searchable index of different versions of the bill - The New York Times (Economic Stimulus)
The Times’ latest stimulus coverage - Sunshine.GOP.gov
A breakdown of stimulus contracts from the House Republican Conference
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