Thursday, November 12, 2009

10 more stimulating stories

The headline is somewhat ironic, unless these stories, courtesy of the Senate Republican Communications Center, stimulates your anger.

This is a good summary of some of the bogus "saved or created" jobs claims made by the Obama administration.

1. ADMINISTRATION OVER-REPORTED CALIFORNIA JOBS “SAVED OR CREATED” BY NEARLY 30,000:

“Up To One-Fourth Of The 110,000 Jobs Reported As Saved By Federal Stimulus Money In California Probably Never Were In Danger, A Bee Review Has Found.
California State University officials reported late last week that they saved more jobs with stimulus money than the number of jobs saved in Texas – and in 44 other states. In a required state report to the federal government, the university system said the $268.5 million it received in stimulus funding through October allowed it to retain 26,156 employees. That total represents more than half of CSU's statewide work force. However, university officials confirmed Thursday that half their workers were not going to be laid off without the stimulus dollars. ‘This is not really a real number of people,’ CSU spokeswoman Clara Potes-Fellow said.” (“Many California Jobs ‘Saved’ By Stimulus Funds Weren’t In Jeopardy,” The Sacramento Bee, 11/6/09)

2. ADMINISTRATION CLAIMS THAT PURCHASING A LAWN MOWER SAVED 50 JOBS:

“In June, The Federal Government Spent $1,047 In Stimulus Money To Buy A Rider Mower From The Toro Company To Cut The Grass At The Fayetteville National Cemetery In Arkansas. Now, A Report On The Government’s Stimulus Web Site Improbably Claims That That Single Lawn Mower Sale Helped Save Or Create 50 Jobs.
… A spokesman for Toro said the 50-job figure was not accurate, making it one of a number of reports with apparent errors.” (“Reports Show Conflicting Number Of Jobs Attributed To Stimulus Money,” The New York Times, 11/5/09)

3. ADMINISTRATION REPORTED 292 JOBS IN COLORADO BUT “ONLY THREE NEW JOBS WERE CREATED”:

“Two Child-Development Centers — One In Colorado Springs And The Other In Saguache County — Reported They Had Created Or Saved More Than 292 Jobs Combined.
However, The Money — Totaling About $650,000, Or $2,226 A Job — Was Used To Give Employees Cost- Of-Living Raises. Only Three New Jobs Were Created.” (“Stimulus-Jobs Count In Colorado Overinflated,” The Denver Post, 11/10/09)

4. 9 JOBS WERE COUNTED FROM A SHOE STORE THAT RECEIVED $889.60 TO MAKE 9 PAIRS OF SHOES:

“How Did Kentucky Shoe Store Owner Buddy Moore Save Nine Jobs With Just $889.60 In Federal Stimulus Money? He Didn’t, And That’s Turning Into A Big Headache For Him.
Moore’s store in Campbellsville, Ky., filed one of 156,614 reports from recipients of stimulus dollars designed to show how money from the $787 billion program is being spent, and how many jobs the funds have created or saved. Moore’s slice of the stimulus came in an $889.60 order from the Army Corps of Engineers for nine pairs of work boots for a stimulus project. Moore says he’s been supplying the Corps with boots for at least two decades. This year, because he provided safety shoes for work funded by the stimulus package, he said he got a call from the Corps telling him he had to fill out a report for Recovery.gov detailing how he’d used the $889.60, and how many jobs it had helped him to create or save. He later got another call, asking him if he’d finished the report. ‘The paperwork was unreal,’ said Moore, who added that he tried to figure out how to file the forms online, then gave up and asked his daughter to help.” (“In The Battle For Stimulus Jobs, Shoe Store Owner Tells War Story,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/2/09)

5. 10 JOBS REPORTED CREATED IN MASSACHUSETTS ON A PROJECT THAT HAS NOT STARTED:

“…The City Of Waltham Said A $630,500 Solar Panel Installation On The Roof Of City Hall Created 10 Jobs - Even Though The Work Had Yet To Begin.”
(“Stimulus Job Boost In State Exaggerated, Review Finds,” The Boston Globe, 11/11/09)

6. ADMINISTRATION REPORTED “160 FULL-TIME WORK-STUDY JOBS” BUT “ALMOST NOTHING” WAS ACTUALLY CREATED:

“One Of The Largest Reported Jobs Figures Comes From Bridgewater State College, Which Is Listed As Using $77,181 In Stimulus Money For 160 Full-Time Work-Study Jobs For Students.
But Bridgewater State Spokesman Bryan Baldwin Said The College Made A Mistake And The Actual Number Of New Jobs Was ‘Almost Nothing.’” (“Stimulus Job Boost In State Exaggerated, Review Finds,” The Boston Globe, 11/11/09)

7. 108 JOBS REPORTED SAVED AT CONNECTICUT POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH 22 OFFICERS:

“The Police Department In Plymouth, Conn., Claimed In Its Report That A $15,355 Grant Used To Buy New Computers Had Created Or Saved 108 Jobs.
The Department Had 22 Law Enforcement Officers Last Year, According To The FBI.” (“Analysis Finds Stimulus Confusion,” USA Today, 11/2/09)

8. BOSTON LAND MANAGEMENT COMPANY WAS REPORTED TO HAVE CREATED 26 JOBS BUT THEY SAY “IT WAS JUST SHUFFLING AROUND OF THE FUNDS”:

“‘There Were No Jobs Created. It Was Just Shuffling Around Of The Funds,’ Said Susan Kelly, Director Of Property Management For Boston Land Co., Which Reported Retaining 26 Jobs With $2.7 Million In Rental Subsidies for its affordable housing developments in Waltham.
‘It’s hard to figure out if you did the paperwork right. We never asked for this.’” (“Stimulus Job Boost In State Exaggerated, Review Finds,” The Boston Globe, 11/11/09)

9. A CITY REPORTED CREATING 117 JOBS BUT SAYS THE NUMBER IS AN “ESTIMATE [THAT] IS BASED ON ANYONE WHO WILL WORK ON THE PROJECT, EVEN IF IT WAS FOR ONLY ONE DAY”:

“The City Of Westminster Reported That Its $150,438 Contract For Road Work On Lowell Boulevard Would Create 117 Jobs. That Would Equate To $1,286 Per Job. The City Said The Estimate Is Based On Anyone Who Will Work On The Project, Even If It Was For Only One Day.
No federal officials told the city to convert to the number of full-time-equivalent slots, an official said.” (“Stimulus-Jobs Count In Colorado Overinflated,” The Denver Post, 11/10/09)

10. IN WORCESTER, MASS., 46 JOBS WERE REPORTED DESPITE ONLY 23 EMPLOYEES WORKING IN THE ENTIRE COMPLEX:

“…Plumley Village East In Worcester Listed 23 Jobs For Each Of Its Two Contracts For A Total Of 46 Jobs, Even Though It Has Only 23 Employees Working Throughout The Complex.”
(“Stimulus Job Boost In State Exaggerated, Review Finds,” The Boston Globe, 11/11/09)


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