Report Indicts DC Council Earmarks

It’s not called “All About Barry.”  The report by Robert S. Bennett  and Amy R. Sabrin is entitled “Council of the District of Columbia Contracts and Grants.”  Among the findings:

In the view of Special Counsel, the current form of Council earmarking is not a sound method for appropriating public funds. It effectively permits each Member to designate individual programs for funding on an ad hoc basis without prudently establishing spending priorities. Council Members, moreover, are understandably not equipped to fully and carefully vet individual grantees, and the legislative “logrolling” inherent in the earmark appropriations process inhibits thorough scrutiny of proposed grant recipients. The informal method by which grantees are selected clearly does not ensure that public funds go to the best or most effective organizations to deliver the intended services or accomplish the stated goals of the grant.

DC Government: What Snow?

While Federal offices and suburban schools will open two hours late today, DC Schools and government started on time. How do we know? The Mayor and School Chancellor proclaimed it.

The thousands of DC workers and students you saw stranded in snowbanks, huddled at bus stops, stuck in traffic, and crushed together on subway platforms are obviously products of your imagination. Many District Government employees live in “Ward 9,” suburban Prince Georges County, and can’t stroll in to work.

 

 

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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