Signs of the Stimulus (one sign cost $10,000)

ABC ^ | 7-14-10 | JONATHAN KARL and GREGORY SIMMONS

[Justaham]

As the midterm election season approaches, new road signs are popping up everywhere – millions of dollars worth of signs touting "The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act" and reminding passers-by that the program is "Putting America Back to Work."

On the road leading to Dulles Airport outside Washington, DC there's a 10' x 11' road sign touting a runway improvement project funded by the federal stimulus. The project cost nearly $15 million and has created 17 jobs, according to recovery.gov.

However, there's another number that caught the eye of ABC News: $10,000. That's how much money the Washington Airports Authority tells ABC News it spent to make and install the sign – a single sign – announcing that the project is "Funded by The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act" and is "Putting America Back to Work." The money for the sign was taken out of the budget for the runway improvement project.

ABC News has reached out to a number of states about spending on stimulus signs and learned the state of Illinois has spent $650,000 on about 950 signs and Pennsylvania has spent $157,000 on 70 signs. Other states, like Virginia , Vermont , and Arizona do not sanction any signs.

[MNDude]

wow, and this is from ABCNews?

[JohnBrowdie]

without even looking, I am going to guess that the sign making industry is heavily unionized.

[Responsibility2nd]

The project cost nearly $15 million and has created 17 jobs, according to recovery.gov.

 

 

Say What??

 

The project cost nearly $15 million and has created 17 jobs, according to recovery.gov.

 

Come again??

 

The project cost nearly $15 million and has created 17 jobs, according to recovery.gov.

 

You mean to tell me that Obama thinkins spending $882,352.94 per job is OK fine?

 

 

The project cost nearly $15 million and has created 17 jobs, according to recovery.gov.

[Oldpuppymax]

ABC reported this?? Amazing! I didn’t notice, but was it posted in some obscure portion of their web page, or was it actually on TV??

[Steve0113]

Other states, like Virginia , Vermont , and Arizona do not sanction any signs.

Then who is paying for them? Here in Virginia, those signs are all over the place.

[GailA]

Meanwhile kids are going hungry, granny hasn’t an AC unit, or the funds to pay the bill.

[Moltke]

Not to defend anything here, but materials and machinery cost money too, you know. Gotta subtract that (unknown) amount and whatever other non-salary costs there might be from the “per job” figure.