ABC News’ is reporting that $18 million in additional funds are being spent to redesign the Recovery.gov Web site.
The new Web site promises to give “taxpayers more information about where their money is going than the current version of the site”.
“Recovery.gov 2.0 will use innovative and interactive technologies to help taxpayers see where their dollars are being spent,” James A. Williams, commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, says in a press release announcing the contract awarded to Maryland-based Smartronix Inc. “Armed with easy access to this information, taxpayers can make government more accountable for its decisions.”
The contract calls for spending $9.5 million through January, and as much as $18 million through 2014, according to the GSA press release.
“We are pleased that another major milestone has been achieved,” Earl E. Devaney, chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, says in the press release. “We thank the GSA for its assistance and look forward to working with Smartronix.”
Now I’m sure there is some development company out there that would have undertaken this redesign project for less than $18 million and I’m not sure why that government didn’t do what everyone else does and outsource the project to India where they could have saved $17 Million.
The Government could also have spent $1M or so to buy recovery.com which must get mad spill over traffic from the .gov site
Seriously, what a joke. This is a perfect example of what is wrong with Government involvement with just about anything and everything. When I pull into a parking lot and I’m told it’s $20 to park, I always ask if that includes a wash and a wax. In this case, I wouldn’t know where to begin.
I’m afraid to visit the site.
If I do, they might need to spend another 50 Million to upgrade the hosting and I’ll see that on my Tax bill soon…
I’m at a serious loss as to how anywhere near that much money could possibly be spent… I wonder how they think taxpayers will react to them having spent $18MM to build a website while people are losing their houses… Why don’t we just print another trillion dollars out of thin air…
So what magical thing will this new 18M website do? It’s just going to be an informational site I am assuming? Will there even be be a login for users, I can’t see why. So no auctions, no e-commerce, no user accounts. Its like the most expensive yet uncomplicated website ever devised. Would have been better for the taxpayers if they dumped $18M out of a plane in $1 dollar bills slowly while flying over the US, even if some of the money landed in the ocean, burning fireplaces (if winter), or other unreachable areas.
On the website where it lets taxpayers see where their money is being spent, I wonder if it will list the $18M for this website.
Cartoonz
Might as well use it, your going to see it on your tax bill already
JP
The site probably will list the $18M they are going to spend on the site, its not like there aren’t worse projects the Gov’t is pissing money away on.
How you liking that AIG did a 20:1 reserve stock split a week ago to take their share price from $1.16 to $21.88.
Now a week later the shares are $9.31 or lost 1/2 of its value in a week.
That’s our money going bye bye
This is why we stopped watching the news in our house. Too bad I always still find out about it one way or another, often times on your blog.
I get my news mostly from Stewart & Colbert, at least it comes with a laugh then (sometimes)
You’re joking, right? This story cannot be true.
Max
Sorry to say when it comes to the government the impossible is possible:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/07/18m-being-spent-to-redesign-recoverygov-web-site.html
AIG loses 50% in a week and decides they deserve a bonus: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/aig-set-to-pay-millions-in-more-bonuses-report-2009792056560
“Anytime we write a check to anybody” it is highly scrutinized, the report quoted an unnamed AIG official as saying. “We would want to feel comfortable that the government is comfortable with what we are doing.”
— These jokers actually think they deserve a bonus? Madness.
Talking about AIG – The volume was really high the week before the split. my guess – someone sold short ahead of the news.
75% of all reverse splits loose money within the first month.
90% loose money if the stock was a under a dollar prior to the reverse split.
Yaron
I tried to short the stock the first 2 days after the reserve split and Raymond James did not have ANY stock of AIG to borrow in their whole system
Michael,
Don’t expect them to give you a slice of this cake…we just pay for it.
Such volume a week before the split indicates that someone knew something before you and me (and took advantage of it).
This is a dirty game. we know it, but there is nothing we can do about it…
Let me give you another example –
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aeTzfvEedKpQ
Here is an excerpt from this story:
Morgan Stanley plans to repackage a downgraded collateralized debt obligation backed by leveraged loans into new securities with AAA…
“A lot of banks and insurers cannot buy anything but AAA… You’re manufacturing AAA out of not AAA, therefore allowing those people who have AAA written on their forehead to buy.”
This is less than a year after the bubble burst…how much do you think it will cost us this time?
recovery what? It is just another propaganda BS site