Stimulation Impossible

Stimulus Funds Still Generating Waste For American Taxpayers

To Richard Wolffe, Obama “Also Admitted That The Enormous Sums Of Money” In The Stimulus “Had Fallen Short.” “Yet he also admitted that the enormous sums of money had fallen short. ‘If we’re honest, part of the controversy also is that despite the extraordinary work that has been done through the Recovery Act, millions of Americans are still without jobs. Millions more are struggling to make ends meet. So it doesn’t yet feel like much of a recovery. And I understand that. It’s why we’re going to continue to do everything in our power to turn this economy around.’” (Richard Wolffe, Revival: The Struggle For Survival Inside The Obama White House, 2010, p. 155)

FactCheck.org: “It’s Accurate To Say The Stimulus Has Failed To Live Up To Initial Expectations.” “CBO’s high estimate is still short of the 3.5 million jobs that Obama had said would be created by the end of 2010, so it’s accurate to say the stimulus has failed to live up to initial expectations. White House advisers wrongly estimated that the stimulus would bring the unemployment rate down to 7 percent — though they also thought the rate without the stimulus would be lower than it actually is, and they made clear that ‘substantial uncertainty’ surrounded those estimates.” (Lori Robertson, “Dueling Economic Ads,”FactCheck.org, 6/30/11)

IN CALIFORNIA, NEW REVELATIONS THAT STIMULUS FUNDS WENT TO STUDY SEXUAL HISTORY

NBCBay Area Headline: “You Paid For It! Stimulus Dollars Fund Studies Into Sexual History And Erectile Dysfunction.” (Tony Kovaleski, Liza Meak, And Felipe Escamilla, “You Paid For It! Stimulus Dollars Fund Studies Into Sexual History And Erectile Dysfunction,” NBC, 05/13/12)

Over $1 Million In Stimulus Funds Went To The University Of California San Francisco To Study Self-Reports Of Sexual Behavior And Erectile Dysfunction Of Overweight Middle Aged Men. “The NBC Investigative Unit has raised questions about two grants totaling nearly $1.5 million dollars distributed to the University of California San Francisco. The money was part of the federal stimulus program and went to studies into the erectile dysfunction of overweight middle aged men and the accurate reporting of someone’s sexual history.” (Tony Kovaleski, Liza Meak, And Felipe Escamilla, “You Paid For It! Stimulus Dollars Fund Studies Into Sexual History And Erectile Dysfunction,” NBC, 05/13/12)

• The First Grant, Titled “Improving Self-Reports About High Risk Sexual Behavior,” Was Awarded $160,717 And Has Created .78 Jobs. ( Recovery.gov , Accessed 5/17/12)
• The Second Grant, Titled “Lifestyle Intervention To Treat Erectile Dysfunction (Lite),” Was Awarded $726,805 And Has Created 1.61 Jobs. (Recovery.gov , Accessed 5/17/12)

The NBC Bay AreaInvestigative Unit Found That, For The “Improving Self-Reports About High Risk Sexual Behavior” Project, Taxpayers Funded 200 Videotaped Interviews At $6,000 Per Interview. “The NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit discovered that for $1.2 million dollars, taxpayers funded a study that included 200 videotaped interviews at $6,000 per interview.” (Tony Kovaleski, Liza Meak, And Felipe Escamilla, “You Paid For It! Stimulus Dollars Fund Studies Into Sexual History And Erectile Dysfunction,” NBC , 05/13/12)

Scott Amey, General Council For Project On Government Oversight: “I Don’t Think Most Tax Payers Would Think That Would Be A Justified Spending Of Stimulus Money To Conduct A Sex Study Over Fixing Bridges And Roads That Are Crumbling Every Day.” “Amey is the general council for POGO, the Project on Government Oversight, a Washington D.C., nonpartisan, non-profit government watchdog group. During our interview with an NBC crew he tried to explain why the government used so much tax money to improve self-reports about high-risk sexual behavior. ‘I don’t think most tax payers would think that would be a justified spending of stimulus money to conduct a sex study over fixing bridges and roads that are crumbling every day,’ Amey added.” (Tony Kovaleski, Liza Meak, And Felipe Escamilla, “You Paid For It! Stimulus Dollars Fund Studies Into Sexual History And Erectile Dysfunction,” NBC, 05/13/12)

NBC Bay Area: “ This May Not Have Been The Type Of ‘Stimulus’ Feds Intended.”(NBC Bay Area, “Stimulus Dollars Funded Erectile Dysfunction Study In California,”MSNBC,5/16/12)

IN FLORIDA, STIMULUS FUNDS BOUGHT A HOUSE THAT IS GOING TO BE SOLD FOR LESS THAN IT WAS BOUGHT

A Home In Orlando That Was Bought Out Of Foreclosure With $242,000 Of Stimulus Funds Is Going To Be Sold For $125,000 Or Less. “The City of Orlando is investing more than $100,000 repairing a home purchased with your stimulus dollars and has plans to sell that home at far less than what it was worth. … There was a substantial amount of repairs needed on the home beyond what the city had anticipated though, so a new contractor has been hired to finish the work at a cost of $56,000. That makes $242,000 invested. …The city tells me they are likely to sell it at $125,000 or less because of the income requirements from the stimulus program.” (Mike Snynan, “Stimulus Home Turns To Money Pit,”MyFoxOrlando.com, 5/11/12)

$62,000 Was Spent On Repairs For An Initial Contractor, With Whom “It Did Not Work Out.” “They contracted for $62,000 worth of repairs, but Orlando Housing Division Manager Paulette Edwards says it did not work out with the first contractor. ‘His contract called for him to get the work done in a specified amount of time, and that time ran out, and we had some issues with him performing, and we had some problems with him performing in a timely manner so we had to terminate the contract.’” (Mike Snynan, “Stimulus Home Turns To Money Pit,” MyFoxOrlando.com, 5/11/12)

Orlando Housing Division Manager Paulette Edwards: “The Neighborhood Stabilization Program Is Not Designed For Cities And Municipalities To Make A Profit.” “They contracted for $62,000 worth of repairs, but Orlando Housing Division Manager Paulette Edwards says it did not work out with the first contractor. … Because this is all stimulus money being used, and not the city’s general revenue, there will be no attempt to make a profit. ‘No not at all. The Neighborhood Stabilization Program is not designed for cities and municipalities to make a profit. It’s designed to stabilize the neighborhood.’” (Mike Snynan, “Stimulus Home Turns To Money Pit,” MyFoxOrlando.com, 5/11/12)