Right Mind

75,343 Bogus jobs 'created or saved' by the Stimulus

According to reports compiled from eleven major newspapers and the Associated Press, more than ten percent of the jobs the Obama administration has claimed were "created or saved" by the $787 billion stimulus package are doubtful or imaginary.

Looks like the newspapers are done with the honeymoon.

From the Washington Examiner:

 

City State Description Jobs not really created or saved Source Hackensack NJ “The Bergen County Community Action Program in Hackensack, N.J., noted the nearly $213,000 it received went to cover raises for existing staff only, but it also reported saving 85 jobs.” 85 Associated Press Moultrie GA The Southwest Georgia Community Action Council claimed to have saved 935 jobs with the $1.3 million it received, even though only 508 people work there. In fact, the group used most of its grant to give raises and now says it created 9.35 jobs. 926 Associated Press Cocoa FL The Child Care Association of Brevard County reported creating 129 jobs with $98,669 in stimulus money. In fact, “the cash was used to give her 129 employees a 3.9 percent cost-of-living raise.” 129 Associated Press Toledo, Ohio OH Koring Group reported hiring 52 people, but it turns out that they double-counted jobs that “only lasted about two months.” The FCC estimates that “actual job count is closer to five.” 47 Associated Press Douglas, Ga. GA Officials at East Central Technical College “said they now know they shouldn't have claimed 280 stimulus jobs linked to more than $200,000 to buy trucks and trailers for commercial driving instruction...The 280 were not jobs, but the number of students who would benefit...” 280 Associated Press San Joaquin, Calif. CA The Regional Rail Commission double-counted 125 jobs it had created with a stimulus grant. 125 Associated Press Ky. KY A shoe-store owner claimed he created nine jobs on an $889.60 contract. In fact, he supplied nine pairs of shoes to the Army Corps of Engineers. 9 The Wall Street Journal DeLand, Fla. FL Stetson University claimed to have created or saved 483 jobs with a grant of only $193,469. 465 The Wall Street Journal Salem, Ore. OR The Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency reported 205 jobs created or saved with $397,761. The money was actually used for pay raises. 205 The Wall Street Journal Blooming Grove, Tex. TX A month-long roofing project that received less than $30,000 in stimulus funds and involved six workers was erroneously reported as creating 450 jobs 449 USA Today Plymouth, Conn. CT The town police department reported saving 108 jobs with a $15,355 grant. The department only has 23 officers. 108 USA Today Columbus, Ohio OH The city's school district claimed that 138 jobs had been “saved,” in addition to others that had been created. But a spokeswoman admitted that probably few or none of those jobs would have been lost without stimulus money. 138 Columbus Dispatch New York, N.Y. NY Teach for America reported that a $2 million grant created or saved 1,425 jobs. In fact, all of the jobs created were accounted for by another grant. 1425 USA Today Danville, Va. VA A $35,000 grant was credited for saving 50 jobs at the Community Improvement Council. In fact, the money went to pay raises and training for existing staff. 50 New York Post Fayettville, Ark. AR A $1,000 grant to purchase a single lawn mower was credited with saving 50 jobs. 50 New York Times Cincinnati, Ohio OH An $8,000 contract for a “basketball replacement system” was credited with creating three jobs. 3 New York Times Washington, DC DC The Associated Press found many contracts for whom jobs totals appear to have been double-counted. 1350 Associated Press Washington, DC DC “ome low-income housing landlords whose decades-old contracts with the federal government were funded by the stimulus this year reported a total of 6,463 employees as having jobs linked to the stimulus package.” The Obama administration has said that such contracts will no longer be counted in stimulus job numbers in the future. (The total here reflects subtraction of false stimulus jobs in this category on other parts of the map.) 5977 The Wall Street Journal Washington, DC DC A $3,500 purchase of paint was credited with saving or creating a job. 1 Recovery.gov

Sacramento, Calif. CA The California State University system received $268.5 million in stimulus funds and claimed that the money allowed them to save over 26,000 jobs or half its workforce. But when pressed, the California State University system admitted they weren't really going to lay off half their workforce, and that in fact few or none of these jobs would have been lost without the stimulus. "This is not really a real number of people," a CSU spokesman said. "It's like a budget number." 26000 Sacramento Bee Olympia, Wash. WA Of the 34,500 jobs allegedly saved or created by the stimulus in Washington State, 24,000 belong to state teachers already under contract to finish out the school year, whose jobs were never in jeopardy. Rather, stimulus money was shuffled to them and their money went to offset budget cuts elsewhere. 24000 The Tacoma News-Tribune Westminster, Colo. CO With a single road project grant worth $150,438, the city claimed to have created 117 jobs. The number was based on the number of people who, whether or not they already had jobs, would work on the project even for one day. 117 Denver Post Colorado Springs, Colo. CO Two child care centers in central Colorado claimed to have created 292 jobs with $650,000 in grant money. In fact, the money went to pay raises. 292 Denver Post Englewood, Colo. CO The company Teletech claimed to have created 4,300 jobs from a $28.4 million contract, but in fact 3,000 of the jobs lasted only a month. 2750 Associated Press Bridgewater, Mass. MA Bridgewater State College claimed to have created 160 jobs with a $77,000 grant. College officials have admitted this was a mistake. 155 Recovery.gov and Boston Globe Boston., Mass. MA 60 property companies in Massachusetts claimed to have “saved” stimulus jobs when in fact, all of their jobs had been previously covered by federal rent-subsidy contracts. “There were no jobs created,” one such company's spokesman said. “It was just shuffling around of the funds.” 437 Recovery.gov and Boston Globe Greenfield, Mass. MA The local Head Start program created no new jobs, but used its $245,000 grant to give pay raises. 90 Recovery.gov and Boston Globe Revere, Mass. MA The city claimed to have created 64 jobs with a $485,000 stimulus grant, with which it put new solar panels on a school roof. 50 Recovery.gov and Boston Globe North Chicago, Ill. IL The city claimed to have saved the jobs of 473 teachers with its $4.7 million education stimulus grant. The district employs only 290 teachers. 473 Recovery.gov and Chicago Tribune Wilmette, Ill. IL The district reported saving 166 jobs, but the superintendant of schools says the number should be zero. 166 Recovery.gov and Chicago Tribune Dolton, Ill. IL timulus funds were said to have saved the equivalent of 382 full-time teaching jobs -- 142 more than the district actually has. 382 Recovery.gov and Chicago Tribune Kankakee, Ill. IL A school district reported saving 665 jobs, even though it only employs about 600 people. 665 Recovery.gov and Chicago Tribune Douglas County, Wis. WI The county's report claimed to have created 100 jobs with its $7.3 million grant, but that's only because the true figure of five jobs was mistaken for 50 and then double-counted. 95 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Milwaukee, Wis. WI United migrant Opportunity Services claimed to have created 113 jobs with just $18,000. 113 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Wisconsin WI Statewide, 17 different Head Start programs gave raises to their employees and counted them as new or “saved” jobs. 157 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Milwaukee, Wis. WI C3T Construction Co. in Milwaukee claimed to have created 24 jobs on projects that have not begun and for which it has received no money. 24 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Madison, Wis. WI Housing complexes, normally covered under Section 8, were instead counted as stimulus recipients this year and claimed to have saved 49 jobs. The Obama administration has said that such contracts will no longer be counted in stimulus job numbers in the future. 49 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Carson City, Nev. NV At least 4,000 of the supposedly created jobs in Nevada government -- and possibly hundreds more -- have been called into question in the light of reports that local governments were "told to take the amount of stimulus money they received and divide it by $92,000, the theoretical average wage and benefits of a job." The Nevada Department of Education divided by $66,681 and the state's higher education system used a figure of $45,000 when each estimated 2,000 jobs "saved." 4000 Las Vegas Sun Carson City, Nev. NV The state Department of Forestry reported 34 jobs created from a grant that in fact created only nine jobs. 25 Las Vegas Sun

Augusta, Ga. GA "[T]he Central Savannah River Area Economic Opportunity Authority in Augusta reported saving 317 jobs. But that represents the number of Head Start workers who received 2.3 percent raises from the stimulus funds." 317 Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution Augusta, Ga. GA "An Augusta agency reported creating 68 jobs even though the work has not started yet." 68 Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution Oklahoma City, Okla. OK A joint venture that received six military contracts counted the same 10 jobs six times. 50 Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution LaGrange, Ga. GA A Head Start group called Community Action for Improvement "reported 77 jobs based on raises it gave its employees with the money." 77 Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution Los Angeles, Calif. CA "Los Angeles-based Syska Hennessy Group Construction reported 93 jobs stemming from an Army contract...The number is closer to two jobs because the construction work has not started yet..." 91 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Detroit, Mich. MI “The City of Detroit reported 342 jobs it now says were projections -- not jobs already created or retained.” 342 Detroit Free Press Detroit, Mich. MI “General Motors...reported 105 jobs saved or created for a government purchase of 5,000 vehicles but later said no jobs were saved or created.” 105 Detroit Free Press Lansing, Mich. MI “More than 3,000 [of the jobs created by the stimulus in Michigan] were summer-only jobs for youths” that take up only one-fourth of the year. 2250 Detroit Free Press Mason, Mich. MI “The Ingham County Health Department reported 97.49 jobs retained, but an official with the agency said without the funding, six jobs would have been lost.” Also, a county official reported “nine new hires.” 82 Detroit Free Press Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. MI “The Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan in Sault Ste. Marie...reported 99 jobs created or saved thanks to $46,000 in cost-of-living adjustments for Head Start employees. An official with the tribal council said she believes no jobs would have been lost without the government money.“ 99 Detroit Free Press Greenville, South Carolina SC "The Greenville Housing Authority “saved or created” 118 jobs by use of federal stimulus money, according to the Obama administration. Not bad for an agency that has 35 employees." 118 The Greenville News