This also happens to be Ash Wednesday, for those who follow such things. If you do, I recommend Phil Wickham as an artist. I am a pretty big fan of "True Love" by him.

Yes, today was the day of the $787 billion stimulus in 2009. The passage of the massive package was looked upon as a preview of what the Obama administration was going to be like - swift help for the American people with the strength of majorities in Congress and a Democrat in the White House.

How things have changed.

Most of the stimulus money has yet to be spent and the reports of actual job creation are all over the place. If there has been a success within it, it has been the spending of nearly $80 billion on clean energy, much of it on job training programs that prepare workers for an industry that is growing. I particular supported the $8 billion he allocated to high-speed rail.

Interestingly, one of the biggest criticisms we see now is not of the bill itself, but actually of Republicans who railed against it, then attend ribbon cutting ceremonies for stimulus backed projects in their districts. Many are calling hypocrisy. I'm inclined to agree with the party line that hey, just because I didn't support it doesn't mean my district doesn't deserve their share. They pay the same taxes. That said, of course there's some hypocrisy involved.

Just heard David Gregory, host of Meet the Press say something I should have included in my post last night. In response to a poll showing that just 36 percent of Americans believe members of Congress should be re-elected, he said, "it is because of the process. The process is ugly." You know where the process plays out like it never has before? In the media. People who talk so much about transparency in government are living in the most transparent era ever.