Strange Spending: my new website

Last month I came up with the idea to start a site that documents strange expenditures from political campaigns. All federal campaign expenses are required to be documented in detail, but that detail varies widely from one candidate to the next.

I checked out the Federal Election Commission's website and found endless files with data stretching back to 2001. Given the extensive information available and the continual supply of new reports, I knew I wasn't going to have a problem with finding material.

Next, I was able to find a domain name and Twitter handle (that's Twitter-speak for "username") for a name that I liked: Strange Spending.

Over the course of the last month I've been building the site and pouring over campaign expense records. Last Monday I launched the site's first post. My goal is to post one expense every business day for now, with at least 2 or 3 per day being posted long-term.

Additionally, I'd love to expand the reach of the site to include state-level campaigns and potentially even include government spending. There are seemingly endless possibilities.

If you're interested in checking out what I'm putting on the web in addition to Wide White, head over to www.strangespending.com, follow on Twitter at @strangespending, or like it on Facebook.