From Les Merritt at the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service:

RALEIGH, N.C. ? Two recent reports by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which is the investigative arm of Congress, exposed several misuses of federal stimulus money in North Carolina.

According to the reports:


The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools system spent $38,400 of ESEA Title I funds on a program that included some expenses that appeared to constitute entertainment (movie tickets, fast food and a water park trip); the report called these expenditures ?a potentially unallowable use of these funds?.  Two North Carolina school districts failed to obtain the required multiple bids or price quotes for stimulus procurements exceeding $5,000.


Leslie W. Merritt, Jr., a former State Auditor of North Carolina and current executive director of the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service, Inc., spoke out on the issue, saying ?The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also commonly known as the ?stimulus bill?, included a massive amount of federal spending.  The more money you have flowing through government, the greater the potential for fraud and abuse.  This highlights the need for more independent watchdogs to hold public officials accountable for how they spend our tax dollars.  Regardless of whether you supported or opposed this law, you can agree that it is imperative that the American people have faith in the way the law was passed and how it is implemented.?

Citizens can confidentially report potential occurrences of fraud or corruption in government to the Foundation at http://www.ReportPublicCorruption.org or 919-832-6886.

Even if stimulus spending generated no cases of fraud or corruption, Roy Cordato has warned us that it does no good for the economy.