Stimulus Failure By The Numbers

gop.com ^ | February 17, 2010

[Ooh-Ah]

One Year After February 17 Signing Of Stimulus, 17 Numbers You Need To Know

3.5 MILLION: Jobs Obama Promised Stimulus Would Create By End Of 2010. (President Barack Obama, Remarks At The Signing Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act, Press Release, Denver, CO, 2/17/09)

3.3 MILLION: Jobs Lost Since Obama Made That Promise. (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10)

6.8 MILLION: Jobs Obama Must Now Create To Keep Promise By End Of 2010. (President Barack Obama, Remarks At The Signing Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act, Press Release, Denver, CO, 2/17/09; U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10)

1.1 MILLION: Jobs Obama’s Economists Project Will Be Created By End Of 2010. (David Jackson, “Obama Economic Report: Stagnant Job Growth This Year,” USA Today, 2/11/10)

5.7 MILLION: Jobs By Which Obama’s Economists’ Projection Leaves Him Short In Keeping Promise.  (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10; David Jackson, “Obama Economic Report: Stagnant Job Growth This Year,” USA Today, 2/11/10)

6 PERCENT: Not Surprisingly, Number Of Americans That Say Obama’s Stimulus Created Jobs.  (Stephanie Condon, “Poll: Economy Brings Down Obama's Job Approval Rating,”CBS News’ “Political Hotsheet” Blog, 2/11/10)

7.7 PERCENT: Unemployment Rate When Obama Was Selling Stimulus In January 2009. (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10)

8 PERCENT: Unemployment Rate Obama Pledged Stimulus Would Prevent Us From Reaching. (Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein, "The Job Impact Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Plan," 1/9/09)

9.7 PERCENT: Current Unemployment Rate. (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10)

16.5 PERCENT: Current Unemployment Rate When Underemployed And Discouraged Workers Are Included. (Sara Murray, “Signs Of Hope As Jobless Rate Dips,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/6/10)

334,000: Americans That Have Given Up Looking For A Job Since Stimulus Was Signed. (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10)

47: States That Have Lost Jobs Since Stimulus Was Signed.  (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10)

10: States That Moved From Single-Digit To Double-Digit Unemployment Rate Since Stimulus Was Signed.  (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 2/16/10)

$862 BILLION: Updated Cost Of Stimulus, $75 Billion Increase From Last Year’s Cost Estimate. (“The Budget And Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2010 To 2010,” Congressional Budget Office, 1/26/10; Douglas Elmendor, Director, Congressional Budget Office, Letter To Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 2/13/09)

440: Number Of Nonexistent Congressional Districts That Received Stimulus Funds. (Richard S. Dunham, “Site Lists Jobs In Imaginary Texas Districts,” Houston Chronicle, 11/18/09)

$6.4 BILLION: Amount Of Stimulus Funds That Went To Nonexistent Congressional Districts. (Richard S. Dunham, “Site Lists Jobs In Imaginary Texas Districts,” Houston Chronicle, 11/18/09)

$18 MILLION: Cost Of Stimulus Website, Recovery.gov. (Rick Klein, “$18M Being Spent To Redesign Recovery.gov Web Site,” ABC News’ “The Note“ Blog, 7/8/09)

[ohioWfan]

This is a great resource. THANKS, Ooh-Ah!

[Sir Clancelot]

What are you talking about? This looks like a success to me. (Sarc)

[Grim]

$6.4 BILLION: Amount Of Stimulus Funds That Went To Nonexistent Congressional Districts.

So where did that $6.4 billion go? Any guesses?

[rcrngroup]

Good stats!

[dsc]

“16.5 PERCENT: Current Unemployment Rate When Underemployed And Discouraged Workers Are Included.”

Really? Seems awfully low.

[dsc]

“So where did that $6.4 billion go? Any guesses?”

I’d guess I don’t even know the names of some of those “island nations.”

[CodeToad]

Excellent summation!