RI STIMULUS (dot) ORG PROVIDES PUBLIC INSIGHT ON STIMULUS
Providence, RI - Today, the Ocean State Policy Research Institute announced that it has launched a new website, www.ristimulus.org, which will keep track of the federal stimulus funds coming into Rhode Island and how those funds are spent. The website is modeled after Stimulus Watch (www.stimuluswatch.org), which oversees all of the federal stimulus spending.
"People are fed up with seeing their hard-earned tax dollars taken by the government and spent on frivolous pet-projects," said Bill Felkner, President of OSPRI. "Our new website, RI Stimulus Watch, will allow the people of Rhode Island to keep tabs on how the government is spending their money and provide input on the need for and viability of those projects."
RI Stimulus Watch provides users with information on all public projects in Rhode Island that are being funded by money from the federal stimulus. Users are able to vote on whether or not they support each individual project and post comments. The list of projects can be sorted by cost, location, and most/least critical (based on ratings given by users).
The creators of Stimulus Watch were involved with OSPRI in the creation of RI Stimulus Watch. They have also assisted other states, including Virginia, in creating similar websites.
"If people know where their money is going and how it's being spent, I think they'll be much more likely to become involved in the democratic process," Felkner said. "We need an engaged and educated citizenry if we want to make a difference in Rhode Island, and our goal is to provide the people with the information they need to make informed decisions."
About OSPRI:
Created in 2007, our work is focused on crafting sound public policy based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, and traditional American values. We offer timely research and analysis on important issues to be shared with elected officials, the media, business leaders, community organizations and individual citizens. In recent months, we have been responsible for such successful projects as the Transparency Train - A public financial and legislative information repository, as well as regular updates published and available on our website and companion blog.
About The Transparency Train:
The Transparency Train Web Portal (www.transparencytrain.org) provides access to a variety of websites designed to provide public information in a Google-style searchable format. These sites include:
RI Data which contains every budget, payroll, public employee contract and monthly check register for all cities, towns and school districts in Rhode Island.
RI Votes which is an online database of legislation and voting records.
RI Schools is an interactive website that allows viewers to create comparative graphs of school districts plotting various metrics such as cost per student, test scores and the number of employees (coming Spring 2009).
RI Donors will contain a "connect the dots" approach to viewing political and lobbying finances (coming Fall 2009).
Take Action, a "how-to" manual that shows citizens how to file Freedom Of Information Act requests for public information and what to do if they don't comply.
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