Oooooooooooops.

I hope no one purposefully tried to inflate this data, though it would be par for the course for any administration, D or R.

A competent news media would put together a massive effort to make FOIA requests for all communications regarding the reporting of "jobs created or saved," both to see whether those receiving contracts were pressured to report artificially high numbers, or to see if there was a concerted effort by the Obama administration to inflate the numbers.

But when the AP is too busy assigning 11 people to fact-check Sarah Palin's book, you can see how they might not have time for such items.

Mr. Obama should know that the job is not complete until the paperwork is finished. He and his minions are so busy straightening everything out they just don't have the time for due diligence. Watch it,Prez, your credibility is showing!

EMBEZZLEMENT, EMBEZZLEMENT, EMBEZZLEMENT, EMBEZZLEMENT...

Make Madoff look like a kid.

House government reform and oversite committee finds fault on Obama administration recovery government website.

Hundreds of millions of stimulus dollars in non existant congressional districts...

What, wonder who got that stimulus giveaway of billions and billions, has to be the dumbocrats, Obuma, and his scumbag Czars...

Whose administration recovery website???
Obuma's, Obuma's, Obuma's...

Who turned the fox into the hen-house???
Let's create some more jobs folks, let's pay more taxes folks...

From the article:

More than $6.4 billion in stimulus funds were shown as being spent -- and more than 28,420 jobs saved or created -- in 440 false districts, it said.

hundreds of millions of stimulus dollars were spent in nonexistent congressional districts

non-existent jobs for non-existent districts.

just wait till you don't see what they didn't do. it is overwhelming what they didn't do.

(brought ot you by the same people that gave your the $1300 hammer).

Joe Biden was on The Daily Show and he says that the people reporting the jobs in to the administration simply don't know their district numbers but that if you go by zip code the information is pretty accurate. NPR made an attempt to verify the jobs and even visited the sites where the jobs were shown and the jobs were there and were doing the things the site said they were supposed to be doing. The person they interviewed from Recovery.gov said that, if anything, the site is under reporting jobs created by stimulus because it is only showing the job directly caused by the stimulus money. For instance, on a road construction project it will show the person actually building the road but not the people involved making the materials, the people working at the cafe where the workers go to eat, etc. I'm sure there are inaccuracies but I also know that there are lots of people just dying to find that they are exaggerating jobs or, in some other way, misrepresenting the use of stimulus dollars. Those folks are hoping and praying the stimulus doesn't stimulate and the economy doesn't recover.

Those folks are hoping and praying the stimulus doesn't stimulate and the economy doesn't recover.

#8 | POSTED BY DANNI AT 2009-11-19 07:01 PM | REPLY | FLAG:

Who is? Because they are questioning the numbers, and why there are false districts listed?

Gimme a fucking break. Everyone wants the stimulus to work, but also want and need honest measures of how well it does work. If they spent $6.4 billion, and created/saved 28K jobs, that's over $200K per job. It's fair to question the efficacy - doesn't mean people don't want it to work.

Has anyone in the news media bothered to ask where that money did go? Is it still sitting there waiting to be spent or is the money gone?

#6 | Posted by JOE at 2009-11-19 06:28 PM | Reply |

ABC is claiming the recovery board has chalked this up to human error by the recipients of the funds.

Half believable, hell I don't know what district I live in either. But I am not filling out requests for stimulus money either.

And it should be noted a simple google search would provide that answer to me fairly quickly.

Gimme a fucking break. Everyone wants the stimulus to work.

#9 | Posted by somoco at 2009-11-19 07:15 PM | Reply |

Thats false on its face.

So, is the money gone?

If the stimulus money was reportedly spent in non-existent congressional districts...

...is the first part of the sentence still true?

If so, where did the money go?

hmmmmmmmm?

Dr. Joseph Goebbels, Adolph Hitler's propaganda minister, once stated that if you tell the same lie often enough it becomes the truth. Is history repeating itself?

Gimme a fucking break. Everyone wants the stimulus to work.
#9 | Posted by somoco at 2009-11-19 07:15 PM | Reply |
Thats false on its face.

#12 | POSTED BY KNIGHTHAWK AT 2009-11-19 07:24 PM | REPLY | FLAG

Sure, there are people who didn't want the stimulus, and were skeptical as to how effective it would be. Who do you know, however, that thinks "I hope it fails and the economy remains in the toilet with Americans earning less and losing their homes."

And, I mean Americans... I suggest that there are few, if any, rooting against a recovery.

Another broken promise--- transparency. The jobs summit is coming next which will morph into "stimulus II."-- the first stimulus was full of pork---another broken promise.

If they're going to lie to us, they need to make a better effort. Learning the correct number of Congressional Districts would be a good start. The census hasn't even started in earnest yet and they're already creating new Districts. Have they tried to gerrymander the new districts that don't exist ? Lousy slackers.

I hope no one purposefully tried to inflate this data, though it would be par for the course for any administration, D or R.

#2 | Posted by LIVE_OR_DIE at 2009-11-19

Yeah, but Barry promised change.

"I suggest that there are few, if any, rooting against a recovery."

You underestimate the partisan nature of this country. We have people putting bumper stickers on their cars asking God to shorten the life of the President. Pretending that a segment of America isn't hoping and praying for the stimulus to fail and thus the President to fail is, at best, naive.

There are many discrepancies in the formulas and guidelines of reporting 'saved and new jobs'... several states are finding that the formulas are jammed down their throats.. there are specific examples of 'pay raises' counted as saving jobs, 'new jobs' reported where the total headcount of jobs available is 10% of what is reported and no capacity for new jobs, one in specific where a community college received monies related to stimulus less than $30,000 and the new jobs reported was at 14,500. States are presenting cases where the controlling powers in Washington are questioned and being told by those powers that they must follow the formula... there is quite a stretch to make the numbers look high.. and, since when, does Joe Biden represent credibility..

This administratioin promised transparency, and by God, it's delivering. Anyone who can't clearly see that an inept bunch of amateurs is running things has to be an administration shill. Where is Doc, anyway?

No doubt you feel a need spout off. Well, your friend, George W, created and left us in this mess.

Anyone who can't clearly see that an inept bunch of amateurs is running things has to be an administration shill.

Inept amateurs?

LOL at Cookie!

As opposed to wot? The professional (albeit deeply incompetent) crooks who ran things fer 8 years while you shook yer pompoms, you partisan hack?

Be Well.

No doubt you feel a need spout off. Well, your friend, George W, created and left us in this mess.

OK? Obama is still incompetent. As far as I know, there is no universal constant that guarantees that a bad leader is always followed with a good one.

If the stimulus money was reportedly spent in non-existent congressional districts...

The money was spent in real districts.

The reporting of the districts was farkied by those who filled out the paperwork.

K?

Obama is still incompetent. As far as I know, there is no universal constant that guarantees that a bad leader is always followed with a good one.

Obama's administration is still more competent and better for the country overall than the last administration by far.

If he ever gets around to starting a pair of extremely expensive wars, increasing the wealth gap, trying to legalize torture, and letting a massive terrorist attack take place on American soil?

K, then you can start calling him incompetent.

Face it.

Dumbya lowered the bar almost to ground level in terms of competency.

Be Well.

Obama's administration is still more competent and better for the country overall than the last administration by far.

Ah -- the old "Last administration sucked, so this one is great" argument. Weak at best.

As I said, there is no universal constant that postulates that a bad leader is necessarily followed by a good one. Herman Muller was a bad leader, so Hitler must've been good. LOL

K, then you can start calling him incompetent.

Hmmm. Another universal constant I am unfamiliar with. I looked up "incompetency" and nowhere that I looked did it say that starting wars etc. are prerequisites.

Ah -- the old "Last administration sucked, so this one is great" argument. Weak at best.

Obama's admin isn't "Great" because BushCo sucked ass.

Obama is good for America because his agenda is one that reaches out to more Americans beyond the corporate douchenozzles and unelected elites that Dumbya kow-towed to.

Obama was right to stop federal authorities from arresting people smoking legal medically prescribed marijuana.

He is right to try and shut down both wars.

He is right to try shutting down Gitmo.

He is right to shun torture as state policy.

He is right to try and reform healthcare.

He is right to seek more equal rights for gays.

He is right to allow women to retain autonomy over their own bodies.

He is right to try and prevent some of the more odious and obvious criminal acts on Wall Street.

Will he have 100% success with all of these initiatives?

Prolly not, but at least he's turned the country around and stopped it from driving completely off the cliff that the last admin was speeding towards.

And that's prolly why he'll get re-elected.

Not just because the other guys are so obviously wrongheaded in all they do and say.

But because Obama is right.

Spud doesn't say with absolute certainty that Obama will get re-elected. America was stupid enuff to elect GWB twice (sort of anyways) who knows, maybe the national IQ will plunge once more in 2012 as well. Obviously Spud hopes not. But this is all just idle speculation on everybody's part. Just Spud's guess really.

Wot's yer guess, Goat?

Do you even have one or is trolling fer left wing outrage all yer here fer?

Be Well.

And that's prolly why he'll get re-elected.

It's waaay to early to predict that, but I do understand that as a blind, mindless partisan you are required to, so I will not point out the glaring flaws in making such a stupid statement. Carter's sycophants were equally blind and said the same things.

Wot's yer guess, Goat?

My "guess" (and it is absolutley correct) is that using a Bush/Obama correlation to predict his re-election is not logical since Bush will not be running for president in 2012.

As I keep saying, blind partisanship does not a good prediction make. Learn this.

PS on #27 -- "trying" and "seeking" aren't exactly the action verbs American is looking for.

It's waaay to early to predict that, but I do understand that as a blind, mindless partisan you are required to, so I will not point out the glaring flaws in making such a stupid statement.

So you have no argument then?

Do you at least have a guess?

My "guess" (and it is absolutely correct) is that using a Bush/Obama correlation to predict his re-election is not logical since Bush will not be running for president in 2012.

Wow, not only no guess but Goat obviously FAILed to read Spud's post again.

As I keep saying, blind partisanship does not a good prediction make. Learn this.

Spud gots more eyes than most and none of them are closed.

Yer blind, partisan, knee-jerk lib-bashing makes yer continual assertions on this topic laughable.

Learn this.

Be Well.

So you have no argument then?

???

How did you miss it? My arguement is that with more than 3 years to go in his term, it is far too early to be popping the champagne corks celebrating Obama's re-election. Do parents read Aesop's fabls to their kids in Canada? If not, check out the one about the farmer' wife who counted her chickens before they were hatched.

Spud gots more eyes than most and none of them are closed.

True, but spud has only left eyes

The money was spent in real districts.

#25 | Posted by dethspud

Riiiiigggghtttttt....

Sure wish I shared your confidence in a bunch of career criminals.

Has anyone in the news media bothered to ask where that money did go? Is it still sitting there waiting to be spent or is the money gone?

#6 | Posted by JOE

They had better fucking pray the money is still safe.

If not, this could be the spark that starts the social conflagration.

If it turns out that $1 trillion dollars of OUR money has been stolen, I am personally ready to go to war against those who stole it from us.

Is it any wonder why stores cannot keep guns and ammo in stock?

I think these fucking fools are hoping the U.S. will self implode...

...no other answer makes any sense.

Glad to see the House holding the Admin's feet to the fire, just like they did with previous admin when the pubes controlled the house.

Republicans want the stimulus to fail so they can eat your children and euthanize your grandparents. They also hate dogs and flowers. They are repelled only by garlic and crosses.

Well, that's what *I* heard.

#8 | Posted by danni at 2009-11-19 07:01 PM | Reply | Flag:

Swallowed Biden's explanation, hook, line, and sinker.

I like the one where the admin claimed it saved some jobs, and when it was investigated the money wasn't used to save jobs, rather it was used to provide cost of living raises to the employees.

And then some nutjob sheep like Danni buys in to what Biden said on the Daily Show.

I guess everyone on The Situation Room with Blitzer last night didn't know what they were talking about, and Joe Biden and Jon Stewart are right...

EVEN BETTER

The Paul/Grayson Bill, forcing an audit of the Federal Reserve moved out of committee. This will trigger a huge fight as the fraudsters attempt to hide their stealing. Like the whitwashed 9/11 Commission Report, the outcome will depend on auditor seleection, if it ever gets that far. So many hurdles to get at the rich and powerful.

"... what Biden said on the Daily Show.

I guess everyone on The Situation Room with Blitzer last night didn't know what they were talking about, and Joe Biden and Jon Stewart are right..."
#37 | Posted by 101Chairborne

I saw that. I'm pretty sure that Stewart understood that he was getting massaged by Biden but let it go.

It's the F*$&%ing Daily Show

that should really sum up quoting it as news source

Thats false on its face.

#12 | Posted by KnightHawk

Are you saying there are some people that want out country to go down the shitter? If there are some, I would bet they are all socalists and want capatilism to end.

Those folks are hoping and praying the stimulus doesn't stimulate and the economy doesn't recover.

#8 | Posted by danni at 2009-11-19 07:01 PM | Reply | Flag

nonsense.....

we are looking for accountability from a govt program in the face of that same govt taking over every aspect of our lives.

and remember it was OBAMA, not a republican who siad that JOE was on the job here and "you dont mess with joe"....

completely incompetent....

Amazing to me when pointed out that Obama and his posse have little to show, that the 'magic supporters' always have to refer to a comparison to Bush (which, for the record, I thought those who voted for Dubya wasted a vote)..rather than be objective about Obama.. always some cheap diversion statements about how great he is to have mentioned in his continuing rhetoric what he will do, but no action completed..!!! also, how they quickly jump into name calling and labels as if they have the superior knowledge.. shows that they cannot really be objective, but continue this poor 'pied piper' trek behind him.. exactly like all the Bushie supporters will never admit they were wrong even in the face of evidence.. and, most of you who support this 'Hollywood Harry' may just jump off the cliff with him as you follow this pitiful path.. lots of Obama 'koolaid' out there..!!!!

Deficits are not the problem. Deflation is. Bank lending is shrinking, consumer spending is down, housing prices are falling, unemployment is soaring and the wholesale credit markets are in a shambles. Which one of these problems is deficit related? None. This isn't the time to slash government support in the name of "fiscal responsibility". Obama needs to ignore the alarmists and deficit-psychos.

Has Obama perused the jobless figures lately? Has he noticed the Fed shoving more than a $1 trillion under the collapsing housing market with no sign of improvement? Has anyone told our strapping sagamore that the entire financial system is resting on a crumbling foundation of garbage mortgages, toxic paper, and non-performing loans?
Cutting the deficits now is a suicidal policy that will end in catastrophe.

Consumers aren't borrowing and the banks aren't lending. Unemployment is soaring and deflation is pushing down asset prices while the burden of personal debt is rising in real terms. It's a very bleak report. The only sign of improvement is that "things are getting worse more slowly".

Stimulus works. It speeds up recovery, minimizes unemployment and stops asset prices from overshooting on the downside. Here's an excerpt from "The effectiveness of fiscal and monetary stimulus in depressions" a scholarly analysis of stimulus by economist-authors Miguel Almunia, Agustin S. Benetrix, Barry eichengreen, Kevin O' Rourke, and Gisela Rua: "Where tried, fiscal policy was effective in the 1930s....The details of the results differ, but the overall conclusions do not. They show that where fiscal policy was tried, it was effective."

$1 trillion, $2 trillion, even $3 trillion--whatever it takes--should be pumped into the jet-stream so the dollars fall to earth like a spring rain from sea to shining sea. That will get people spending again. That will put people back to work. We'll worry about the red ink later.

No more excuses. No more crybaby blabber about deficits. Just do it.

Excerpted from Mike Whitney @ Counterpunch

and, most of you who support this 'Hollywood Harry' may just jump off the cliff with him as you follow this pitiful path.. lots of Obama 'koolaid' out there..!!!!

#43 | Posted by drsoul

Excellent post---psychologists (specializing in narcissism) will tell you that those who follow "the cult of personality" or a narcissist are unable to separate themselves even when facts obliterate the persona. An example would be Jim Jones and his followers.

No they don't.

They couldn't handle the truth (from coming out).

but here is what the Potus has to say on the subject

Stimulus works...

#44 | Posted by nutcase

Agreed - but you have to actually do it first.

The only apparent stimulus from the last $1 trillion dollar so-called stimulus, was yet more government growth (with strings attached ensuring even more in the future).

Where is the stimulus in new business creation? Where's the private sector job growth that was promised?

Just imagine how powerful an affect true stimulus would have (yes, including some government spending)...

...if they also included tax cuts targeted at new business formation? Or for existing businesses to invest in new technology? Or even a temporary tax holiday all together?

Now a package like THAT would work.

I know, I know. They're smart, I'm dumb.

So I will continue to dumbly believe...

...that yet more money to Wall Street (the next stimulus bill), much of which ends up/will end up overseas or unaccounted for in non-existent congressional districts, will only prolong the Recession...

...but don't believe me. I'm dumb.

you want the truth? You can't handle the truth...money is gone and there is not a damn thing you can do about it...love that government in action.

Those folks are hoping and praying the stimulus doesn't stimulate and the economy doesn't recover.

danni danni danni...10.2 unemployment it isnt working.

what less than 30% spent, cant work if you dont spend it

bailouts for industries that went bankrupt anyone putting their suppliers out of business anyway...

geez,

A large amount of that stimulus was pork and that's money that is now gone and adding to the deficit--- so much for looking at every line item and no longer tolerating earmarks and pork.

Also, because there is a definite disagreement in the credibility AND ability of Obama and his people to get the job done, does not rule out the fact or mean that those same people who cannot get on his bandwagon do not want a successful program and economy.. I think that any intelligent person does want to see a better economy.. but, the method used is not working in any degree and most of the reporting seems very distorted... and, now with his announcement of 'warning' of the 'double dip' theory, it is another smokescreen of failure..!!!!
to simply disagree with policy and person does not also dictate hate and want of failure.. to believe that is pure ignorance and false pride.. Obama is also proving to be more partisan than admitted to by his 'pipers'...!!!

Oh my gosh the HNIC lied, NO shit Sherlock!

bendor,

In my mind, the only legitimate use of stimulus money is new construction and repair of our infrastructure: roads; schools; water, power & sewer distribution systems; public transportation systems; parks.

Other important changes would force investors to take a hit, such as writing down mortgages or lowering interest rates for those who qualify after the change.

Equally important is to go after the white collar fraud which created the mess we're in but is not getting the attention it deserves. Goldman-Sachs's Blankfein first said they are the most productive employees and doing "God's Work", has now publically admitted wrongdoing (without being specific). Investigators and Prosecutors should be crawling all over that operation.

bendor,

In my mind, the only legitimate use of stimulus money is new construction and repair of our infrastructure: roads; schools; water, power & sewer distribution systems; public transportation systems; parks.

Other important changes would force investors to take a hit, such as writing down mortgages or lowering interest rates for those who qualify after the change.

Equally important is to go after the white collar fraud which created the mess we're in but is not getting the attention it deserves. Goldman-Sachs's Blankfein first said they are the most productive employees and doing "God's Work", has now publically admitted wrongdoing (without being specific). Investigators and Prosecutors should be crawling all over that operation.

Tax cuts?

I'm not sure, but the first time Obama said anything I cared for was tax credits for employers that create new domestic jobs. Not a word this year on this important idea. Jobs should be priority #1. Such a plan will be resisted by Wall Street, which is determined to make a fast buck by moving capital, theirs and yours, to Asia where they can make money faster using $5/day labor.

"Jobs should be priority #1. Such a plan will be resisted by Wall Street, which is determined to make a fast buck by moving capital, theirs and yours, to Asia where they can make money faster using $5/day labor."

That has been my biggest criticism of the stimulus to date.

NW Flag at #55.

Good posts NUTCASE...the infrastructure is good, but it tends to be temporary...let it run it's course.. we need to put more emphasis on the small business sector and also be more aggressive on taxation of imports to level a playing field that we have almost forsaken in destroying our industrial empire of old.. we need to be able to recreate manufacturing in this country.. need solutions to unions that do not feed off of our economy while destroying it at the same time.. I find that very few people really understand 'costs' in most businesses and especially the larger companies that I have been in and around through consulting, etc.. so much waste over quality and productivity.. these are some of the strengths that we need to rebuild.. also, I agree that there needs to be stiffer regs in the capital market oriented companies on the street and elsewhere..they are too manipulative of the economy.. but, we also need someone who has the understanding and people around them to get this done.. not create another socialist state...