Is the Stimulus Working?

As the first rounds of stimulus-spending projects are approved, new reports are shedding light on some surprising trends. According to USA Today, counties that supported President Obama in the 2008 election have received more than twice as much per person, an average of $69, as those that supported John McCain, which received $34 per person. While on the surface the disparity raises red flags, investigators and watchdog groups consulted by USA Today said that the process by which funds are distributed likely would make it impossible for the Obama administration to direct money to their supporters even if they wanted to. Another report on stimulus spending, by The New York Times, finds that cities are getting less than half of the first round of transportation funds despite housing two-thirds of the country's population. The disparity is being blamed on state legislatures, whom urban advocates say are directing funds to more-remote areas in order to spread them out among state lawmakers' districts.