Taylor Launches Stimulus Watch

State Auditor Mary Taylor wants everyone to know she's watching over the Federal Stimulus dollars destined for local projects and programs.  The AOS has launched a basic reporting portal on the web to be used by local governments to report some basic information on how ARRA dollars are being spent.  The technical bulletin (2009-005) describing the MARY TAYLOR'S FEDERAL STIMULUS TRACKER!!! is here.

The website has a secure portal for reporting stimulus spending at the local level where users are greeted with the following admonisment from Taylor:

As Auditor of the State of Ohio, I am committed to a high level of transparency and accountability over all public funds in the state.  Therefore, as part of our responsibility in completing Single Audits over federal funds, the AOS will be collecting information on the federal stimulus dollars received in Ohio.  All state and local government agencies will be required to report any ARRA dollars they receive and the expenditure of those funds.

The front end of the site is being maintained for public consumption and promises to eventually provide how stimulus dollars are being spent state-wide. 

More transparency and accountability aimed at any use of taxpayer money is always a net benefit in my humble opinion.  I'm fine with any additional avenues of tracking ARRA dollars being offered to the public by the AOS.  What is curious to me is the way Taylor's office is linking the new reporting requirement to the single audit process. 

Cities and counties receive federal and state grant dollars every year.  Maintaining records of how those dollars are spent has always been required in order to pass single audit muster.  Of course the anticipated scale and speed of how the ARRA dollars will pass though to the local level is unprecedented this year. Taylor is going even further by planning to have interim audits of above and beyond the normal annual audit process.

I don't blame Taylor for wanting to be in the mix when it comes to joining the effort to monitor federal recovery dollars.  As State Auditor and lone Republican in the mix of State officers she has an important role in being the overseer of these resources.  This being said, I can't shake the feeling that this Stimulus Tracker is a bit gimmicky.  Color me skeptical.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Bridge Fencing And Berea Sandstone

The first round of federal stimulus dollars for local infrastructure projects have been announced and the complaints about government waste are already materializing. One of those projects, The Akron Y Bridge rehabilitation, includes installation of safety fencing along the bridge. The decision to fence the bridge has been batted around since several citizens have decided to jump to their deaths from the span. The cost has always been prohibitive until now.

Needed as it may be may be there is an undertone of criticism swirling around the inclusion of the fencing within the bridge project. Tim over at the Chief Source has some misgivings about the waste aspect of spending money on the fence. I Think he's mad about the diminution of the view. Grumpy Abe points out that the ABJ headline on the project implies there is a groundswell of dissatisfaction over the fence even though none really exists. To not be outdone I found a story on Topix from the International Herald Tribune that refers to federal stimulus dollars being spent on "anti-suicide fencing" to keep people from jumping to their deaths.

I can already see where these complaints are going. The Tea Party crowd will get a hold of these project names and individual components and turn them into anti-government invectives. All of this misses the point of the federal program. The dollars are being dedicated to local projects and those projects are being designed and planned by local governments. The overarching goals being to invest in infrastructure and employ people. This isn't a contest to see who can create the most spartan bridge deck.

The current federal funding program for roads and bridges is very similar to the Depression era programs of the 1930's that also had this dual purpose. The evidence of those historical initiatives can be seen all over the Cuyahoga Valley in the form of sandstone blocks that ring the parking lots and mark the park roads. All of these blocks were harvested from the local quarries as part of a program to improve the amenities of the park and keep your grandfather employed. Consider this passage describing a popular location in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park that benefited from the Depression era jobs program:

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) accomplished much of the early work of transforming the private retreat into a public park. Structures in the park built by the CCC in the 1930s include Kendall Lake itself, completed in 1935 and built primarily for swimming, toboggan chutes in 1936 (later removed by the National Park Service), the Lake Shelter in 1937, originally used as a swimmers bathhouse and concession, and the unique chestnut wood privies.

That description was from the Trail Guide Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 3rd Edition. A critic of Roosevelt CCC's work could have been inclined to doubt the need for fancy wood outhouses and a swimming lake. Sure, the country was facing economic collapse and the government was paying men to build recreational digs out out of expensive materials.

The point back then was the same as it is with today's stimulus program spending. The country is facing a great economic decline, one that is chiefly demand driven. The point of infrastructure spending in 2009 is to employee people, drive up demand and get the national economy back on its feet. Not much different than in the 1930's.

Bridge fencing as part of an overall project to rehab an elevated roadway is not a far cry from those sandstone blocks that ring the parking lots or adorn the shelters in the CVNP. Why quarry large chunks of sandstone only to bury them halfway in the ground near park roadways? Why install unsightly fencing along the entire length of Akron's most notable bridge? The answer for both questions is the same. These projects were sanctioned to employ Ohioans and improve our infrastructure in the process. Whether it be park roads or city thoroughfares.

Some critics will be hanging on the the name and intent of every infrastructure project that gets tapped for stimulus funding. In the case of the Y Bridge the image of government waste will be intimated because the $1.5 million spent on the fencing will be puffed up to hyperbolic levels by every libertarian or anti-taxer in throwing distance.

I'd argue that the view was not the driving force (get it) behind the funding of the Y Bridge project. The City of Akron had a duel need of investing in infrastructure and uplifting the economic well being of the region. Directing the federal dollars towards a comprehensive design for revamping the bridge happens to include the maligned "suicide fencing" among other improvements.

You can argue that the views from the Y Bridge will be diminished once the fences go up, but don't tell me that it's a waste of money. Losing the unobstructed view from the bridge is a small price for building a safe and structurally sound piece of Akron's infrastructure. If you want to take in a vista of the surrounding terrain I would suggest the outlook trail at Kendall Ledges. While you're in the area stop by Kendall Lake and check out the Berea sandstone road markers and the stone lodge that sits alongside that lake.

Mayoral Recall Losing Its Luster

The Warner Mendenhall recall may be developing a toxicity that could doom it to failure. There are some recent developments that seem to indicate a weakening of the populist wave that Warner and Co. were hoping to surf to victory.

All of these indicators of recall sentiment trends were neatly presented in a piece in today's ABJ . The article headline sings about Chrissie Hynde hosting a rally for the besieged Mayor Plusquellic. The rally held at Summit Dem HQ in Akron is serving as an official launch of the anti recall, pro mayor canvassing push. The rest of the story actually follows the details of the rally.

At this point in the game any effort to unseat a sitting mayor should be building towards a crescendo. There is some evidence in today's report from the ABJ that the Change Akron movement is losing some steam.

When asked about gathering the required 3,200 signatures Mendenhall kind of balked at the question:

Mendenhall said Friday he thinks the group will reach the 3,200 mark but might need another 20 days to gather enough valid signatures — a provision permitted under the city's charter.

So much for overwhelming force. Isn't the whole thrust of the recall effort getting the signatures?  The hint of fizzle on the Change Akron Now side contrasts with gathering of pro-Don forces in an organized front. The other problem for Mendenhall is the apparent epidemic of defections plaguing his inner circle of followers.

Association with the Mendehall lunacy is starting to develop a taint. The most revelatory nugget is the announcement by one time mayoral candidate and poster boy for anti-Plusquellic contrarianism, Joe Finley , that he is not supporting the recall. Say it ain't so Joe. He was for the recall before he was against it.

Both Joe and ward 2 councilman Bruce Kilby indicate that their future plans to run for elected office outweigh the desire to carry on with the recall nonsense. This could be proof that being identified with the Mendenhall faction could be hazardous to your political health. With Finley out the that only leaves the hapless former opponent of the Mayor, Brian Williams, that has any name recognition. I'll leave that one alone.

Summit Stimulus, Color and Shape

As the requests for stimulus dollars stack up the State of Ohio is already announcing some of the first project awards. More on that Akron Y Bridge Fencing later.

I wanted to take a basic high level look at the requests originating from the localities in Summit County. I think the color and shape of what locals are asking for points to the dire need for infrastructure revitalization. So I grabbed the latest download from the State and set off to flesh out some of the major trends.

The data is available as an excel file, still no true mash-up from the State or any other entity.

Presently there are $1.33 billion in requests from local governments in Summit County. This number does not include the Akron Public Schools, the University of Akron or non profits. The real meat and potatoes so far has been infrastructure projects. As can be seen from this handy pie chart I conjured from the Recovery.Ohio data.

A full two thirds of the requests are for good old fashioned roads, bridges, water, sewer and other main line infrastructure. What does this mean? Probably that there is great need to rebuild the decaying mess that we have depended on to support civilized society. If the Romans had functioning sewers shouldn't we?

I also wanted to see what some specific locals have requested. The next table is a brief look at some select areas of Summit County have asked for in federal stimulus dollars.

Local Government	$'s Requested	$'s Per Capita
Summit County	1,333,056,220	2,453
Akron	679,664,346	3,089
Cuyahoga Falls	139,257,132	2,785
Green	51,100,031	2,222
Stow	11,960,312	374

The requests for Summit County include the County government and all other local governments. Akron takes up more than half of all requests in the county. Akron's requests include some behemoths like the central interchange improvement project that could top $50 million. Adding the APS requests to Akron would push that per capita number up.

The per capita numbers were based on the 2007 Census Bureau population estimates. I'd say political leanings do not make a discernible difference when it comes to requesting ARRA dollars. If your name is Don you'll take the money.

If I have the time I'll try to do some more slicing and dicing of the actual approved dollars as they roll in.

Presser Night In America

President Obama just started fielding questions at his second prime time press conference. The media throng doesn't look too impressed this time. All of the outrage has taken it's toll I guess.

Chuck Todd just got his second chance to ask question in front of 50 million Americans and blew it! He wanted to know what average American's have been asked to sacrifice during the recession. Hey Chuck are you nuts?

We've been taking a back seat for almost a decade now. In fact, I know of a few thousand UAW members that are taking it on the chin over that auto maker bailout. Does he really think they owe as much penance as the knuckleheads that caused Depression 2.0? Geesh.

As bad as things look right now it's reassuring to see Obama get in front of the nation and at least try to make a case for his agenda. What an improvement from the last guy.

Oh, Chip Reid wants to know if spending on things like education, health care and the environment will ultimately be irresponsible. And by "environment" I think Chipster is talking about alternative energy programs, such a sweet child. Don't get discouraged Mr. President it's bound to get better.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Lance Gets Taste of Domestique Life

I searched my memory for an instance of LA crashing hard enough to break a collar bone and could not recall one. The most remarkable spill that came to mind was the infamous crash in the 2003 Tour on the climb up the Col du Tourmalet. You know the one that was caused by that errant musette bag held by a fan. Sure enough he told Velonews that indeed this has never happened to him before.

Lance's comeback to race in Le Tour is not the real story here. What is revelatory is how "The Boss" has been relegated to domestique. No longer sandwiched by fellow team mates Armstrong has been left to fend for himself in tight situations on the race course. Gone is the prioritization of keeping this guy upright, in the front group and well hydrated. Life out of the bubble can be harsh.

It's not all bad though. The broken collar bone is a badge of courage amongst lesser professionals. In the end I think LA will be better person for experiencing more of what he hasn't known since his formative years with Motorola. A taste of the domestique's life, grueling and selfless. He may even lug a few water bottles from the team car before the comeback is over.

Update: Johan Bruyneel tells Velonews that Lance may still be up for the Giro in May. Let's hope so.

Powered by ScribeFire.

AIG, Break It Don't Buy It

The feeding frenzy over the AIG "retention payments" is making the Obama administration look like chum in the water. The real danger for Obama and his financial team is that they are going to be saddled with ownership of the whole ugly event if they don't change the discourse.

No amount of outrage peddling will be able to reverse the explosiveness the AIG mess is having on Obama's long-term outlook. A point will shortly be reached in which the major components of the agenda will be at risk. Obama's detractors in the GOP have no choice but to harness the populist backlash and attempt to pull the president's agenda down in the process, as Bloomberg News posits :

The public furor over the $165 million in bonuses AIG handed out to employees gives administration critics a new weapon to thwart Obama’s agenda, from his budget to plans for financial-market regulation.

Robert Reich admits the viability of Obama's agenda is tied to outcome of the intervention in the financial markets:

The President cannot afford to lose the public’s confidence that his administration is a careful steward of the public’s money. The public was willing to go along with a large stimulus package. But it won’t go along with a second stimulus, and certainly not another TARP. And until the public feels confident that its money isn’t being thrown down a rat hole, it may balk at other ambitious undertakings such as health care or education or the environment.

There's basically no time to continue engaging in the populist Olympics currently being held in Congress and in the press. The administration and Geithner in particular need to decouple from the past AIG strategy. The president has to be more forceful in reminding us how we got to to where we are, namely the decision by he former administration to bailout Wall Street. And if that is not enough it wouldn't hurt to start talking in public about revamping the regulatory regime very soon. The real enemy here isn't bonus payments its the decades long free market rampage that has left the country in a bind.

One more option needs to be thrown out there. The fact that AIG is still in one piece is puzzling to me. We already own most of the company. Why not start looking into surpassing the 80% threshold and just nationalize AIG for real? Does any sane person (free market fanatics excluded) care what happen to AIG at this point?

Pushing for the real nationalization of AIG would force the break up option, one that should have been exercised months ago. Robert Reich thinks that a break up would have saved us a lot of trouble :

Had AIG gone into chapter 11 bankruptcy or been liquidated, as it would have without government aid, no bonuses would ever be paid (they would have had a lower priority under bankruptcy law that AIG's debts to other creditors); indeed, AIG's executives would have long ago been on the street.

Of course Reich uses the non-bailout version of a breakup but the result would still be the same.

The clock is running. Start breaking it up or spend the next few years in political purgatory. I don't want this chapter of history to become known as the AIG presidency.

Capitalizing Your Adventure

Once again some of the most poignant commentary on the financial crisis is emanating from the Daily Show. Funny how a satirical news show gets it right more often than some of it cable news brethren.

Follow the link to Stewart's one on one with Mad Money host Jim Cramer if you have not seen the it yet. Cramer sat in with his shirt sleeves rolled up ready to match up against Stewart, his recent antagonist. Too bad he had his lunch handed to him by Stewart. Maybe it had something to do with the video footage of Cramer revealing tips on manipulating markets to juice a short position.

It's not all bad. I'll give Cramer some credit, he did sound the tocsin during his infamous "You Have No Idea!" rant of 2007.

Pledge Drive Irony

The local public radio affiliates have been hitting the airwaves a week long pledge drive.  I'm an avid lister of all things in the public broadcast arena so I'm fine with WCPN and the like taking to the air to beg for money.  Although I did notice a hint of irony in the methods used to encourage pledges.

In a land saturated with cable blather the public airwaves are one of the last refuges of objective and informative news content.  In fact, NPR has done a great job chronicling the financial crisis with programs like Planet Money and This American Life.  

I was surprised to hear repeated pleas to go for the dollar a day pledge and stick it on your credit card if you want.  In fact, during one segment a women who described herself as an "unemployed worker"  attained the dollar a day threshold by way of the plastic.  On top of that the caller was on air with a financial adviser appearing to cross promote for the pledge drive.

I don't know what to make of people piling up credit card debt to acquire a little bit of intangible good.  Didn't using credit for conspicuous consumption became synonymous with this recent period of fiscal gluttony?  Perhaps we are returning to our senses after all.  

Say No To Recall Therapy

I haven't had much to say about the silly-ass recall effort being championed by some pinhead named Warner. Now that it looks like there is a serious chance of an actual recall election occurring I feel obligated to comment.

Unfortunately, I think Mendenhall's group, Obtuse People For Change will be able to get enough signatures to trigger an election. The low threshold seems obtainable for these cranks especially if they use targeted contacts to get signatures. A knock list made up of disgruntled cops who feel trapped in Akron and dummys caught by red light cameras will get them half of the way there. The other half will come from anyone who either doesn't like Plusquellic or thinks Joe Finley is a fountainhead of civic leadership.

The anti-recall, defend Mayor Don group now has a web presence called Citizens For Akron where followers can learn about the stupidity of the recall ploy and take blood oath to the Mayor.

Sure I signed up and vowed to fight to the death because I like Plusquellic. My real motivation is the complete disdain I have for the recall process. Rarely has the recall option ever been used for its intended purpose. This latest variation is made even more detestable by the cast of whiners and flakes that are pulling the strings.

Come on man, recalls are something they do in Norton every three weeks. Do you want Akron to become a laughingstock? Get out there on the internets and sign up to defeat the recall effort even if you are a detractor of our blustery Mayor. Don't let one man's quest to feel loved supplant the real election process in Akron.

H/T, Pho.

Powered by ScribeFire.

The Sound Of God Bowling

I haven't had to use that explanation on my toddler age son yet. We just have an understanding that sometimes it rains and sometimes thunder and lightening are part of the package.

When the time comes to explain the technical cause of thunder I'll defer to a scientific explanation. This will probably mean not depending on any number of our local television forecasters. Apparently most of these guys aren't consistent when it come to deferring to science.

The WaPo weather blog has a piece on a local TV meteorologist who is trying to fight the ignorance amongst his colleagues with a primer on climate change. Bob Ryan has put together an online series that's meant to provide the basic facts and science behind climate change. Ryan sees the role of the weather guy changing in scope to include addressing the impacts of global warming:

Ryan's new articles are clearly in keeping with his view that climate science is now part of a TV meteorologist's beat, and must be covered within a scientific framework. However, a sustained commitment to covering climate science on air as well as online will go much farther towards fostering a well informed public.

He's even included content on scientific method for the most ardent of weather zealots. I would suggest that the flat-Earthers that comprise our local Doppler Cartel check out the series and inform themselves. I agree with Ryan that they can't pretend that the impact of climate change will not become part of the daily information they provide. Old age or religious fanaticism are not a reason to avoid embracing the science related aspects of the job.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Please Pass The Ketchup

The side yard looks like a rice paddy and the warm hints of spring from this weekend have been washed away.

We're bored out of minds here. I guess I could knock off some of the posts I have stored in my mental catalog. For now I leave you with this chestnut from Daffy Duck:

Oh, when they say I'm nutsy

It sure gives me a pain!

Please pass the ketchup.

I think it's going to rain!

Reminds me of the GOP's current working philosophy.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Rubber City Recovery

The project requests for ARRA dollars keep pouring into the Ohio Recovery web portal. As expected requests far outweigh the available dollars. Just looking at Akron's request alone takes some time.

As of March 3, the City of Akron has submitted about 130 projects with an estimated cost of $478.5 million. The largest projects so far include an expansion of the CSO containment system ($30M), retrofitting lights with LED technology ($25M) and a new trash & recycle transfer station ($20M).

All three major capital outlays have an environmental tie-in and can be started within the next three to six months.

I wish some young enterprising geek would get a mash-up of Ohio's site going in StimulusWatch fashion. Until such time I give you Akron's requests in word cloud format courtesy of Wordle.

Powered by ScribeFire.

GOP Finds A Saudi Problem, Finally

Obama's choice of Charles Freeman to chair the National Intelligence Council has generated some criticism. Freeman is known as a devout realist which places him on the opposite end of the spectrum as the neoconservative scum that once lurked in the halls of the White House. John Chait opined in the WaPo editorial that an extreme realist approach has earned Freeman the ire of the pro-Israeli groups on the right and left.

The latest knock on Freeman comes from a group of newly enlightened GOP House members who are concerned about his ties to Saudi Arabia. John Boehner and nine of his colleagues have requested a review on the new chairman's affiliation with the Saudi Government. In their words:

Freeman's past and current commercial, financial and contractual ties to the Kingdom to ensure no conflict of interest exists in his new position.

Yes, Freeman ran a think tank called the Middle East Policy center that received money from Saudi interests. He was also the ambassador to the Kingdom from 1989-1992. Naturally his concentration in middle east policy has placed him in the same orbit as Saudi stakeholders.

Never mind that the guy who occupied the presidency for the past eight years had his head up the royal family's dishdasha. Never mind that his father and his father's father were tightly intertwined in Saudi business ventures involving oil. In fact entire books have been written on the Bush family's close ties to the House of Saud. As far as I know Freeman doesn't have an adoptive cousin named Bandar.

So why now is having an affiliation with the Saudis an issue? Is the GOP just trying to shore up its stance among Jewish voters. Did protecting Saudi hegemony through military and diplomatic maneuvering suddenly go out of style the minute W. left office? It looks like the GOP's foreign policy agenda is as spastic as it's domestic offerings as of late.

Powered by ScribeFire.