It has been previously proposed that I go digging for the bad things. That I’m searching for negative things to report. From this condemnation, I must say, you are right. I do go digging, but not necessarily to find something wrong. I’m looking for information, just most of what turns up is obscure, or you have to look up three more things to make sense of a single sentence.
For instance, I receive reports from several federal level departments that show me exactly how they’re spending their stimulus money. Let me preface this by saying one of those areas is the Department of Homeland Security, in which I have an obvious vested interest, though skeptically approach when it comes to funding.
Today, after receiving another spreadsheet of their funding streams, I would like to share the general information that is posted here regarding the projects and programs that are funded from America’s tax dollars through ARRA.

***begin direct quote***
St. Elizabeths/DHS Headquarters Consolidation:
$650 million ($200 million to DHS; $450 million to GSA)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP):
$720 million for construction at land ports of entry ($300 million GSA; $420 million CBP)
$100 million for Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) technology
$100 million for border technology on the southwest border
$60 million for tactical communications equipment and radios
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE):
$20 million for ICE automation modernization and tactical communications
Transportation Security Administration:
$1 billion for explosives detection systems and checkpoint screening equipment
U.S. Coast Guard:
$142 million for Alteration of Bridges program
$98 million for construction, which may include the following:
Shore facilities and aids to navigation facilities
Vessel repair/acquisition (includes High Endurance Cutter, National Security Cutter)
Federal Emergency Management Agency:
$100 million for Emergency Food and Shelter Program
$150 million for transit and rail security grants
$150 million for port security grants, no non-federal match required
$210 million for Assistance to Firefighter (AFG) grants for firehouse construction; maximum grant is $15.0M
$5 million expansion in authority for FEMA Community Disaster Loans
Requires the establishment of an arbitration panel to resolve Katrina/Rita public assistance disputes
Requires FEMA to accept additional applications for Katrina/Rita public assistance
All non-federal matching requirements for SAFER grants waived for FY 2009-2010
DHS Office of Inspector General:
$5 million to conduct related oversight and audits
***end direct quote***

Now, if you’re not so great in math skills like me, you’re looking at that and going, ‘holy crap, that’s a lot of money’. Yes, friends, it is. According to this data alone, $3,510,000,000 of stimulus money has gone to DHS. That’s a lot of zeroes. This is humorous, considering the recovery website currently lists the Department of Homeland Security as receiving $503,396,000 total, while it has only paid out $19,095,000 (Learn more here).

Funnily enough, the government doesn’t exactly post these sorts of things front and center on the main page of recovery.gov. I don’t get it. We’re making leaps and bounds in protecting American citizens! This is great! And, honestly, I would support every security effort we made through these programs if the money did not come from an act that was said to be an “unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy, save and create millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century”. Though this does fall vaguely under ‘long-neglected challenges’, I challenge those working on this ‘transparency’ effort to show Americans where their money is going in direct and clear comparison, then listen to the response from individuals about the balance going on.

Many of the plans for recovery look similar to this: http://www.dol.gov/recovery/word/DepartmentOfLabor(Agency)RecoveryActPlan.doc
That is the Department of Labor’s Recovery Act Plan in its most basic form. These plans are than broken down into program specific plans, some of which actually include a dollar amount. Honestly, until I have to, I don’t want to go in and weed out the dollar amounts. If you care to, go ahead.
From the recovery.gov site, it is suggested that the DOL will receive $20,036,754,000. Now, for kicks and giggles, I calculated the percentage of error from DHS and applied it to the numbers listed for DOL. This in no way reflects any available information; it is based on a lack of an exact count of dollars being spent for the DOL through ARRA and therefore I’m having fun with numbers. This calculation turns out to be (ready?) $22,549,942,784.91. So, assuming the discrepancies in numbers follow similar patterns throughout the departments as DHS, we as American could end up paying billions more than what was originally projected. Just a thought for the future.