Who's watching the store?

That's one part of the question Martha Minow is asking about the stimulus. She's also asking whether there are enough trained, qualified and independent people doing the watching. She makes a very good point as all we have to do is look at Katrina, Iraq and the TARP to know that pumping so much money so quickly into the economy without a clear plan for monitoring how that money is spent is a recipe for disaster.

Minow is asking for much more than more government oversight. She wants the costs of monitoring the distribution of funds built into the stimulus. "Clarity about actual requirements, roles, and responsibilities is the central precondition so that each contracting arrangement specifies who is accountable to whom, for what, through what processes, by clear standards, and with specific consequences."