I was intrigued by President Obama's assertion that Recovery Act funds would be fully reported and traceable on a website: recovery.gov
When I checked the website a week ago, it was not up yet. There was a message telling me to check back after the Recovery Act had been passed by Congress.
So after President Obama signed the bill into law today, I checked the website, and lo and behold, it's up!
It includes a PDF of the bill itself, a chart showing the breakdown of funds towards different priorities, and a way to share you own stories about how the recovery plan has impacted you personally.
I am truly excited about this website as a way to build trust again between the people and our government. It can also serve as a resource to fight against smears and lies that are being spread about the Recovery Act.
The website also includes a way to contact a board that is overseeing the implementation of funds and to safeguard transparency.
I would have expected the usual bureaucratic delays in getting the website up live. I would have expected dead links and crappy layout. Instead the site is modeled after the sites that Obama used during the campaign. It's up the day the bill is signed, it's clear and clean and useful.
Now this is change we can believe in!
CHECK IT OUT