ST. LOUIS, MO (KPLR11.com) -
A new study says St. Louis was short-changed by Jefferson City when federal stimulus money was doled out. The report reveals what many people suspected: The Missouri bureaucrats in charge of distributing federal stimulus money seriously short-changed the St. Louis region.
The St. Louis metropolitan area accounts for almost half of Missouri's total economy, but we only got around a third of the federal stimulus cash.
"Obviously, it didn't make me happy but, again, it's not just about representing the area I represent," St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said. "It's about fairness. It's about the intent of Congress."
But Congress gave the money to each state, and let the state governments decide where to spend it. And in every state big cities were short-changed in favor of rural areas.
That may be because small town and rural officials often control the levers of state government.
The St. Louis metropolitan area accounts for almost half of Missouri's total economy, but we only got around a third of the federal stimulus cash.
"Obviously, it didn't make me happy but, again, it's not just about representing the area I represent," St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said. "It's about fairness. It's about the intent of Congress."
But Congress gave the money to each state, and let the state governments decide where to spend it. And in every state big cities were short-changed in favor of rural areas.
That may be because small town and rural officials often control the levers of state government.
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