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WASHINGTON – When it comes to transparency, the Obama administration deserves an A for intent. On his first day in office, President Obama promised “an unprecedented level of openness.”
The timing and prominence Obama gave to government operating without (much) secrecy was notable, especially after the Bush administration’s stated philosophy, which was government information should be kept secret unless there was a darn good reason to make it public. The Obama administration’s stated philosophy is the information should be made public unless there’s a darn good reason why it should remain secret.
The Obama philosophy was in evidence when Data.gov was unveiled on Thursday. Data.gov is a repository of government data in raw form so people can download it and blend it with other information to come up with insightful pictures of our government in action.
It’s a work in progress – there are only about 50 data sets posted so far – and none of it is particularly useful for a technology novice. But there’s no doubt it will yield fascinating information.
On a micro level, I can also report a good experience.
Last year, when The Journal Gazette asked for a copy of a taxpayer-paid report the Department of Veterans Affairs commissioned about the Fort Wayne VA hospital, it was denied, so I had to use the Freedom of Information law to get a copy. Eventually, it arrived – with 75 percent of its content blacked out.
In January, I asked the new administration for a follow-up copy of that report. Eventually, a report arrived in the mail with not a single word crossed out. Other than the fact it wasn’t the report I asked for – it was the one the Bush administration had so dramatically barred from public eyes – this was a welcome approach. And there was nothing in it that approached a state secret.
But the A for effort doesn’t translate to an A for performance in all areas.
Obama came in for criticism from open-government folks when he decided to suppress prisoner abuse photographs that he earlier said he would release. Reasonable people can disagree about whether Obama did the right thing in this case.
But surely no one thinks the murkiness tolerance should be very high in tracking how the $787 billion in stimulus money is being spent. That’s what recovery.gov is supposed to do. So far, the project merits a D-minus for execution.
Recovery.gov has charts, news releases and promises. But details about exactly how the money is being spent and the names of contractors – not so much. In fact, not at all.
For instance, on the page devoted to Indiana, we learn this sort of thing: The state was allocated $1 million and change for the state fiscal stabilization fund; $253.5 million for education programs keyed to children with disabilities; $131 million for programs to help low-income people weatherize their homes; and $1.7 million for the “State Clean Diesel Grant Program.”
But what’s missing is exactly how the $2,358,503,579 allocated to Indiana so far is being spent, including the identity of contractors when the project involves private businesses. In fact, we don’t even know whether the money “allocated” to Indiana has actually been sent. Or whether the state is merely eligible for that amount.
Yeah, yeah. It’s only been 120 days. And the administration is far from fully staffed. And this is a lot of money to track. And the stimulus money was supposed to be spent fast to jolt the economy. But that’s the point. It is a lot of money to track, and so far, the Obama administration can’t be applauded for doing a stellar job in helping taxpayers pay attention.
I haven’t lost hope yet because other indicators are that the administration does come at the ownership of government information from a perspective of openness.
But apparently that doesn’t mean we will ever know the deepest details. Initial reports from states and other recipients are due in October. But, even then, the Washington Post reported, only first- and second-level recipients will have to detail how they spent the money.
In general, the contractors and subcontractors hired to widen the road and winterize the houses won’t be disclosed. And it’s not possible to see the individual projects, at least so far.
In that void, a private business offers some sunlight.
Seattle-based Oniva has developed a Web site to compile stimulus-related contracts and post them online. Its employees scour newspapers looking for bid announcements. It’s not perfect, but recovery.org is far better than what recovery.gov offers. From recovery.org we can find 246 projects in Indiana that are up for bid, the amount of the contract and what the project is for.
The Obama administration needs to use Oniva’s model. Folks are hoping the stimulus spending will save their jobs and communities and get them back to work if they’ve been laid off. Support for the approach will disappear if taxpayers think the money is being misspent or mismanaged.
