Summer of Recovery Continues: $276,000 of Stimulus Money Created Six One-Hundredths of a Job

I figure at this rate of progress we should be easing out way out of The Great Recession somewhere in the fall of 9826, by which time memory of this disastrous presidency hopefully has faded.

On the upside, if you're one of the many who do ant research for a living, somewhere a fortune awaits you.

A couple of Republican senators put out a report today spelling out how they say a lot of the money taxpayers shelled out for the stimulus package was wasted. CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson Follows the Money.

It may be called the Recovery Act, but to Pastor Greg Sheets - it's the law of unintended consequences.

A well-meaning stimulus project to improve the road in front of his Newark, Ohio home has led the city to take part of his yard through eminent domain. Sheets got a restraining order when workers got too close to his house. The mess is now in its fourth month.

"My grandmother owned this house when I was a child," Sheets said. "There's not much left here to keep in the family."

In the state of Washington, another stimulus project may be hurting those it was designed to help. Construction began one year ago today in front of the Archery Bistro Restaurant. The owner says it's shut off business like a fly in a bowl of soup. He's had to stop serving lunch, close two days a week and, ironically, lay off 12 workers.

See, it was a "couple of Republican senators" who had to do the work CBS News should have long ago unearthed, but now they feel compelled to report. Why haven't they and other media outlets been doing their job in the 18 months since this trillion-dollar boondoggle passed?

You know that answer.

Now for some fun with numbers.

A new report from Republican senators Tom Coburn and John McCain says too much of the $862 billion in stimulus money is being spent with dubious results: $700,000 for a researcher to study improvised music. For a project on interactive dance, 44 percent of the money goes to "overhead."

The $1.9 million spent to photograph ants in foreign countries has created two jobs created so far. That's better than other ant research stimulus projects: $451,000 has created one job, $276,000 spent on another created six one-hundredths of a job, and the $800,000 spent on a different one created no jobs.

The $144,000 spent to study the behavior of monkeys on cocaine created four-tenths of a job.

To study why monkeys respond to unfairness cost $677,000 - and has created no jobs yet - except maybe for the monkeys.

Read that part again: To study why monkeys respond to unfairness cost $677,000.

I can't wait to see how liberals respond to the unfairness of Republicans pointing this out in television ads.

Naturally, Obama and his minions want us to still live in the Land of Make Believe, a place emptying out quickly judging by his anemic poll numbers.

Still, Obama Administration economists say all the projects have valid goals, and the Recovery Act has put three million people back to work.

Jared Bernstein, chief economic adviser to Vice President Biden said, "If you look at the impact of the Recovery Act, including many of the projects that they're critiquing, these are projects that are creating jobs today, getting Americans back to work."

Back to work studying ants and crackhead monkeys whining about unfairness.

And they're the best and brightest.

In other reality-based news, a new poll shows two-thirds of the ruling class--that would be the Obama regime, Democrats and Journlisters--believe America is on the right track. That's apparently the fast track to statism. Meanwhile, 84% of Americans disagree with the elites. A slight divide there, it appears.

Land of Make Believe: Obama 'Promises' 600K Stimulus Jobs

So let's see how this new math works. Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler Obama promised the porkulus bill would "save or create" 3.5 million jobs. Well, that's not quite working out since the economy has shed 1.6 million jobs since passage of this monstrosity. So using my crude math skillz, he's 5.1 million jobs in the hole, and it's going to take some time digging out, if he ever can.

So here he comes today making another absurd promise.

President Barack Obama promised Monday to deliver more than 600,000 jobs through his $787 billion stimulus plan this summer, with federal agencies pumping billions into public works projects, schools and summer youth programs.

Obama is ramping up his stimulus program this week even as his advisers are ramping down expectations about when the spending plan will affect a continuing rise in the nation's unemployment.

Many of the stimulus plans that Obama announced Monday already were in the works, including hundreds of maintenance projects at military bases, about 1,600 state road and airport improvements, and federal money states budgeted for 135,000 teachers, principals and school support staff.

So let's pretend 600,000 people actually return to work this summer (these likely will just be seasonal jobs), what happens if more private-sector job losses offset any of these temporary gains?

How will that be spun?

"Our measure of progress is the progress the American people see in their own lives. And until that progress is steady and solid, we're going to keep moving forward. We will not grow complacent or rest. Surely and steadily, we will turn this economy around," the statement said.

How is the loss of 1.6 million jobs moving forward?

The announcement comes days after the government reported that the number of unemployed continues to rise; the unemployment rate now sits at 9.4 percent, the highest in more than 25 years. Hundreds of thousands of Americans continue to lose jobs each month, although fewer jobs were lost last month than expected.

Just how much of an impact Obama's recovery program had on the pace of job losses is up for debate. Obama has claimed as many as 150,000 jobs saved or created by his stimulus plan so far, even as government reports have shown the economy has lost more than 1.6 million jobs since Congress approved funding for the program in February.

How exactly is this up for debate? He claimed he's create 3.5 million jobs but has done nothing of the sort?

What is there to debate?

Obama initially offered his stimulus plan as a way to put people back to work, a promise that 3.5 million jobs would be saved or created. The administration's predictions that unemployment would rise no higher than 8 percent already have been shattered, leaving Obama's advisers to caution that job growth takes time, even as recovery spending intensifies.

Will they ever admit they're wrong and this reckless spending is doing nothing?

Hell no. They'll just come back and say they haven't spent enough.

Just you watch.

Your Stimulus Dollars at Work: 'To Me, It Sounds Like the Federal Government Is Rewarding Bad Behavior'

Sure seems as if ACORN is doling out the stimulus money in Massachusetts. Then again, since they're a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Democrats, it really makes no difference.

If you had any doubt Obama's stimulus package was a boondoggle, you won't after reading this.

Criminal offenders, teen moms, dropouts, runaways and other wayward youths will score summer jobs with federal stimulus cash as most Bay State kids desperately scramble to land coveted seasonal gigs in a tight economy.

“To me, it sounds like the federal government is rewarding bad behavior,” said state Sen. Richard R. Tisei (R-Wakefield).

The state Department of Transitional Assistance will be using some of Massachusetts’ $1.3 million in Obama administration cash for jobs for clients’ children ages 14 to 24 who meet specific criteria, including:

* Lacking basic skills.
* Pregnant or parenting.
* School dropout.
* Homeless or runaway.
* Court-involved or an “offender.”
* An English as a Second Language learner or an immigrant.

“For the kids who really have their act together, I’d hate to see them being left out and summer jobs are not available to them,” said Senate minority leader Tisei.

Indeed, why reward the kids who play by the rules. Silly, misguided youth. Don't they realize they need to be useless slackers to be recognized by the Democrats? It's just amazing: A specific criteria is you lack basic skills.

As for kids who don't reside in the projects with Obama's Auntie Zeituni, forget about seeing any assistance.

“I don’t think the suburbs will see any of the money,” Tisei said. “The more you find out about the federal stimulus money, the more we find out what a boondoggle it is.”

Like Obama said, "You ain't seen nothing yet."

Howie Carr chimes in.

By the way, the money from the DTA summer job is “noncountable income for cash assistance.” In other words, you get to stay on the dole while you’re being paid to work.

According to the memo, the money for this program is coming from the stimulus funds, which we were told would be helping everybody, not just pregnant high-school dropout criminals.

So where is the empathy for the Dave and Ricky Nelsons of the 21st century? But then, the dirty little secret is out. When Sonya Sotomayor or Barack Obama talk about empathy, what they really mean is favoritism.

H/T loppyd.

Update: Jake Tapper exposes more stimulus fraud in Iowa.

Palin to Reject Huge Chunk of Stimulus $$$: 'Will We Chart Our Own Course, Or Will Washington Engineer It For Us?'

That's my girl. Stick it to DC.

Protesting federal "strings," attached to stimulus funding, Gov. Sarah Palin said she doesn't want nearly half the estimated $930million Alaska is eligible for.

"Will we chart our own course, or will Washington (D.C.) engineer it for us?" Palin said.

She expected to file an appropriations bill this afternoon accepting about $251.5 million in stimulus funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, coupled with allocations of $262.6 million already requested for transportation and aviation projects for a total state take of about $514.1 million.

Missing in her bill will be millions that Palin said are contingent on the state increasing the size of government, chipping in more dollars, or passing new laws that Alaskans might not want.

Poses quite the contrast with the groveling governor of Cal-ee-fornia, no?

H/T Conservatives for Palin, via Videmus.

AP Admits Obama's 'Major Milestone' Increases Taxes, Reduces Services, Leaves Us In Debt

In one breath the Associated Press declares this porkulus scam a major milestone for Obama even though Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid wrote the bill, then they admit it leaves us with crushing debt for generations.

What is there to celebrate?

One thing about the president's $790 billion stimulus package is certain: It will jack up the federal debt.

Whether or not it succeeds in producing jobs and taming the recession, tomorrow's taxpayers will end up footing the bill.

Forecasters expect the 2009 deficit — for the budget year that began last Oct 1 — to hit $1.6 trillion including new stimulus and bank-bailout spending. That's about three times last year's shortfall.

The torrents of red ink are being fed by rising federal spending and falling tax revenues from hard-hit businesses and individuals.

The national debt — the sum of all annual budget deficits — stands at $10.7 trillion. Or about $36,000 for every man, woman and child in the U.S.

Interest payments alone on the national debt will near $500 billion this year. It's already the fourth-largest federal expenditure, after Medicare-Medicaid, Social Security and defense.

This will affect us all directly for years, as well as our children and possibly grandchildren, .in higher taxes and probably reduced government services. It will also force continued government borrowing, increasingly from China, Japan, Britain, Saudi Arabia and other foreign creditors.

The Washington Post hails saddling our grandchildren with debt a victory of historic proportions.

Yippee!

Nobody seems to have an answer for this simple question: What is none of this works?

Another nugget the AP adds:

Infrastructure:

Highways repaved for the first time in decades. Century-old waterlines dug up and replaced with new pipes. Aging bridges, stressed under the weight of today's SUVs, reinforced with fresh steel and concrete.

But the $90 billion is a mere down payment on what's needed to repair and improve the country's physical backbone. And not all economists agree it's an effective way to add jobs in the long term, or stimulate the economy.

First of all, in all the years I've been driving around the country I've encountered endless paving and highway reconstruction projects. It's a safe bet we've spent hundreds of billions on roads and bridges. What's this nonsense that highways haven't been repaved in decades?

Cute dig how bridges are stressed under the weight of SUV's, many of which are lighter vehicles than old passenger cars.

Rejected: Public Votes Thumbs Down On Obama Stimulus Scam

Some staggering numbers. Of course the media will be hesitant to report this. Just imagine George W. Bush was pushing something so unpopular, this would be headline news across the nation.

Overall, 53 percent of Americans agree that the Obama stimulus bill will actually hinder economic recovery; while only 31 percent disagree (16 percent are not sure). Fifty-six percent of Independent voters also agree, while only 27 percent disagree (17 percent are not sure). A staggering 88 percent of Republicans agree and just 6 percent disagree (another 6 percent are not sure).
...
Fifty-seven percent of Independent voters agree that Obama's stimulus package spends too much and does little to stimulate the economy; while just 31 percent of Independents disagree (12 percent are not sure). Eighty-nine percent of Republicans also agree, while only 5 percent disagree (6 percent are not sure).
...
Sixty-six percent of Independent voters think Obama wants to spend too much money on items that won't improve the economy. As for Republicans, a staggering 93 percent agree.

Across the board, the poll found that, on average, 90 percent of Republicans and 60 percent of Independents disapprove of Obama's stimulus bill.

"Our poll numbers are no different than the ones being read in the White House," said ATI-News president Brad O'Leary. "That's why President Obama is being forced to campaign across America for his stimulus bill - 90 percent of Republicans and 60 percent of Independents oppose it."

To coin an old phrase, this is a pig wearing lipstick.

This is why the Democrats, who have the power to pass anything they want, are desperate to drag some Republicans along so they can call it bipartisan. They know if they can't dress this pig up they'll pay a price in the 2010 midterms.

Dire warnings from the Democrats that opposing this scam will hurt the GOP rings hollow. Since when are they in the business of helping Republicans?

This mess should crumble under its own weight. It's a disaster and Obama knows it. But seeing it defeated would cripple him, so he has to get it passed.

Let the Democrats have it and let them defend it when it does nothing to improve the economy. They'll pay the price.

'Gifted Oratory' Not Enough to Save Obama's Porkulus Scam

Dude, where'd my halo go?

Poor little Baracky, reduced to fearmongering.

Republicans tried to push back against the ballooning size of President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan Wednesday, even as he warned that the financial crisis will turn into "a catastrophe" if the bill isn't passed quickly.

Whatever happened to hope? Two weeks in and the guy is warning of a catastrophe. Actually, the biggest catastrophe I've seen so far is his cabinet.

Meanwhile, the man of gifted oratory is somehow losing the message war even though Republican leader Rush Limbaugh has been on vacation all week.

At this crucial juncture in the push to pass an economic recovery package, President Obama finds himself in the most unlikely of places: He is losing the message war.

Despite Obama’s sky high personal approval ratings, polls show support has declined for his stimulus bill since Republicans and their conservative talk-radio allies began railing against what they labeled as pork barrel spending within it.

I beg to differ. Talk radio may have something to do with it, but the more the public has seen and heard about this crap sandwich, the less popular it is. Americans have come to realize spending our way out of a recession isn't going to help the economy. How else do you explain a 37% approval?

In Obama’s own words in an NBC interview, it’s his job to “get this thing back on track.”

Already, he’s trying – rolling out Michelle Obama to talk stimulus Wednesday, Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday (at a train station, no less) and sitting down with key senators one-on-one.

But this is unfamiliar turf for a team that achieved near epic status for its communication skills during the presidential campaign. They’ve rarely ever had to play catch-up.

With the president’s gifted oratory and a technologically savvy team, the Obama camp was able to seize control of the national conversation as early as April and never fully relinquish it right through his Inaugural Address two weeks ago.

Gifted oratory? Since when is a stammering series of uhhhs and ums considered gifted oratory?

To be sure, some of Obama’s headaches stem from the normal dysfunction that occurs when a White House is in transition. Phones don’t work, chains of command are fuzzy, and there are formalities that need tending to.

But the Obama team also made its own mistakes. The president’s troubled cabinet nominees added to the cacophony that at times drowned out the White House economic messages in the past two weeks.

And it seems more apparent each day that the nascent Obama Administration isn’t fully prepared for the task at hand.

In other words, they're totally in over their heads. Whatever happened to the most seamless and smooth transition ever? Was it all just hype?

Obscure, Seldom-Noticed President Plans 'All-Out Media Blitz'

Just what we need, a little more media attention paid to the most overexposed man in history.

At the same time, the more attention this porkulus plan gets, the more unpopular it is.

President Barack Obama planned to spend Tuesday waging an all-out media blitz to promote passage of his $800 billion-plus stimulus plan, which faces assaults from both Democrats and Republicans during debate in the Senate this week.

Obama was slated to give a series of Oval Office television interviews. He spoke with Democratic congressional leaders about the spending and tax-cut package on Monday afternoon at the White House, and planned to talk economics with the Democratic rank-and-file at House and Senate retreats later in the week.

Obama's young administration faced an unwelcome distraction to its efforts to gain support for the stimulus plan as a second Cabinet nominee faced questions over his tax returns.

Aww, poor baby. And just what was this unwelcome distraction?

Another criminal in his administration.

Former Sen. Tom Daschle apologized Monday for failing to pay more than $120,000 in taxes and appealed to his former colleagues in the Senate to approve him all the same. Obama said he was "absolutely" sticking with his nominee for health secretary.

The White House both underscored the magnitude of the problem and tried to downplay it in the space of seven words. "Nobody's perfect," said press secretary Robert Gibbs. "It was a serious mistake...."

Uh, no, it was a crime.