Why stimulus funds are still unspent: too much accountability!
At first glance, Louise Radnofsky’s report on the slow rollout of stimulus-funded weatherization jobs looks like a typical Wall Street Journal story, i.e., government can’t do anything right and labor unions are getting in the way of progress. Radofsky writes that the $230 billion in stimulus funds was supposed to be “the most visible element of the job creation effort” — those energy sector jobs that everyone has been wondering about. The weatherization program — with an extra $5 billion invested — was supposed to bring people jobs in the midst of the Great Recession. But only seven states have managed to get more than 50% of targeted homes weatherized. What’s the holdup? Yes, there’s been too much bureaucracy and paperwork. Yes, there’s micromanagement that makes government look bad. But there’s something else at work as well: accountability. (more…)
