Day 32: Obama Warns Mayors Not To Waste Stimulus Money

(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

On his thirty-second day in office, President Obama told a group of mayors that the economic stimulus money must be spent with "unprecedented responsibility and accountability" to avoid "waste, inefficiency, or fraud."

"We will use the new tools that the Recovery Act gives us to watch the taxpayers' money with more rigor and transparency than ever," he said. "If a federal agency proposes a project that will waste that money, I will not hesitate to call them out on it, and put a stop to it."

The president also said that Washington has not done enough to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

"The residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast who are helping rebuild are heroes who believe in their communities and they are succeeding despite the fact that they have not always received the support they deserve from the federal government," he said in a statement. "We must ensure that the failures of the past are never repeated."

And the White House continued to face criticism of the administration's mortgage bailout plan, with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs lashing out at a CNBC host who ranted against the plan.

Watch Chip Reid's CBS Evening News report about the president's day below.

[chfnut]

An uncaring and unjust legal system has converted law to which is damaging the general public. Unethical lawyers and other "fiduciaries" appointed by the courts to protect, nothing more than predators. Fed & state agencies allow the abuse. Court officers feeding $$ to state officials with a few select others thrown in. Try and file criminal charges against a court officer, executor or trustee and see where it gets you. The greatest commonality we share is ethical misconduct of the middle/core bureaucracy. Ethical misconduct is costing this country more than 9/11. It%u2019s likely this unethical behavior is reason the "Taliban" & "Al-Qaida" denounce western society.
1.Pressure authorities to prosecute ethical misconduct as the felony it is. 2.Extend `grand jury' rights to civil justice sector & be given the same rights as the criminal `grand jury'. Allow the public to present testimony & evidence to credible groups (Ex.Community & watchdog groups,etc.) These groups of laypeople would be able to allow indictments of criminals from -us denied justice.

[dadebrizzi]

Statements like %u201CWhy should the American people bail out those that aren%u2019t able to pay their mortgages due to their own irresponsibility%u201D? Why is this such a big deal? The American people have been bailing millions out of homelessness through the welfare system! While there are some on welfare that are utilizing the system for a moment in their lives %u2013 mass numerbers of others%u2019 are abusing the system that continues to drain the American people. Why not look at the welfare and disability systems rather than pass judgement on those that are trying to better their lives? What is wrong with this picture? LOOK AT THE BOTTOM-LESS WELLS THAT HAVE BEEN, AND CONTINUE TO BE HORRENDOUS DRAINS ON ALL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE?

[truthin20091]

Stop Obama or U.S. will cease to exist:

http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PA
GE.view&pageId=89612

[phoenix125-2009]

We need to stop criticizing the stimulus package because this is the only thing we have at this time to work with. As the media, you should form a panel and discuss what should be done with the stimulus money so that some of the honest politicians at the different levels in the governent (state, city, etc.) might pick up these good ideas and actually help American people for a change.

This is the time that all Americans have to come together.