What Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine said about S. 800, a bill she recently introduced “to require the President to update and modify the website recovery.gov“:

Mr. President, I rise to introduce legislation to enhance the availability of information to the public concerning the programs funded pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 enacted in February. I am pleased to be joined by Senator Casey in introducing this bill.

In a recent meeting that I had with constituents from the Maine Municipal Association, several questions arose regarding application deadlines and when funding will be distributed under the act. Additionally, because there is no centralized location listing the opportunities available, some Mayors and First Selectmen had little idea of all the programs for which they may be eligible. Indeed, the officials spoke of finding out about various programs either through meetings or colleagues, and they noted that a regularly updated online database of catalogued programs would be extremely useful.

This modest bill would require that the administration’s recovery.gov website be expanded so that States and
localities can easily ascertain stimulus funds for which they may be eligible. Cities and towns could benefit greatly if they could use Recovery.gov to quickly learn about funding for which they may be eligible, application deadlines, and who to contact for more information. An enhanced website or ‘‘clearinghouse’’ would facilitate the timely distribution of economic stimulus funds and ensure that they will be used as quickly and efficiently as possible to help restore economic growth throughout the country.

I urge prompt consideration of this bill.

What Senator Snowe is saying:

Jesus H. Christ! You get elected president, we pass a stimulus for you and you get all high-and-mighty about your recovery.gov website, where you said every American would be able to see for themselves what programs the stimulus money is being directed to, who is getting the money, and exactly that money is being spent. Boy, that sounded nice, especially coming out of your charismatic mouth.

But hey, over here I’ve got local officials who can’t find out anything about the programs available to them except by WORd of Mouth, the acronym for which is WORM, which is fitting, because that’s a pretty wormy recipe for crony insiderism and favor trading.

Don’t just give us your soaring oratory about open government, Mr. President. Walk your talk. Bring everything above board. Let America’s local leaders know how to apply for stimulus funds so every mayor of every town in America, not just the connected players and big shots, has a chance to get something done for their town.

Even though it is couched in the politest of terms, S. 800 is a bill of the miffed, by the miffed and for the miffed mayors of America’s small towns who find themselves on the outside looking in on the stimulus feast through fogged windows because they can’t find the door. Do you think Snowe’s bill will get the President’s attention?