Recovery.gov

Here's the promise from Obama:

We're actually going to set up something called Recovery.gov. This is going to be a special website that we set up that gives you a report on where the money is going in your community, how it's being spent, how many jobs it's (sic) being created, so that all of you can be the eyes and ears; and if you see that a project is not working the way it's supposed to, you'll be able to get on that website and say, "You know, I -- I -- I thought this was supposed to be going to school construction, but, uhhhh, all -- I haven't noticed any changes being made."

Via Rush Limbaugh, this promise was made in response to a question of a supporter in a town hall meeting:

... Elkhart, Indiana, town meeting. After his opening remarks, an unidentified female audience member had an exchange with Obama, and she said my question to you is, "Sir, when you allocate the money for Elkhart, Indiana, will it come directly into Elkhart, or is it going to have to go around somewhere else?"

OK so let's go to Recovery.gov and see where the money is going in Elkhart. The first page of the website shows a group of bar graphs showing broad categories of spending. Click on any one of these graphs and you get no, zero, nada details. So, does this website tell us whether the money is going directly to Elkhart or is it going to go around somewhere else?

Barack Obama answered the question by promising something that he has not delivered. In fact, it appears that it will not be delivered. It's the sort of promise Obama has a history of making in, for example, Chicago where he promised better schools for $150 million and, with this friend Bill Ayers as his partner, managed to spend it all with no noticeable positive impact. Being full of promises without delivering has not been an impediment to Obama's ambitions, or his press coverage.

After looking at the site, it's literally something anyone with a basic familiarity with spreadsheets could do in about a day, unaided by anyone on the White House staff. As an answer to the questions of the American people asking where their money is going it's "boob bait for the bubbas;" it's an insult.

Go ahead, click on the site and then open up some of the links. As a citizen reporter, I can't make much of the

o Department of Agriculture report for the period ending 3/31/2009
o Recovery Act Funds Used on Recovery Act Activity
o Program source 12,
o Treasury account symbol 0803,
o Total funding $22,500,
o Total Obligations $265,607.

The website claims: "We're bringing transparency and accountability..." Maybe to someone else, but the information is neither transparent not intelligible, and does not create accountability.

But that's just me.