Thousands of Stimulus Reports Missing, Resulting in Potential Undercount of Jobs Created

[WilliamPitt]

Thousands of Stimulus Reports Missing, Resulting in Potential Undercount of Jobs Created
Wednesday 09 December 2009
by: Michael Grabell | ProPublica

Eagle Peak Rock and Paving created and saved 32 jobs thanks to an $8 million federal stimulus contract to repair Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park.

But you won’t find that on Recovery.gov, the government’s Web site for tracking stimulus money.

You also won’t find the eight employees hired by Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport in Kentucky, or the 46 jobs claimed for some $65 million in grants awarded to the Louisiana Department of Social Services.

The three are among thousands of recipients who didn’t file the required reports detailing what they did with stimulus money and how many people they hired or retained.

With mounting criticism over the accuracy of jobs numbers, the White House budget office is scrambling to identify recipients who didn’t report. Vice President Joe Biden said last week that the missing information is unacceptable. And the government’s stimulus watchdog, Earl Devaney, who oversees Recovery.gov, promised to post a list of non-filers in an effort to embarrass them into complying.

More: http://www.truthout.org/topstories/120909ms1

[havocmom]

1. .

[chill_wind]

2. And there was this in November- thousands of jobs in districts that don't exist

(ProPublica links to this one as well.)

By James Rosen | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — The federal Web site that tracks spending from the Obama administration's $787 billion economic stimulus program reports that the program has created thousands of jobs in congressional districts that don't exist.

According to www.recovery.gov, California has seven congressional districts more than the 53 it actually has, including a 99th. In South Carolina, the site reported Tuesday evening, $40.7 million in economic stimulus funds have gone to seven spurious congressional districts, including 00 and 25. South Carolina has six U.S. House districts.

(..)


The White House didn't respond to repeated requests for comment.

Ed Pound, a spokesman for the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, told ABC News that human error caused the mistakes.

"We report what the recipients submit to us," he said, according to ABC. "Some recipients clearly don't know what congressional district they live in, so they appear to be just throwing in any number."

Computer experts questioned that explanation, however, noting that many of the Web site's state links included a District 00, suggesting that there was a technical glitch in how the data was received.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/79058.html

[robinlynne]

3. 8 million dollars created only 32 jobs?

[WilliamPitt]

4. 8 million divided by 32 + operating costs

= salaries + operating costs.

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. That's not just the 32 jobs - they actually had to repair the road that

they were contracted to repair. It wasn't BYOA - bring your own asphalt.

[WilliamPitt]

6. Kick