…then you need to actually oppose all of the federal stimulus.

With apologies to Bill Maher.

The sign marking a highway improvement project on U.S. Highway 50 in Lone Jack, Missouri, west of Warrensburg, Missouri.

There’s another highway construction project – a bypass for Highway 13 – going on immediately east of Warrensburg.

So, for Representative Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) and those teabaggers really upset at the film festival, why haven’t you been making noise about these projects? Just asking.

We haven’t seen any letters to the editor or protest signs about local highway construction stimulus projects.

There was another editorial about the film festival in yesterday’s Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal:

10/6/2010 2:03:00 PM

Lesson from film fest made difficult to find

EDITORIAL

Jack Miles

Editor

What is the lesson that the Missouri Valley Community Action Agency should take away from the Show Me International Justice Film Festival?

• That agency staff should have said, before doing so, how they would spend federal money?

No. They did that in their application to the Department of Social Services.

• That the agency should check first with area lawmakers about how to spend money?

If so, should all agencies seek direct legislative oversight for all spending? Or only when spending might be controversial? And how would they know, in advance, what is controversial?

• That the agency should spend money in a way guaranteed to help the poor?

In fact, Missouri Valley hoped to spend money to put people to work, which happened; to spend money to support businesses that put people to work, which happened; and to start a festival that would continue for years to come to aid the economy, which may or may not happen. But there are no guarantees. Most businesses fail in their first year and government programs have flaws.

Perhaps there is no lesson, other than to accept the wisdom that comes from trial and error.

“…If so, should all agencies seek direct legislative oversight for all spending? Or only when spending might be controversial? And how would they know, in advance, what is controversial?…”

Silly, it’s all about posturing for the benefit of the noisy lunatic fringe in an election year.

Previously:

Suppose you held a film festival and right wingnuts didn’t want anyone to attend (September 10, 2010)

The show must go on (September 10, 2010)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder (r): The review is in – two thumbs down (September 14, 2010)

Veto Session Reviews for Rep. Denny Hoskins (r): great potental for a Razzie (September 15, 2010)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) and the Film Festival: because the arts never generate economic activity? (September 17, 2010)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) and the Film Festival: demagoguery, not oversight (September 18, 2010)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) and the Film Festival: that was then, this is now (September 20, 2010)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) and the Film Festival: no one knew about it… (September 21, 2010)

A short film about a film festival… (September 22, 2010)

Ky Dickens, the film festival, the Chicago Reader, and teabaggers (September 23, 2010)

We get film festival hate mail (September 28, 2010)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) and the Film Festival: that was then, this is now – part 2 (September 28, 2010)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) and the Film Festival: what the teabaggers say (October 4, 2010)

The current representative in the 121st legislative District, Denny Hoskins (r – noun, verb, CPA) issued a press release today:

As the only Certified Public Accountant in the Missouri State Legislature, Representative Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, is offering his experience as a CPA and auditor to ensure transparency and accuracy as Missouri accepts federal stimulus dollars.  In a letter sent to Governor Nixon and Senate Leadership, Rep. Hoskins offered himself as a resource and expressed an interest in serving on committees relating to the federal funds….

Gee, I recall reading somewhere that Missouri has a State Auditor. And, the Missouri State Auditor has a thing or two to say about federal stimulus money:

…The state auditor’s office is Missouri’s independent watchdog agency and we are committed to embracing a high level of transparency and accountability of public funds within Missouri state government….

….Missouri and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

On February 26, 2009, the Office of Administration created two new funds within the State Treasury to deposit most ARRA money coming into Missouri. The two funds are the Federal Budget Stabilization Fund and the Federal Stimulus Fund and were subsequently codified into state law when SB 313 was signed into law on March 26, 2009. The Office of Administration subsequently established additional funds to aid in tracking ARRA monies. This site will be updated daily to reflect the allocation of federal funds received in the State Treasury as a result of the ARRA….

[emphasis added]

“…The Office of Administration subsequently established additional funds to aid in tracking ARRA monies. This site will be updated daily to reflect the allocation of federal funds received in the State Treasury as a result of the ARRA….” That sound like transparency and accountability to me.

How about we let Susan Montee (D), a CPA, do her job, you know, the person elected statewide by the voters of Missouri?

I called the Missouri State Auditor’s office this afternoon and a spokesperson confirmed that there is a federal mandate for the ongoing audit of federal funds (including stimulus money) for the State Auditor: Issues Related to Expenditures of Federal Awards – Federal Single Audit Act

Meanwhile, the Missouri House Democratic Campaign Committee issued a press release (And gave us a hat tip. No, we didn’t know about it until we got the press release like everyone else):

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Rep. Mike Talboy

October 7th, 2009…                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Hoskins Record Fails In Accuracy and Transparency

Hoskins is on record using fuzzy math and opposing transparency in government

JEFFERSON CITY – In a Press Release sent out today, Rep. Denny Hoskins offered his services as a CPA to the Governor and Senate towards the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) because of what he now claims is “proven experience in accuracy and transparency in government”. Ironically, he is now admitting that he opposed the stimulus plan before even being trained on the facts.

In a post dated June 8th, 2009 on his official Twitter page, Republican Denny Hoskins claimed that the ARRA would “cost $1,311,666 per job” as an argument to his constituents for opposing the stimulus plan. He then posted how he came to the calculation saying “$7.9 billion dollars divided by $600,000 new jobs equals $1,311,666 per job”. After the blog Show Me Progress, pointed out that his math actually equals $13,166 per job (which as a CPA Denny Hoskins should know) Hoskins attempted to cover his misinformation by saying he “hit a few extra zeros”. Unfortunately, even his cover up was fuzzy math.

“Rep. Hoskins is on record consistently failing at basic math when it comes to the stimulus numbers in a failed effort to scare his constituents into opposing the plan, and now, he is admitting he had no previous experience or “training” on the matter before criticizing it,” said Rep. Mike Talboy (D-Kansas City), Speaker-Elect of the Missouri House Democratic Caucus, “On top of all of that, Denny argued in support of SB66 which would allow government officials to avoid disclosing any financial conflicts of interest with the use of taxpayer dollars. His record clearly shows that when it comes to taxpayer dollars, he is neither accurate with math nor supportive of transparency in government.”

Fact Check:

5/01/2009- Denny Hoskins uses Knob Noster Mayor Stan Hall as an example during a floor debate on SB66 as to why government officials shouldn’t have to fill out documents showing any conflicts of interest with the use of taxpayer dollars. He also argued that having to show conflicts of interest “prevents people from running for office.”

5/07/2009- Mayor Stan Hall tells the Warrensburg Daily Star Journal that he is opposed to SB 66 and isn’t sure why Rep. Denny Hoskins used him as an example since he “doesn’t feel that filling out a disclosure statement is burdensome.”

5/07/2009- Denny Hoskins tells the Warrensburg Daily Star Journal that “he doesn’t know of anyone who has decided not to run for office” because they have to fill out this paper work.

6/08/2009- Denny Hoskins states on twitter that “Obama “stimulus” plan will cost taxpayers $1,311,666 per job created.”

6/08/2009- Show Me Progress Blog calls Denny Hoskins out for falsifying numbers that prove by his own math it would cost $13,166 per job created.

10/07/2009- Hoskins admits that he had no previous training or experience on the stimulus plan before criticizing it publicly.

##

[emphasis in original]

Okay, that left a mark.

Courtney Cole is the announced Democratic Party candidate challenging Hoskins in the 121st Legislative District for the November 2010 election.

So, Representative Denny Hoskins (r – noun, verb, CPA) is posturing about doing someone else’s job. One has got to wonder if he isn’t interested anymore in the one he has now.

Moves are being made in several quarters in our state government to ensure that the use of the funds provided our state by the federal recovery package will be transparent and accountable.

First of all, to make the injection of federal dollars more transparent to the public, State Auditor Susan Montee has set up a handy-dandy stimulus tracker on her website. Once the federal dollars start flowing into state coffers,  the tracker will update daily to reflect every dollar allocated by our state government. Campaign finance junkies who like to play “Follow the Money” might find a fix during the long months in between campaign finance reports.

Also, in a move that could aid Montee, the unlikely team of Senators Gary Nodler (R-Joplin) and Joan Bray (D-University City) have guided a bill through the Senate, SB 313, that would create two separate funds for federal stimulus dollars. The first is a “Federal Budget Stabilization Fund” for money intended to bolster the General Revenue, like unemployment benefits and Medicaid reimbursements. The other, the “Federal Stimulus Fund” is for any additional funds. The idea here is to make sure the legislature doesn’t reroute federal stimulus dollars for other purposes by putting it all in general revenue.

Interesting to see that both Nodler and Bray are termed in 2010. In any case, it’s nice to see state officials making an effort on behalf of transparency.