Where Did those Stimulus Jobs go? 58,000 jobs Explained.

Where Did those Stimulus Jobs go?  58,000 jobsExplained. Removed from the GAO accounting “jobs created or saved” without being asked. The Senate oversight “Committee on Government Oversight and Reform” held an investigations hearing on Thursday to ask about discrepancies in the counts found by public and government sources. The committee sought to explore validity of the data and questioned where and how much of the stimulus money has been spent.

The GAO study issued on Thursday explained that about 10% of those jobs – more than 58,000 – were created as the result of projects that have so far reported spending no money.  It appears we have an explanation for why those numbers were adjusted.

Good Job Senators!  I wanted that answer, thanks for asking!

I can’t believe they can get away with reporting RAISES as “partial salaries”. I would like to see reporting and spending of the Stimulus totally eliminate the RAISE practice with stimulus dollars. Stick to creating new jobs, caring for the struggling unemployed, and NOT reporting or paying for pay raises as jobs saved!  With 6 people seeking every job, I doubt these folks were going anywhere, should they not have received raises. Wouldn’t you agree folks?

What the list I reported on, accumulated by investigative reporters and compiled for the Washington Examiner showed, and what was found by the committee was accepted and acknowledged by the GAO, if not line by line, in it’s theory and conclusion.   Earl Devany, Chairman of the Recovery Board, did not dispute the reports of flaws in the data, he said the numbers represent the first attempts at transparency and the reporting issues will be fixed. Score 1 for David Obey!

These statements by Fox news summed it up for the totality of press reports.

“Of the $787 billion authorized by Congress, about $173 billion – 22% - has been paid out. The bulk of that money – about $130 billion – went to entitlement programs such as Medicaid and unemployment”

THANK GOD FOR UNEMPLOYMENT AND THANK THE STIMULUS BILL and Congress for Providing it! Now if we could just get some help from HR3930 or S2730…… We KNOW THESE DOLLARS WERE NEEDED!  I Hope the balance of 78% is spent to help the economy get going, help us until it does, and not to provide NOT 1 MORE PAY RAISE!   If there wasn’t enough inflation for the fixed incomes to get COLA’s Why would we use Stimulus to pay for raises?

This from CBS news, reported Wed. on the CBO report It found that 3,978 recipients reported jobs created or saved without actually receiving ANY Recovery Act funds. Imagine that, why would anyone report jobs not related to the Recovery Fund without receiving any Recovery act money?

Perhaps this is what prompted U.S. Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) to say, “This whole issue is just propaganda, it’s political hyperbole…” I choose not to believe that Dan, as much as I love you.  I have watched this man fight for our rights repeatedly, but this time I disagree..

I go with the opposition, and quote the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Dave Obey, ““We designed the Recovery Act to be open and transparent and I expect the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, who oversees the recovery act web site and data to have information that is accurate, reliable and understandable to the American public. Whether the numbers are good news or bad news, I want the honest numbers and I want them now.”

“I want the honest numbers and I want them now.”

This says to me, all criticism aside, I admire the effort to be forthright and hope we can accomplish it.