Here’s one power no vice president wants. Apparently, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has been spending a good bit of his time mediating fights between governors and mayors about how to spend the stimulus money.
And no, he’s not happy about it.
In a question-and-answer session after his speech on the stimulus at the Brookings Institution this morning, Biden revealed a bit of irritation with Congress for writing the law in a way that gives the governors a large say in how the money is spent. Biden said he would have preferred to design it more like the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, created by the 1994 crime bill he co-sponsored in the Senate, in which the mayors could apply for the funds directly — making it easier for local officials to pressure the mayors directly to address their biggest needs.
“The fact is, the Congress, in its wisdom, decided that the governors should have a bigger input,” Biden said. The result, Biden complained, is that “just like you should never volunteer to negotiate a marriage difficulty,” he has found himself in the middle of disputes “about whether or not the off ramp that’s needed in a particular part of town should be funded versus 140 miles of highway in rural Missouri that is needed but is arguably, from the mayor’s standpoint, not needed as badly.”
Since he’s in charge of monitoring the stimulus, Biden would be the natural person governors and mayors would turn to when they can’t settle their own fights. “I had no authority to tell the governor or the mayor,” Biden said, “but I would get them together on the phone and I’d say, ‘Guys, can’t you work this out? Can’t you work this thing out?’”
That’s probably one more reason for Biden to regret taking on the stimulus as his assignment. Biden likes to tell the story of how he got the job, after telling President Obama over lunch one day that the administration should closely monitor the spending for waste, fraud and abuse. “I said, ‘Boss, I think you should do this.’ He said, ‘Good. Do it,’” Biden said.
It’s a good bet Biden hasn’t mentioned Middle East peace to Obama in a while.
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Comments
In regard to the stimulus investment, my understanding is as follows:
1. The current surging fuel cost (World oil prices doubled during the last 7 months) is overwhelming the further market rally.
And the pending clean energy bill might serve as a second stimulus package world-wide boosting private investments.
2. People are so worried about losing their job, coverage, dumping of treatment, which seems to increase bank deposit lately. That means stimulus funding mainly goes toward bank deposit for a rainy day , unlike its original aim.
It proves again that a healthy society gives birth to better productivity, prosperity.
It is time to 'Change' the notion of the public health as a fundamental human right and install 'a safety system for all' like any of the other industrialized nations, I think.
3. The stimulus funding begins to mobilize just 15%, meanwhile, the auto industry has undergone its restructuring with the massive job-related impact.
To expedite its process, it is highly recommended to streamline the procedure.
4. The pandemic swine flu has been hurting the global economy seriously protecting the pork industry OUT OF SMALL THINKING.
How can anybody expect vibrant economic activity / JOB CREATION ( faulted by the non-alternative naysayers to distract a set of scandals ) in the context one in two Americans say someone in their family skipped pills, postponed or cut back on needed medical care due to the cost ?
Thank You !
Posted by: hsr0601
| September 4, 2009 2:01 AM
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