The Spectacle Blog
I expect we’ll be revisiting this many times. The Washington Post reported a few weeks ago:
The massive economic stimulus package President Obama pushed through Congress last year is coming in on time and under budget - and with strikingly few claims of fraud or abuse - according to a White House report to be released Friday.
Coming barely a month before November’s midterm elections, which will determine whether Democrats retain control of Congress, the report challenges public perceptions of the stimulus aid as slow-moving and wasteful - an image that has fueled voter anger with the dominant party. Even some former skeptics who predicted that the money would lead to rampant abuse now acknowledge that the program could serve as a model for improving efficiency in government.
Then we heard a week later that more than $22 million in stimulus funds were sent to dead or incarcerated people. Now today, there’s this from the Washington Examiner’s Byron York:
Projects to weatherize homes are a key part of the Obama administration’s fusion of stimulus spending and the green agenda. But a new report by the Department of Energy has found serious problems in stimulus-funded weatherization work — problems so severe that they have resulted in homes that are not only not more energy efficient but are actually dangerous for people to live in….
The work was not just wasteful; it was dangerous. Department inspectors found “heat barriers around chimneys that had not been installed, causing fire hazards.” They found “a furnace [that] had not been vented properly.” The found “a shut-off valve that had not been installed on a gas stove.” And they found “carbon monoxide detectors, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers had not been installed as planned.”
And then there was fraud. At ten of the 15 homes visited, Department inspectors found examples in which “a contractor had installed a 125,000 BTU boiler, but had billed CEDA for a 200,000 BTU boiler costing an estimated $1,000. more.” Another contractor “billed for almost four times the amount of drywall actually installed.” And another “installed 12 light bulbs but had billed CEDA for 20.” (The Department found that CEDA paid almost three times the retail price for each light bulb.) “Billing issues appeared to be pervasive,” the report concludes.
The department’s report was focused on (surprise!) Cook County, Illinois, where the weatherization program received $91 million.
View all comments (9) | Leave a comment
Related Blog Posts
More Blog Posts by Paul Chesser
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/10/20/given-time-more-fraud-appears
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Deborah D | 10.20.10 @ 9:04AM
Good grief...and these people will be running our health care, our car companies and every one of our financial transactions. Oh, Happy Days are Here Again!
Buckeye Patriot| 10.20.10 @ 9:10AM
I know this is a little off subject. I would be willing to bet that most of the dead and incarcerated; cast a ballot in 2008. Any takers?
Texas Mom 2012| 10.20.10 @ 11:08AM
Bueller, Bueller... crickets
Eric Cartman| 10.20.10 @ 9:21AM
C',mon, Paul! There may be a little fraud here, but most government programs are great! Like this one:
http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/new.....ool-101910
If the little fatties and crack whores can't eat salmon salad at home, who else but the feds will provide it? Are you saying that people should insulate their own homes and feed their own tubby juvenile delinquents? Typical Republican! All we ever hear is "Take care of your own family" and "Be responsible for you and your kids!" What's the federal government for, then? Jeez!
Demos, get honest!| 10.20.10 @ 10:54AM
"And the best news of all is this is a federally-funded program."
Yeah, and federal money falls from the sky like manna. The Democrats need to be honest and admit that they are taking kids out of welfare parents' hands because so many are just bio-units that produce kids for checks. It would cost less to keep these kids in group homes where they can be taught some values, instead of letting them spend their evenings with Crack Mommy's new bf and Baby Daddy's photograph.
Mary| 10.20.10 @ 11:13AM
Little fraud?? Ummm.. I remember the reports from last year of stimulus money the Obama admin claimed was sent to districts, ended up being recorded going to districts that didn't actually exist, hundreds of millions of dollars, and we still don't know where the money went, because Obama refuses to open the books. Then, no mention of the fact that Obama admitted this spring that the stimulus money is all gone, yet the admin had only publicly spent the first 1/3 of the money, promising the remaining 2/3 would be spent over 2011 through 2013, again, he refuses to open up the books to show us where the nearly 600 billion dollars have gone.
youfamissim| 10.20.10 @ 11:23AM
Get ready for more form THOSE people. Another of the Reforms the Democrats are running away from is this - the EPA has issued new LEAD paint regs. Any home older than 1978 comes under new scrutiny. First, all contractors who work on pre 78 homes must be licensed and certified in Lead abatement. There are stringent reporting and sampling requirements. All sub contractors must be certified or taught OJT in proper Lead abatement. Disposal too is regulated. Curiously, Homeowners are permitted to ignore all these new rules - but encouraged to follow them. BTW insurance premiums for certified contractors - since they work with Lead, have skyrocketed!
If a party is discovered in Violation of the Lead paint regs - a $30,000.00 per day fine await. That's right $30K - everyday, until conformance is met.
Why? Lead paint is to blame for dumb kids. However, I own an 1831 home that my wife and I renovated. My home is filled with Lead paint and probably other horrors. When we first heard about the Lead paint trouble, my wife and I had our children checked annually. Afterall, debris heaps adorned our home for ten straight years and those heaps contained Lead - we had those checked too. None of our children showed signs of Lead paint toxicity. Even though they played in and around the debris, none of them tested positive. They are all college grads too! SO to become Lead toxic a child must actually ingest the Lead paint on purpose. Passive toxicity does not occur in our experience. And - Our children didn't find paint chips tasty and that must be the reason why they didn't eat the paint chips. Other parents who neither feed or monitor their children, must be the ones who have Lead positive children.
Additionally, a New ENERGY building Code requirement came out this year. The energy code adds to the costs of anything built and the ongoing costs of regulation management, as well as, limits the building options for everyone.
The EPA is truly out of control and Dems who know Climate garbage will never be passed by Congress are using the EPA to install energy mandates - like they do the courts in other areas - to accomplish their ambitions.
youfamissim| 10.20.10 @ 11:30AM
To Mary's point - I agree with a twist - to be eligible for welfare, a person must voluntarily submit to have a birth control device implanted - Norplant, IUD, I don't care which one. Preventing conception while on welfare is assistance offered to gain eligibility. The State informs all welfare recipients - NO additional money will be paid to children born while taking welfare money. I'll wager the women on welfare will find the means to keep their legs closed. If not, and they cannot afford or care for the children - I favor the old solution - the ophans home or foster parents. In general, the foster parents are cleared of drug use and other behaviors that lead to dependency.
Anthony Janowski | 11.23.10 @ 10:57PM
Insisted on a BPI or RESNET Certified Contractor. This is a missing link that can provide the performance base and needs to be recognized in the CEDA program. Why would we have a federal money invested into a program without mandating these measures? The BPI and RESNET are recognized with Energy Star, USGBC and the NAHB. Why not CEDA?
The only way these weatherization program can have large positive impact and return on investment is with "Skilled Trade" organizations that have consistent and comprehensive weatherization training programs. The Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters contractors are LEED accredited, BPI, and RESNET certified that specialize in energy audits and sustainable product certifications. The products are only as good as the installations and is the true meaning of Life Cycle Assessment. The Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters have positive impact case studies incorporating these measures with Energy efficiency programs and partnerships that can be indentured into any municipalities or weatherization program. Our Third Party auditing approach is that "WE MEASURE BEFORE WE MANAGE" and we understand all of the building components and how they are incorporated as one system to produce healthier environments and large utility savings to the homeowner.