More than $3 billion in ‘stimulus’ spending
September 6, 2010
September 3, 2010 – South Carolina state agencies have spent morethan $3 billion in federal stimulus money, Comptroller Richard Eckstromreported today.
Through Aug. 31, state agencies have spent $3.16 billion. To view individual expenditures for each state agency, click here: http://cg.sc.gov/scstimulus/. Eckstrom began posting stimulus-spending details on the Web last yearas part of a statewide financial transparency initiative.
Eckstrom today issued the following statement:
“Three billion dollars is an astronomical sum, and it’s all borrowedmoney. It’s three billion dollars worth of deficit spending.
“A year and a half ago, Washington told us its $800 billion stimulusspending plan was needed to create jobs and pull the nation from itseconomic decline, but those promises haven’t come true. In truth,Washington simply continued the longstanding practice of overstating thebenefits of government spending. They used the economic downturn as anexcuse to spend on programs they’ve wanted for years and to dramaticallygrow government, and that’s a shame.
“Most South Carolinians opposed the stimulus bill, and rightly so, aswe’re burying future generations under mountains of government IOUs. Taxpayers should at least be given the peace of mind that, with a fewclicks of a mouse, they can see how that money is being used. Transparency is an important control against improper spending, and sowe owe it to our children and grandchildren – who’ll be paying back thisborrowed money – to make sure the stimulus spending is done withcomplete transparency.”
