The most outrageous aspects of the "stimulus" plan continue to dazzle the taxpayers who will foot the bill. The cost is just crippling to consider. Now, CNET is reporting $7 billion is being spent to subsidize broadband.
So, which part of the new era of imaginary governmental accountability will this broadband plan fulfill?
So I want to be clear about this: We cannot tolerate business as usual -- not in Washington, not in our state capitols, not in America's cities and towns. We will use the new tools that the recovery act gives us to watch the taxpayers' money with more rigor and transparency than ever. (Applause.) If a federal agency proposes a project that will waste that money, I will not hesitate to call them out on it and put a stop to it.
And I want everybody here to be on notice that if a local government does the same, I will call them out on it and use the full power of my office and our administration to stop it. We have asked for the unprecedented trust of the American people to deal boldly with the greatest economic crisis we've seen in decades and the privilege of investing unprecedented amounts of their hard-earned money to address this crisis. And with that comes unprecedented obligations to spend that money wisely -- free from politics and free from personal agendas.
On this, I will not compromise or tolerate any shortcuts. The American people are looking to us, each of you, as well as myself and Joe and others in our administration, for leadership, and it's up to us to reward their faith. -President's Speech to Mayors (19FEB09)
This is just more of the same old pork, but it is writ large in indelible red ink that will ruin generations to come. In the space of a week, we have planned to spend $1.2 trillion. It is time we starved this government into submission to the Constitution.