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Happy Anniversary

Tam

Well-known member
Obama signed the stimulus package one year ago today and he sold it as a $780 billion"shock" to a "failing economy". Today after a year they report only 1/3 of the stimulus money has been spent and only 6% of Americans believe it created any jobs and 48% believe it didn't create any. Since the ones being polled are actually the ones looking for jobs I'd said their opinion on how the Stimulus Bill is working out is a bit more accurate than Obama and Biden's version. :wink:

SO here is what I'd like to see the Dems explain what happen to the "SHOCK" when 2/3 of the funds are not out creating jobs YET? :?

What happen to the millions of jobs Obama claims were created? :? Remember a very high up Dem. just said if he created one job in the private sector it would be one more than the government has created in the past 6 months. :wink:

When can the US voters expect to see that "Shocking" money out creating jobs? :?
My guess is US voters will see an upswing in money flowing by summer. Right about the time the Dems need a "shock" to their election campaigns. Nothing like tossing money around to buy a few votes. :wink:
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Obama has just admitted that the whole amount was not needed for the intended purpose, which was, to avoiding slipping into a depression.

but why, if so successful, would a "Jobs Bill", be needed?
 

Steve

Well-known member
random thoughts..
Sen. Evan Bayh (D) is saying this, like he did yesterday: “f I could create one job in the private sector by helping to grow a business, that would be one more than Congress has created in the last six months.”


, the Congressional Budget Office said "it is impossible to determine how many of the reported jobs would have existed in the absence of the stimulus package."
– Also in November, the Government Accountability Office found "significant reporting and quality issues that need to be addressed."
– Last December, The White House Office of Management and Budget changed its guidance for stimulus recipients. Instead of asking recipients to report the amount of jobs created or saved with stimulus money, the Office asked recipients to report the amount of jobs "funded" by stimulus money.

Earl Devaney, chairman of the Administration's Recovery Board which oversees this data, testified before Congress that the 640,000 jobs saved or created "may not be the correct number."

Bottom Line: The White House-reported figures on jobs that were created under the stimulus plan are not specific enough to be deemed reliable.

* The unemployment rate has increased since the stimulus bill was enacted, by +1.5% to 9.7%, from 8.2% in Feb 2009.

* The number of people who are unemployed increased by 2.1 million, from 12.71 million in February 2009 to 14.8 million in January 2010.

* The number of states/federal districts with an unemployment rate of 10% or higher increased from Feb 7, 2009 to December 17, 2009 (latest data).

* Payroll employment decreased by 3.3 million (132.823 million in Feb 09; 129.527 million in Jan 2010). Private payrolls are at levels not seen since 1999.

* The construction sector lost 810,000 jobs (6,435,000 in Feb 2009/5,625,000 in Jan 2010).

* The manufacturing sector lost 837,000 jobs (12,377,000 in Feb 2009/11,540,000 in Jan 2010).

* Employment in the federal government (excluding the Post Office) increased by 113,200 (2.068 million in Feb 09 / 2.181 million in Jan 2010). The number of federal, state and local employees is now about twice the number in US manufacturing jobs.

* Most jobs supported by the stimulus so far are public employees.

-3,978 reports showed that numerous districts received no stimulus dollars, but somehow officials reported more than 50,000 jobs created or saved

- 9,247 reports showed no full time jobs were created, but somehow did show they received $965 million in stimulus money. For example, 935 jobs at Southwest Georgia Community Action Council were reportedly saved due to the stimulus--but only 508 people work there.

- According to Illinois state officials, some of their local education authorities “had double-counted the number of positions, attributing the positions to both state fiscal year 2009 (which ended on June 30, 2009) and fiscal year 2010 (beginning July 1, 2009), in part because the reporting period covered both of the state’s fiscal years,” the GAO found.

so it seems that for every dollar sent to Washington two dollars is wasted.. :? :???:
 

Steve

Well-known member
it gets worse... far worse..

* A Florida Child Care center had reported that it had saved 129 jobs with the $98,669 it received in stimulus money, but as is turned out, a better way to describe what actually happened was that the company gave pay raises to its existing employees, who according to the company’s owner were all about to quit as they hadn’t been given a raise in four years, and apparently they collectively thought that now would be a good time to hit the job market.

* Koring Group, of Toledo, Ohio, received two FCC contracts to help people make the switch to digital television. The company reported creating 54 jobs to be added to the government’s official count. The FCC spotted problems with the company’s ciphering and called its owner Steve Holland, who now says… funny story… the actual count is closer to five, not 54. “We’re just trying to be accurate. All of this has happened so fast,” Holland said. “It is a little confusing. We’re new to government contracting.” And, apparently, counting to five, Steve-O.

* The people in charge of Georgia’s East Central Technical College said they now realize that they should not have claimed that they were creating 280 stimulus jobs as a result of receiving more than $200,000 in stimulus spending. Especially when you consider that they used the money to buy three semi-trucks and trailers for commercial driving instruction, and a modular classroom and bathroom for a health education program. According to Mike Light: “It was an error on someone’s part. The number of jobs should be zero.” Apparently, the 280 figure was either the number of students who would benefit, or the average weight of the students enrolled in the truck driving program.

* A Colorado company that received a $28.3 million contract to provide call centers supposedly needed to field questions from consumers confused by the change over to digital television reported creating 4,231 jobs with the help of President Barack Obama’s economic recovery plan. The real number, however, turned out to be under 1,000. How much “under” one thousand? The AP story didn’t specify, but the way things are going in this story I’d say the number could fall anywhere from 999 to maybe 8.

a few other great "job creating programs"
• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.

$88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship). (ain't global warming melting the ice?)

$400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.

$5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration. ( can't think of a greener way to bury Grandpa)

$160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service. (ok... hmmm,.. are volunteers supposed to be paid? )

$25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction. (is it working?)

Thedford, Nebraska (CNN) - Sixty to eighty trains rumble through this ranching town in the Nebraska sand hills every day. The roar of the coal cars and the scream of the whistle and the wait at the crossing for the train to pass are a way of life.

An almost $7 million coal bridge will change that. Instead of waiting for 30 seconds to 3 minutes for a train to pass, cars will now pass over the railroad tracks on a massive bridge. Since this is a town of just 168 people, the bridge is the largest per-capita stimulus project in the state.

Marv Blauvelt was born and raised in this town. He says the bridge is a waste.

"Well, really in all honesty we don't know what the point is, except some design engineer in Lincoln decided that this is what needed to be done and they said it would take ten to fifteen years to make it happen. Well it happened a lot quicker than that because of the stimulus," said Blauvelt.
really it's not really a bridge to nowhere...



1. $1.5 million in “free” stimulus money for a new wastewater treatment plant results in higher utility costs for residents of Perkins, Oklahoma.

$1.15 million for installation of a new guard rail for the non-existent Optima Lake in Oklahoma.

Nearly $10 million to renovate an abandoned train station that hasn’t been used in 30 years.

Town of Union, New York, encouraged to spend a $578,000 grant it did not request for a homelessness problem it claims it does not have.

$1 million to pay for the removal of Mormon crickets in Utah.

Montana's state-run liquor warehouse is getting $2.2 million worth of skylights. Because it's very important not to waste energy while you're getting wasted.

Montana again, where the city of Billings has asked to spend your stimulus money to improve the landscaping in front of the Crown Plaza Hotel.

In Portland, Oregon, number six is a plan to spend another $1 million on covered garages for people's bicycles

The City of Redmond, Washington wants to spend $11 million to build a bridge connecting two adjacent portions of Microsoft headquarters.

$200,000 for gang tattoo removal in Southern California.

Studying how paying attention improves performance of difficult tasks: $850,000

one would think that the list was about finished..

$100,000 IN STIMULUS FUNDS USED FOR A MARTINI BAR & BRAZILIAN STEAKHOUSE:
SHERYL ATKINSON, CBS News: "You probably wouldn't guess that a martini bar and a Brazilian steakhouse would be on tap for stimulus funds, but in St. Joseph, Missouri, two privately owned facilities are getting 100,000 of your tax dollars.” (CBS's "CBS Evening News," 12/9/09)

$390,000 TO STUDY MALT LIQUOR AND MARIJUANA CONSUMPTION:
"The State University Of New York at Buffalo won $390,000 to study young adults who drink malt liquor and smoke marijuana." ("Senate GOP Point Out 'Pure Waste' Found In Stimulus Package," The Hill, 12/8/09)

3. $210,000 TO STUDY LEARNING PATTERNS OF HONEYBEES:
"The University Of Hawaii collected $210,000 to study the learning patterns of honeybees, and $700,000 went to help crab fishermen in Oregon recover lost crab pots." ("Senate GOP Point Out 'Pure Waste' Found In Stimulus Package," The Hill, 12/8/09)

4. $1 MILLION TO STUDY ANTS:
"Half a million dollars went to Arizona State University to study the genetic makeup of ants to determine distinctive roles in ant colonies; $450,000 went to the University Of Arizona to study the division of labor in ant colonies." ("Senate GOP Point Out 'Pure Waste' Found In Stimulus Package," The Hill, 12/8/09)

5. $15,551 TO STUDY DRUNK MICE:
"The rodent study at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton used $15,551 in stimulus funds to pay for two summer researchers to help gauge how alcohol affects a mouse's motor functions." ("Stimulus Money And Weird Science: Benefit Or Boondoggle?" The Orlando Sentinel, 2/16/10)

6. $4,200-$5,500 TAX CREDIT FOR PURCHASING GOLF CARTS:
"President Obama's stimulus plan is now paying Americans to buy that great necessity of modern life, the golf cart." "Thanks to the federal tax credit to buy high-mileage cars that was part of President Obama's stimulus plan, Uncle Sam is now paying Americans to buy that great necessity of modern life, the golf cart. The federal credit provides from $4,200 to $5,500 for the purchase of an electric vehicle, and when it is combined with similar incentive plans in many states the tax credits can pay for nearly the entire cost of a golf cart." ("Cash For Clubbers," The Wall Street Journal, 10/17/09)

7. $219,000 TO STUDY THE SEX LIVES OF FEMALE COLLEGE FRESHMEN:
"Five hundred Syracuse University freshmen will divulge the details of their sex lives… $219,000 in stimulus funds for the study." "Five hundred Syracuse University freshmen will divulge the details of their sex lives as part of a women's health study called 'The Women's Health Project,' being conducted by Michael Carey, SU professor of psychology and medicine. Carey has found himself the target of nationwide criticism from conservatives since he received $219,000 in stimulus funds for the study, which looks at the sex patterns of college women." ("SU Sex Study Raises Concern," The [Syracuse] Daily Orange, 9/8/09)

8. $1 MILLION TO RENOVATE "THE SUNSET STRIP":
"Sunset Boulevard, also known as 'The Sunset Strip' and one of the most famous streets in the world, will be getting a $7 million facelift after more than 75 years of use, with a free million dollar nose job coming from Uncle Sam. The City of West Hollywood Council received one million dollars in federal funds from the Federal American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA), (otherwise known as the $700 billion federal stimulus package), for the long-planned Sunset Strip Beautification Project, which is scheduled to break ground soon. The guaranteed funding will allow the City to increase the already nearly $7 million budgeted for this project by an additional $1,105,000, meaning enhancements to a project that already included the resurfacing of the roadway, sidewalk and improved landscaping." ("Feds Stimulus Sunset Strip Beautification Project," WeHoNews, 9/28/09)

9. $325,394 TO STUDY "MATING DECISIONS" OF CACTUS BUGS:
The Cactus Bug Project at the University Of Florida is more ambitious, spending $325,394 in stimulus money to determine how environment affects the mating decisions of females. According to the project proposal, it should also answer the question, ‘Whether males with large weapons are more or less attractive to females.'" ("Stimulus Money And Weird Science: Benefit Or Boondoggle?" The Orlando Sentinel, 2/16/10)

10. $500,000 TO STUDY "SOCIAL NETWORKS LIKE FACEBOOK":
"A $498,000, Three-Year Grant" To Study "Social Networks Like Facebook." "Millions of Internet users have been enjoying the fun -- and free -- services provided by advertiser-supported online social networks like Facebook. But Landon Cox, a Duke University assistant professor of computer science, worries about the possible down side -- privacy problems. … To delve deeper into these issues and begin the search for alternatives, Cox recently won a $498,000, three-year grant from the National Science Foundation. The funding is part of the federal stimulus package called the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)." ("Seeking Privacy In The Clouds: Research Aims At Isolating Social Network Information From 'Control Of A Central Entity,'" Science Daily, 10/15/09)

12. $30 MILLION FOR A SPRING TRAINING BASEBALL COMPLEX FOR THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS AND COLORADO ROCKIES: "A big chunk of the money that will pay for a new spring-traning training baseball complex on tribal land in the East Valley will be delivered bia a financing program that's part of the federal economic-stimulus plan. The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community says it may borrow as much as $30 million of the estimated cost of the $100 million complex near Scottsdale that will become the spring home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies." ("Stimulus To Help Tribe Build Baseball Complex," The Arizona Republic, 9/17/09)

13. $54 MILLION IN STIMULUS FUNDS USED FOR THE NAPA VALLEY WINE TRAIN:
JONATHAN KARL, ABC News: "The Napa Valley Wine train, to tourists a great way to see America's most celebrated wine region, to others exhibit A in what's wrong with the stimulus." SEN. TOM COBURN: "What that is, is a situation where you see the wealthy or well connected get taken care of and the community suffers." KARL: "He's talking about the Napa Valley wine train relocation project, 54 million stimulus dollars to build a new rail bridge, elevate and relocate 3,300 ft of tracks and put flood walls around the train's main station." (ABC News' "Good Morning America," 2/2/10)

14. $50,000 IN STIMULUS FUNDS USED FOR A TENNIS COURT IN MONTANA:
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN: "I Came To Bozeman to find a city on thin ice over how it's spending stimulus money -- $50,000 to erase all of these cracks and potholes in city tennis court. ... Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer wants to make Bozeman an example of how not to spend stimulus money." ... GOV. BRIAN SCHWEITZER: "What they violated was that rule of common sense. There ought to be that little guy in your head that waves his finger at you and says, wait a minute, we might want to rethink this thing." (CNN, 1/25/10)

15. $250 STIMULUS CHECKS WENT TO PRISONERS:
MEGYN KELLY, Fox News: “Thousands to a million of your stimulus dollars have gone straight to convicts. That's right, the feds sending $250 stimulus checks to thousands upon thousands of prisoners... We're talking first degree murders who are getting your money." (Fox News' "America's Newsroom," 8/26/09)

billions of reasons to say NO!
 

Tam

Well-known member
If the Dems have not spent 2/3's of the Stimulus funds and are claiming success then I would say the voters should demand it not be spent at all. Then they should cancel the new so call jobs bill, since the 1/3 stimulus bill was such a success. And third, they should demand the money that is being paid back by the banks go to where the TARP bill said it was to go which was to pay back the debt and not be used as a Dem Campaign slush fund come 2012. Like I said nothing like tossing money around to buy a few votes. :wink:

BTW guys as we all know the first Anniversary is the paper Anniversary so what would you suggest the US voters send Obama as a gift in honor of the Stimulus Bill signing?
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Tam said:
BTW guys as we all know the first Anniversary is the paper Anniversary so what would you suggest the US voters send Obama as a gift in honor of the Stimulus Bill signing?

shouldn't the gift be sent to Bush in Texas? obama's success was Bush's fault, wasn't it?
 

Tam

Well-known member
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zihmweRuzSA


Pay close attention to what se says at 4:50


"$786 billion Spent out over 18 months" so does that mean in the next 6 months which is pre-election time, the other 2/3 is going to be spent? :?
What did I say about tossing money around to buy votes. :wink:

Oh and isn't it now $862 billion dollars according the CBO?

No mis-management by Joe's team :shock: Wasn't there money sent to Congressional districts that don't exist?

He mentions no earmarks, was this not the bill that included $30 million for Pelosi's pet mouse habitat project And $300 million for hybrid cars for government employees including golf carts?

According to Beck today the cross the spectrum support that Obama claimed, were All left wing economists expect two so called rightwing economists but one was a registered Democrat and the other said the Stimulus package didn't work. :wink:
 

Tam

Well-known member
hypocritexposer said:
Tam said:
BTW guys as we all know the first Anniversary is the paper Anniversary so what would you suggest the US voters send Obama as a gift in honor of the Stimulus Bill signing?

shouldn't the gift be sent to Bush in Texas? obama's success was Bush's fault, wasn't it?

I was thinking maybe a roll of toilet paper considering the amount of crap coming out of the White House. :wink:
 

Tam

Well-known member
After watching the Obama speech from today I have to ask, have you ever seen a guy talks about being bipartisan as much as Obama but can't seem to make a Speech without taking a swipe at anyone that disagrees with his agenda. I don't know but I would think if you want to be a true bipartisan leader and engage the other side in serious talks you would stop with the nasty snide remarks whenever there is a mic within range. But Not Obama His MO seems to be extending one hand while slapping them with the other. And Michelle sees that as a GIFT. :roll:
 

Steve

Well-known member
Tam said:
After watching the Obama speech from today I have to ask, have you ever seen a guy talks about being bipartisan as much as Obama but can't seem to make a Speech without taking a swipe at anyone that disagrees with his agenda. I don't know but I would think if you want to be a true bipartisan leader and engage the other side in serious talks you would stop with the nasty snide remarks whenever there is a mic within range. But Not Obama His MO seems to be extending one hand while slapping them with the other. And Michelle sees that as a GIFT. :roll:

like ...

listen... when the lazy fat old republicans of the party of NO are ready to do it my way.. my hand is extended for them to work in a bipartisan manner..
 
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