AP IMPACT: Secret process benefits pet projects

By EILEEN SULLIVAN and MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writers
Wed Aug 26, 2:45 pm ET

WASHINGTON – A sleepy Montana checkpoint along the Canadian border that sees about three travelers a day will get $15 million under President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan. A government priority list ranked the project as marginal, but two powerful Democratic senators persuaded the administration to make it happen.

Despite Obama's promises that the stimulus plan would be transparent and free of politics, the government is handing out $720 million for border upgrades under a process that is both secretive and susceptible to political influence. This allowed low-priority projects such as the checkpoint in Whitetail, Mont., to skip ahead of more pressing concerns, according to documents revealed to The Associated Press.

Excerpt: Click for Full AP Article

NOTE: Some additional info from earlier in the week on the secret process of the stimulus that benefits pet projects. Where is the outcry from the rest of the mainstream media. Our thanks to AP for shining the light of day on what is really happening with the stimulus.