Somehow, this is less than shocking:
The Governor’s Office, which months ago promised complete transparency of how and where the [$17.5 billion in stimulus] money would be spent, has set up a Web site — www.recovery.nj.gov — that has plenty of bells and whistles, including an interactive pie chart. But once you start digging for specifics, you will come away sorely disappointed. There is virtually no information on end-user recipients of the federal largess.
The Governor’s Office says it’s working on that. It says some information isn’t available yet and some of the federal stimulus money is bypassing the state and going directly to municipalities so it’s difficult to track.
But other states, including Florida, Michigan and Wyoming, have done what Gov. Jon Corzine promised to do, providing detailed information on their stimulus money Web sites about where the funds are going and for what purpose.
No wonder Biden has already appeared for Jon Corzine, and Obama is expected to appear at some campaign event before November – they share the same loose interpretations of the words “transparency” and “accountability.”
I took a very quick trip to Metuchen, New Jersey, Saturday night. I saw one yard sign for Republican Chris Christie and one sign for the Republican he beat in the primary earlier this month, Steve Lonegan. No Corzine signs, but I suppose it’s still early.